Bay laurel

25 Comments

1. Debra MacPhail - August 31, 2006 at 1:48 pm

   Where can I buy a bay laurel? Is it hardy in zone 8?

   Bay Laurel is hardy in zone 7-10. Might find some on the internet or even your local nursery.

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2. Waverly Fitzgerald - July 5, 2008 at 2:43 pm

   I live in Zone 8 and have a very healthy bay laurel tree. Was told it wouldn’t make it through the winters outside but it has for over ten years now. If it got very cold, I was told I could protect it by putting a blanket over it, but I have never had to resort to that. There’s another bay laurel tree flourishing in my neighborhood in Seattle.

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3. tandra mathis - January 5, 2009 at 8:34 pm

   i have a bay laurel that has grown good. i brought in for winter. now the leaves are looking different color & feels like they are drying out. i check soil and top inch is little dry, but past inch it’s moist. the trunk still looks green & has some new growth. the leaf color change starts @ tip & works down leaf. it kind of makes me think it’s drying from lack of water, but like i said soil is moist. i don’t know alot about the plant, just that i cook w/ bay leaf alot, i love the plant, & not very winter hardy,
   i live in zone 7/8, Bonham, Tx. can you help? i’ve search the web, but only thing i know more about plant is history, & resist insects & dieases.
   thanks tandra

   Hi Tandra
   There are many factors that can cause browning leaf tips: overwatering, underwatering, low humidity, too high, too low temperatures and drastic temperature change. The damaged leaves will eventually fall off and new growth will replace and fill in.

   After more research I found that tan margins on bay leaves can be caused by soluble salt damage to the roots. An accumulation of soil salts (mineral deposits) from fertilizers and or dry soil. This happens when you don’t water properly. Kncok the plant out of the pot and check the roots. You should have creamy white roots, if not then there is root damage due to soluble salt accumulation. To correct this problem, leach out the excess soil salts by watering your plant thoroughly to get all the roots wet. Water until it flows out of the bottom of the pot and then repeat once more. Excess salts will wash out with the draining water.
   To avoid this problem- each time you water be sure it drains from the bottom and re-water when the top 2 inches feel dry. The time span between watering should be longer in winter as plants are not actively growing. See above picture

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4. Danielle - February 9, 2009 at 6:11 pm

   I have a Bay Tree which for the past 7 years and until now it has been a very healthy specimen.
   I noticed approx 2 Months ago that it looked a little sad and the leaves were turning yellow. I had never repotted the tree since I had it & so presumed it needed a larger container.
   After repotting we had a great deal of rain and having changed the clay container for a resin style I noticed no improvement in the colouration or health. It is now June and the tree is looking very poor, the leave are withered and a brownish yellow.
   Any ideas?

   Hi Danielle
   In addition to transplant shock, the extra moisture from the rain may have stressed the roots more. It may be that your bay laurel was too wet and the roots started to rot. You don’t mention wether the pot drains from the bottom. Bay leaf likes well drained, loose soil. Put it in a dry, semi shade area so that it can recup and grow more roots to maintain the leaves. You can also prune it back by 1/3. It’s not too late to send out new growth from the nodes.

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5. c.warwick - April 14, 2009 at 11:08 am

   what is the best treatment for my bay tree. It has got a black sticky matter on the leaves. I have tried fairy liquid spray. What else can I try.

   Hi
   Sound like your bay tree may have scale-an insect that favors bay. Our article on scale has other suggestions for treatment.

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6. Abigail - April 23, 2009 at 12:47 am

   We recently moved house and I replanted my Bay tree in the ground after several years of it being in a container. The leaves have now started to go from a healthy green to a yellowish-brown, and have black spots. It is quite a large bush, about 3 ft tall. Did it just object to being moved, or is it something more serious?

