Help with re-potting a small fir

[9CirclesOfOhWell]

I’ll start by saying that I have next to no gardening knowledge, hence asking for help!

I have a small, potted Noordman Fir tree that I bought last Christmas and it’s been faring very well left to itself outside up to now. However, the recent much warmer weather seems to have taken its toll and although I’ve kept it well watered (whilst taking care not to water log it), it’s dropping needles and looking rather worse for wear. My garden wraps around two sides of my house, with one part facing east, and the other south and so it’s nigh impossible to place it somewhere that doesn’t get pelted with full sun at some point in the day.

I’d like to re-pot it into a larger container, and add feed, etc. but don’t really have much of a clue where to begin / what to use. Currently it’s in a (approx.) 8” pot and is just a little under 18” tall. It’s also very narrow and I’m hoping that re-potting will give it the opportunity to fill out a bit.

Any guidance would be really appreciated!

Can you plant it in the ground? Being in soil will be cooler for the roots. You could then dig it up again in the autumn and put it back in a larger pot ready for Christmas.

Otherwise, put it in a larger pot now (John Innes no 3 compost with some composted bark mixed in if you have any), and stand it where it gets morning sun but is in shade in the afternoons. Shelter from strong winds would be beneficial. You could give it some seaweed tonic according to pack instructions, and which you can use as a foliar feed too - just water the entire thing, getting the branches and needles wet. Hold off giving it any ordinary fertiliser for a few weeks until you see whether it is surviving or has kicked the bucket. Conifers take a long time to die, and can look suspiciously alive for a long time after they've had it.

@Yamadori Thanks for the advice - much appreciated! Planting it in the ground isn’t an option unfortunately, so I’ll endeavour to find somewhere that’s shaded in the afternoons (not easy in the summer months) and see how it goes. Hopefully it’ll pull through and isn’t just looking alive!