Bay Laurel?

[neoguy]

We have a 5-6 year old plant/tree, growing in a pot in a south facing window. The plant is about 5' tall. This year, for some reason, about 20% of the leaves are drying and shriveling on the plant. They maintain the dark color, but eventually they just drop off. Any ideas?

[bitterwort]

Neo, since no one else has answered, I'll take a stab at it. I just gave away a bay laurel standard I'd had for maybe 15 years because it was getting too large for my indoor spot. By the end, it was quite potbound. I'd venture to say that the pot was entirely filled with roots and very little else. Bay laurels are supposed to be quite tolerant of being potbound, but lack of soil in the pot would probably make it difficult for the plant to maintain water balance... and any slipup (too much or too little water) could presumably lead to death of root hairs and later leaf drop. Is your plant potbound? Something to consider.

[Worth1]

Laurus Nobilis

Does anybody else out there grow Laurus Nobilis ?
I do and it is a great plant for the southern landscape.

This plant is an evergreen and as such will keep its leaves on for sometimes a few years.
Even so the leaves get old and will drop off on their own with out any outside factors involved such as mistreatment.
Where these leaves fall off, there will be a little bud that will start to grow; this will become a new branch.

What sized pot do you have it in? (Root bound is ok) but I bet it could use a bigger container.
Have you pruned the top?helps promote branching.

Do you have it in sun or shade? (They will live in both)
And most important, have you changed your feeding and watering habits recently.(good friends bad advice.)

The only thing I can possibly think of is salt build up from some fertilizers, but I doubt it.
(They are tolerant of salt.)

BUT if it is the problem you can flush out the salt by running ten times the volume of the container with fresh water, ‘this also works for over fertilizing.


If it was doing ok for the last 5 years and you have not changed the way you are taking care of it then
((((((((I suspect that the leaves are the older ones that are falling off and there is nothing to worry about.)))))))))

Worth

[blatanna]

I have 2 bay trees in large 10 inch pots. I am training them to be standards eventually and they are doing really well. They are outdoors most of the year but will be in the greenhouse over the winter.

[neoguy]

Thanks for the replies folks.

Yes, the plant is probably pot bound. I have it in a 12" pot, looks to be about a 4 gallon pot. I'll transplant to a 5 gallon pot in the spring, but won't be able to go much larger than that, it's already huge for a house plant. But, they great to have around for the fresh leaves for cooking.

Worth, you might be right about the older leaves drying up and dying. The plant is in a south facing window but it only gets partial sun. I have been watering as usual, no changes in routine. I've stopped fertilizing for the season, when I do fertilize it's with fish emulsion. And, yes I do trim the plant, but usually in the spring when it really goes through it's growth spurt.

Do you think I should cut off the drying leaves, or should I just let nature take care of them?

Thanks.

[Worth1]

I think I would just let them fall off.
Depending on what they looked like.
I hope the plant isn't sick.

Worth

[neoguy]

I also hope it's not sick. I'd hate to start with a new plant next spring, they grow sooo slooow that first year. And propagating them is impossible, I've tried many times with the cuttings.

[bitterwort]

I've had most success propagating bay laurel by taking cuttings and putting a bunch in moist sand. I'm trying a bunch more now in sterile soilless mix, using Roottone on the cut ends. They don't all root and they may take as long as 6 months to root, but don't give up on that approach, Neoguy. As long as the leaves on the cuttings are green and alive, the cuttings may eventually take root.

[neoguy]

Bitterwort, thanks for the moist sand suggestion for rooting, I'll have to that a try. I've tried a glass of water and moist Pro-Mix, nothing worked. I had given up, each of the cuttings ended up drying and the leaves dying off. I saw no point in trying to keep what appeared to be a dead twig growing. I did not try using rootone, I guess I'll have to try that on the next batch.

Do you root these under any special conditions? I've read that they should be kept in the dark and in humid conditions. Do you think it's too late in the year to try some cuttings now? How thick in diameter are your cuttings? And, I feel foolish asking this, but I've read to keep a heel on the stem you're trying to root, can you clarify what a "heel" is?

Thanks!!!

[Worth1]

Here you go mate, thats why this forum is here and it is what books are for.8)

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublicatio...2/pnw0152.html

I have to add it was a hobby of mine as a wee little thing to try and get things to root.
Worth

[bitterwort]

Neo, the following site has a nice little writeup about taking cuttings and also propagating bay laurel by layering. I believe what they said about maintaining high humidity is essential. I've successfully rooted cuttings during late summer outside in dappled shade (when the air was naturally humid) and also in the basement under lights, with the temperature cooler and the humidity kept higher by being surrounded by other plants.
http://www.and-sa.co.za/andopaedia/herbs/bay.php

If you're serious about making new plants, I've seen kits for air-layering plants right on the plant. And also these new gel rooting-medium pots that are supposed to be good for rooting woody stock. I haven't tried the gel pots, but they may work well.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...,47236&p=46938
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...,47236&p=46944

If you want to try traditional air layering, you don't really need to buy anything. Simply make a careful diagonal cut 2/3s through the stem below a leaf node (where the leaves join the stem) and prop the cut open with a bit of toothpick. Wrap moist spaghnum in the cut and all around to make a nice place for roots to develop and then wrap that carefully all around with plastic so it doesn't dry out. When the interminable length of time require to form roots has passed ;-), simply cut off the new plant and pot it up.

I'm not sure either what is meant by "heel" in that context, but perhaps it's referring to the rather standard recommendation to cut below the node rather than right through the node. As far as thickness of stock to root, it's generally the thinner young branches, not the older woodier ones that root for me. (Basically, when I pruned the plant to shape it, I tucked the cuttings in moist sand instead of tossing them.) Good luck to you!

[Worth1]

I posted the information on heel cuttings by putting the link in my above post.
But as I sometimes do, I don’t look at all links at the first reading.
So here is the definition of a heel cutting in my own words.

A heel cutting is a cutting made from a branch growing from the main stem.
This can be done by simply tearing the branch off by pulling down on the stem towards the beginning of the stem it is being removed from.
Be careful not to tear off all of the bark.

This leaves part of the main stem on the cutting you desire to root.
You can also do this by using a knife.

I prefer to just tear them off myself.
Trim away any excess material at the base of the cutting such as a long strip of bark.(you have all seen this from tearing off branches I’m sure.)

For more information all you have to do is Google heel rooting or heel cutting and you will get more information than you need to root plants.

And better yet here is a picture of a heel cutting.

Worth

[neoguy]

Bitterwort and Worth, thanks for the great info and links. Worth, you're right, this forum rocks!

[Ruth_10]

Here is another question about bay laurel. What temperatures can they tolerate in the winter?

This is my first time growing a bay laurel. It's in a pot and spent the summer out in the flower garden. I now have the pot moved onto the front porch. I've taken it into the garage a couple of times when the temps got to below freezing. When should it go indoors for the duration?

[bitterwort]

Ruth, mine goes outside in its pot all summer too and I only bring it in when it gets to about 34 or 35 degrees Fahrenheit at night. If you only had to make occasional trips to the garage to avoid lower temps, I'd say you have it made. Here in Minnesota, when it starts freezing at night, it usually keeps doing that for quite some time.... ;-) The Taylor's Guide to Herbs says bay laurel is hardy to Zone 8. Are you close to that?