   Hi Abigail
   It may be both. When transplanted a plant is in its weakened state and can become suceptible to disease. It may be shedding some of its leaves to accommodate the “damaged” root system. As for the spots on the leaves-it may be a leaf spot of some type perhaps Anthracnose. Hopefully, your bay tree will recover. If new growth also has leaf spot then take a sample to your local extension office to find out what it is.

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7. Audrey Davis - June 13, 2009 at 4:03 am

   I recently bought a Bay Laurel “tree” it is only about 18″ tall but it has 2 distinct stalks and i would like to create a topiary look, I was wondering is it possible to seperate these and make 2 plants out of it? It looks to be a young plant. It is healthy and now in a 8″ pot so the 2 stalks are not close enough to twist into a single one Can i cut down through the roots between these 2 stalks without harming the plant?
   Thanks for your input…Aud

   HI Audrey
   You can carefully separate both stems and plant each one in individual pots. I would wet the soil and knock out the bay out of its pot and then separate the roots instead of cutting them. Replant and place in a shaded area for a week or so.

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8. Glennie Gordon - October 18, 2009 at 7:38 am

   Bay leaf miner
   I have acquired a mature bay tree (20 yrs old?). It spent the summer outdoors and is now moved into the house. I notice tiny areas in the leaves that are discoloured and some areas with perforations. Not scale infestation. Looks like a leaf miner. Is this possible? Any ideas and should I treat this somehow or just wait and see? Leaves are not wilted and there is a bit of new growth.

   HI Glennie
   The perforated spots are probably from outdoor insects feeding on the plant. It possible to to get leaf miner. They are flat larvae that live between leaf layers. If you can see some pick off the leaves. Check your plants while they are indoors to make sure no other visitors ( scale, spider mites, mealy bugs) have hitchhicked in the soil.

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9. John Alexander - November 9, 2009 at 11:38 am

   Dear Hortchat, I would really appreciate your advice, I don’t know which Zone I am in, but I live in London, England. U.K.
   I planted a Bay Laurel which was about 8 inches, 20 years ago when I moved to my home, I had only ever thought of Bay trees as being like shrubs, about 10 feet maximum.
   It is now approximately about 25 – 30 feet tall, and as I do not own my home, the Housing Association that I rent from, want to cut it down as it is very close to the next door property i.e. the trunk is nearly touching the wall next door, about 2cm from the wall.
   I have come to terms with the fact that if it has to come down, then so be it, but I really do wonder if it will cause damage by it’s growth, or by it’s root system. I have heard it has a shallow root system, and I do think that if it was going to cause damage by the root system, then it would have done so already and there is no evidence that it has done any damage.
   I am trying to save it, but I understand the reasons the Housing Association have for wanting to cut it down, so I would really appreciate some true and honest advice.
   I am also thinking of taking cuttings to grow in pots if it does have too come down, and would like to know the best way of doing this at this time of year i.e. November 9th 2009.
   Yours sincerely.
   John

   Hi John
   It’s hard to loose and old friend. To bad that it wasn’t in a large container so you could have controlled the growth. Regardless of whether the roots will cause damage, if the tree is too close to the building it has the potential of becoming a liability. Is it possible to dig it up and move it to another location?
   You can take cuttings and start a new plant but be aware that they are difficult and slow to root.
   To root bay laurel take a 4 inch cutting of new growth and strip away all but the top 2 leaves, dip in rooting hormone and plant in a 1/2 sand 1/2 peat mix. Cover with plastic to help keep the soil moist and maintain humidity. Place cuttings in a warm spot with filtered light. Heal cuttings (part of main stem attached) also work . Cuttings can be taken 8 weeks after new spring growth and rooting can take up to 6 weeks. Late summer/early fall cuttings are slower to root and will take several months. Bay laurel can also propagated by layering in spring.
   Good luck with propagating your bay laurel.

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10. J Jackson - January 7, 2010 at 11:18 am

    Hi,
    I just bought a bay laurel in a pot about a month or so ago. It was beautiful. I put it in a nice sunny window and watered it when the soil started to feel dry. I think the pot is draining well (water comes out of the bottom). The leaves have gotten super dry. The trunk still looks greenish.

