Bay Laurel tree advice...

Calcat36 · January 28, 2013

Hi! I bought 4 seedlings last spring and they did well all summer. Last month, they developed scale. I pulled them out of the soil, washed them down, and re-potted them in "clean" soil. While the stalks are looking fine, and the scale is still not present, the leaves are drying out and looking sickly. There does appear to be leaf buds growing along the stalk/trunk. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Darren Abbey · January 28, 2013

From when I grew this tree years ago, I noted that it was slow to recover from planting shock. As for advice... water it more that you might normally and provide some shelter from the sun. good luck.

Calcat36 · January 28, 2013

Thanks Darren. I will do that. I did keep them watered well throughout the summer and even in the heat, they didn't get sickly leaves or scale. I'll give them more time and TLC to recover. Just stressed because I lost 2 citrus and a Kaffir Lime to scale before I knew what it was. I cleaned my last citrus tree today and the scale fight is on! Little suckers! Thanks again.

Darren Abbey · January 28, 2013

No worries. I've never had any serious scale issues to worry about. If I ever saw a scale insect, it was more of interest rather than concern.

Calcat36 · January 28, 2013

They are EVIL Darren. Plain old EVIL! They suck plants dry faster than aphids! But now I am on to them... My house is dry in the winter and they just happen to LOVE THAT!

The roots of the laurel looked really healthy and twice the size of what I first potted up, so that has to be a good thing.

I never had scale before, so it must have come with the citrus I ordered from California. I really like Kaffir Lime, so I will try again, wiser. I'll know what to look for... Nope, I didn't make a mistake. I had a learning experience! And so on it goes...

nolabelle · June 9, 2013

I recently bought a laural/bay tree in a container. This is my second one. The first one dried up on the porch. One should be meticulous when growing in containers.

I've been babysitting this one. General potting mix with a dash of all purpose fertilizer. I check the pot for water needs daily. So far, so good. It's a very pretty plant.

January 28, 2013	#1
Calcat36 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: 6b Posts: 56	Bay Laurel tree advice... Hi! I bought 4 seedlings last spring and they did well all summer. Last month, they developed scale. I pulled them out of the soil, washed them down, and re-potted them in "clean" soil. While the stalks are looking fine, and the scale is still not present, the leaves are drying out and looking sickly. There does appear to be leaf buds growing along the stalk/trunk. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

January 28, 2013	#2
Darren Abbey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 586	From when I grew this tree years ago, I noted that it was slow to recover from planting shock. As for advice... water it more that you might normally and provide some shelter from the sun. good luck.

June 9, 2013	#6
nolabelle Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: N.O., LA (Zone 8b) Posts: 136	I recently bought a laural/bay tree in a container. This is my second one. The first one dried up on the porch. One should be meticulous when growing in containers. I've been babysitting this one. General potting mix with a dash of all purpose fertilizer. I check the pot for water needs daily. So far, so good. It's a very pretty plant.