    What should I do? There doesn’t seem to be any growth, but it’s midwinter and I’ve read they grow more in the spring and summer. Should I try fertilizing or repotting? Should I trim it? I’m very new to gardening of any kind and I really want to do the best I can for this tree.
    Thanks,
    JJ

    Hi JJ
    Do nothing but water. Most plants go into a semi-dormant stage during the winter. They stop growing or grow very little, thereby do not require or use fertilizer. Being a newly bought plant, I would not repot unless the roots are growing out of the bottom of the pot and then wait till spring to do so. When you water make sure you give the plant a good watering, so that it drains from the bottom of the pot and then wait until the top 1-2 inches are dry before watering again. Best to water well less often than to water often a little at a time. If you can, increase the humidity by placing your Bay on a pebble tray. It may help.

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11. J Jackson - January 9, 2010 at 7:38 am

    Thank you so much!! I will do this. I watered heavily this morning and the water definitely drains well through the bottom of the pot. I have a humidifier and will put it in the room where the plant is. That room gets a little dryer because it has a little more sun.

    I will wait patiently for spring.
    Thanks again — I loved this tree when we brought it home and am really hopeful it will rejuvenate with this plan.
    JJ

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12. jo - January 26, 2010 at 9:47 am

    Sooty mold
    please please help!! I live near the beach and my bay tree is outside my house the problem is the leaves are covered in black dusty filth, Its too big to clean each individual leaf so I need a solution to getting it clean again. I will faint if you can give me the answer.many thanks jo x from Broadstairs England

    Hi Jo
    We have to determine what this black dusty filth is. Do you have any sticky clear substance on the leaves? If so, you may have scale and insect that produces honeydew (clear sticky stuff). This in turn attracts a fungus called sooty mold which grows on the honeydew. Sooty mold will not harm the plant but will block the sun from entering the leaves, thus reducing photosynthesis. If not removed it can reduce growth and cause the leaves to drop. A solution of a mild soap and water or just a spray of water should work. Sooty mold will eventually wash off with the rain but you need to control the scale to completely elliminate it.

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13. John Alexander - January 29, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    Thanks very much for the advice, I took some cuttings before the cut it down about 10 days ago, I have kept the trunk, I was thinking of trying to carve it into something, but I can’t believe how dense and heavy it is. I may have to leave it in situ in the garden for now.
    I also took some cuttings (I didn’t know about stripping it back or the sand) and just potted them up with rooting hormone in peat based compost. I think there is some life still in them.
    I have them in the kitchen, I just hope they survive the cold snap that is expected this weekend.

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14. Liz Thomas - March 20, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    Pruning after winter
    We have a bay laurel that was a given to us last spring. It was outdoors all summer and seemed to be thriving (it went from 4″-6″ to over a foot tall). When it started getting cold (before freezing, we live in zone 4) we brought all the container plants indoors, and the laurel seemed to be doing just as well. That is until about December when all of the leaves began to dry out. We were watering it once a week (it was watered more when outside), but some of the roots were exposed so we thought that was the problem -and added more potting soil, to no avail. All of the leaves except two looked as though they’d been cured for the pantry. We moved the laurel to another room that gets more light and eventually forgot about it. It hasn’t been watered in more than a month, perhaps longer. Today we noticed that it has two new bright green baby leaves sprouting from one of the main branches, and we are shocked to say the least. Have you ever heard of this happening? Should we trim back the branches that are completely dried out? We would love to save this plant, and any advice is much appreciated!

    Hi Liz
    Bay laurel require less water indoors especially in winter. It may have responded from too much water, not enough humidity. Fortunately, the roots are still good and it is sending out new growth. Which is normal . Wait and see before you trim anything back, there may be more growth coming. Trim it in late spring when you are sure what you are cutting off is completely dead.

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15. John Alexander - March 26, 2010 at 4:57 pm

    Well speaking as a total amateur about this, I would leave it for the time being, no fussing over it.
    My soil is exceptionally bad in my garden the Bay Laurel was one of the most significant things that grew there, most seeds don’t germinate, even wild garden seeds. I have a massive problem with Ground Elder as well, which is a bit like knotweed in effect. So, if the Bay could exist in the harsh soil in zone 3 (or 4 I think) without any help from me, I would just do what feels right, and gradually re-introduce it into the garden when the summer finally arrives, should be soon I hope.
    Best of luck

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16. deb - August 7, 2010 at 7:53 am

    Brown/dry leaves
    my mother gave me a small bay she’d rooted from her larger one. it’s in a clay pot, and she had it in a quite shaded area outside in early summer. i buried its pot in the ground in a quite sunny garden in virginia – it’s been VERY hot, though i’ve kept the bay watered.
    now the leaves on my 8″ bay have turned brownish and are dry, starting to get that curling-up dry look. it’s put out a bunch of shoots at the bottom.
    i’d like to keep the already-grown part, that seems to be browning and dry (the ‘trunk’ doesn’t look bad … yet)
    what should i do? move it to the shade?

    Hi Deb
    Yes, Move it to light shade, strong sunlight can burn the leaves. Bay laurel likes well-drained soil. Also make sure it gets even moisture not too much or not enough.

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17. John Alexander - August 10, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    Well in spite of the Housing Associations efforts to kill the bay laurel I had in my garden last year (November) the tree surgeons came and cut it down, I took cuttings but to no avail, none of them grew.
    I was under the impression that the Tree Surgeons had poured a poisonous liquid on the stump that they left, so imagine my surprise and delight, when new branches and leaves started growing around April-May time, there is now substantial growth around the base of the old tree, so either the ‘poison’ didn’t work or it was just engine oil.
    I want to make the best out of it and should perhaps start thinning it out a bit, and possibly planting some cuttings in my terrible soil, 6 inches down heavy London clay, anyway I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped me on this forum, and I hope I can help someone else sometime.
    Oh the trunk, it was very heavy so I left it outside, along with a large stump that I took into the house, it must be from the drying out process, but there are huge gaping rips into the trunk from the outside, something may come of it yet.

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18. vt - August 31, 2010 at 8:19 am

    Yellowing leaves
    Hello ,I live in Athens Greece norther suburb ,my mother planted a laurel over 15 years ago ,the plant was doing great!This summer i noticed (after a good pruning 4 months ago) that the leaves are turning yellow ,i worry we might lose it ,it has been such an awesome shade over the years i would hate to lose it .The weather has been very hot (40s) any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Hi VT
    Yellowing leaves are a response to stress of some kind. Hot weather, too much water, or lack of nutrients can cause yellow leaves. Also, check the plant for insect infestation which can also cause yellow leaves.

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19. mark - September 9, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    Hi i hope you can help , we have planted about 25 laurels in the month of march and was hoping for a farly healthy hedge row buy now . we are in the month of september and they have only grow about 6 inches in hight . is this normal or is there anything we can use to improve growth . when we planted them they were about 12 inches high . many thanks mark

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20. John Alexander - September 13, 2010 at 7:34 am

    Hi Mark, I would say that is quite a healthy growth rate, I am no expert but I had a Bay Laurel for 20 years in my garden till it got chopped down in January this year, it was about 20 feet + add 10 feet for a bit I cut off years ago, in the mistaken belief that I thought it would stop growing too high.
    I don’t know the conditions of your garden, so I will tell you about mine, the topsoil I have is terrible and riddled with Ground Elder, which criss crosses the underneath of the garden (about 6-8 inches depth)like a veritable matrix.
    I also don’t get a lot of Sun as garden is West facing, where I planted it was in the north -east part of the garden which shielded it from the wind, but I was probablt in the shadiest part of the garden.
    As I’ve mention about about it getting cut down because it was to near to a wall of a house, the tree fellers, poured some stuff on the stump and said that will kill the roots, so I was amazed when tiny little green tips of shoots started appearing around March, they have now grown to roughly 2 – 3 feet since then.
    The point I am trying to make is that they are a lot tougher than most people think, and are good survivors.
    Just another thing, I do remember when I first planted it, after a year it hadn’t grown as much as yours had, and I didn’t think it would grow tall, so best of luck to you and the laurels.
    John

    Hi John
    Thanks for your learned comment! Kris @ Hortchat|

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21. Methyl - August 4, 2011 at 10:00 am

    We have a bay laurel that was under 6′ when we moved in 6 years ago. It was a three-stemmed shrub. We limbed it up about 4′ from ground level about 4 years ago, and then it took off. It is now about 18′ tall, tripling its size in 6 years (seriously!) It is now a handsome three-trunked tree, that is due for some topiary trimming.

    It has very shallow roots that extend everywhere, so it may have to come down, as it was originally planted in my vegetable garden. It is also troubled by some sort of white-fly that causes some of the leaves to curl, but as this doesn’t affect every leaf, we’re leaving it be for now, though insecticidal soap will work when we get around to it. We live in Zone 7/8, in Seattle, WA.

    I’ld like to build some raised beds for the vegetable garden there, partly to reclaim some water and soil fertility. Obviously, I have to work around the tree, but I’m pretty sure that the roots will just work their way up into the raised beds seeking water. Any other thoughts? Will a severe topiary-trim help keep the tree in check, or will I always be battling it? I suppose, I can take cuttings and see if I can get a new start put in elsewhere in the garden …. It’s a pity it is such a handsome tree.

    Hi Methyl
    You will always have problems when planning a vegetable garden around a tree. The roots will compete for moisture and leaves for sunlight.

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22. Melissa - August 9, 2011 at 11:33 am

    I have a multi-trunked bay laurel that I planted about 20 years ago. It has been growing nicely all this time and I love it. This spring I noticed that part of a branch was dead. I removed all the dead wood. A few weeks later I had to remove the rest of that entire branch. Now another entire trunk is dying back and I am worried the entire tree will eventually be affected. I have new growth on the tree this year, as usual, but the branch that is dying is one that has had the new growth on it.

    We did have a strange and cold winter this year, with a deep lasting freeze in November, which is still growing season for many of my plants in my Tacoma, zone 8 yard. Many of my shrubs were damaged during this freeze. There was another deep and lasting freeze in February. This tree is planted beneath a huge douglas fir tree and has weathered winters here with no protection since its been in the ground, but the early deep freeze, temps in the high teens, lasted for about 2 weeks.
    I’m wondering if it’s possible I’m seeing frost damage to the root system? I just checked the tree and there is what appears to be a new shoot at the base of the tree.

    So my two possibilities are frost damage and some kind of organism. I see nothing amiss with the leaves except for the ones on the branches that have died back. Your ideas will be helpful and welcome. Thanks.

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23. Maryjane - October 20, 2011 at 11:51 am

    I don’t need any help, but I just wanted to thank you for being so helpful to others. 🙂

    Love and light,
    An herbalist

    Reply
    1. Al - January 26, 2012 at 10:35 am

       Methyl,
       Your thoughts on raised beds are really a good idea.
       Be sure to install hardware cloth on the bottom of your raised beds. Sunset Gardens has some really good free online plans for raised beds. Not only will the hardware cloth barrier keep burrowing rodents out of your beds, but will help keep root intrusion to a minimum.
       Good luck!
       Al

       Reply
24. Fran Beadle - March 16, 2012 at 11:30 am

    Our 2 year old Bay Laurel is only about 2 feet high and enjoys our SW Florida weather but today I saw holes in a few of the leaves. What is it and how do we care for it?

    Hi Fran
    I’m not sure what insect is eating your bay laurel. A common pest is the asiatic garden beetle and brown beetles-holes that make holes in leaves. You need to ID the insect before you can treat the plant.

    Reply