New Bay tree - Questions

I got my first Bay Laurel this past Spring and when it got warm enough outside I put it on my deck. Over the summer it doubled in size and even grew little round pods on the new growth. Not sure what they are....but my question is when it started getting too cool at night I moved it inside and now the leaves are turning yellow/brown and some are dropping off. Is it just getting accustomed to a new location and is this normal. Or is it very unhappy? Can anyone give some advise? Help please! :-)
~chele

It is missing the sun. Place in a sunny window.Mist the leaves once in awhile. Water it.Don't stare at it.It will be ok.You could start a cutting for insurance.

"little round pods on the new growth"

?

I have no idea what this could be... could you post a photo? Or maybe you could google for some images to be sure you're not describing scale (sucking insects that appear as round bumps attached to leaves and twigs). Check for other pests, too, such as spider mites.

Sun is good. Make sure you're not overwatering it (easy to do, especially inside)... stick your finger down a couple of inches to see if the soil is dry before watering. It should be potted in a well-draining mix and also not left in a saucer of standing water.

Thank you - I'll stop looking at it. Hee hee.

Critter, I would gladly post a picture as I'd love to know what the little round balls are....but DH took the camera to a football game. So I'll get one posted tomorrow. When the first grew it appeared as if a new leave was growing but after an inch out it stopped and nothing happened.....there is just a little green pod on the end. There are about a half dozen on each new stem that grew. And there are more new leaves that grew after them. I could not find a picture of what they are. I thought at first that it was a seed - you know, first plant and all. :-)

I'll post it tom.....now I'm curious. Almost looks like bloom buds that never opened.

Thanks for the watering tips!
~chele

That really sounds odd! I'm going to look my bay over to see if I can find any leaves that grew out like that... I don't think it's a seed or a bloom bud. If there are more "normal" leaves that grew out after those, maybe whatever caused it (watering issue, insect, etc) was resolved... I doubt it's related to the current problem, but I'm curious!

I've overwatered many plants and had them drop leaves as you describe due to root rot, so I figured that was something else to check.

Here's the picture Critter.....you can see how the tips are starting to turn brown. There are 3 new branches that have these little buds on them.....plus it appears to be growing another one. I thought about repotting it to mix in some extra orchid potting mix I have - for good drainage. Will it stress too much with the move indoor and then repotting as well?

Anyone else ever seen these little buds on a bay laurel?

Those are flower buds.
Having moved it indoors, I wouldn't mess around with it too much more (i.e. repotting).
If you feel you must overwinter your Bay laurel indoors, I'd repot it in the Spring in a much bigger pot and simple treat it as a patio plant. On the other hand, no matter what the "Zone" info is on these, they will take very cold temps so long as they are protected from wind. A good winter wrap ought to protect it in your part of Ohio. Try taking a cutting or buy another small plant next year and plant it in a protected location, use a winter wrap and see what happens. A Bay laurel that can establish itself outdoors will be healthier and happier than one in a pot! And will get a lot bigger, too.

I had no idea that these flower! Thanks for the info - I'll leave it be until Spring.

Cool! I've never had flower buds on mine. I'm glad you posted the photo so we could be sure this was something normal and not an insect or disease problem of some sort... I'm always concerned when people start talking about bumps, nodules, etc., LOL. Totally normal -- thriving, in fact! :-)

Are these the same "bay leaf" that grew rampant on the shore of the James river (near the bay)?

Chele's garden's plant is Laurus nobilis, a mediteranean plant called sweet bay or bay laurel. Morella (aka Myrica) Bay or bayberry would be found along much of the US Atlantic coast and lake shores. They're vaguely similar and both are aromatic, and it's easy to get them confused, both of them having "bay" in the names.

Laurus nobilis is the "bay leaf" used in cooking and in the famous "Old Bay Seasoning" used on steamed crabs in Maryland.

Myrica (or Morella, I can't remember which is the newer name/synonym) bayberries have waxy coating that is used for scented candles. I don't know if it's used in cooking though. Critter, I saw one of these at your house, but I don't know, for all I know you had a bay laurel in a container somewhere, too!

I have a big sweet bay in a container on my deck. :-)

I really wanted to plant bayberry along the back of the yard, but I was told by the folks at a native tree/shrub nursery that it wouldn't thrive in Frederick's clay soil and non-coastal weather. I really love the scent of bayberry and have fond memories of it from my time in GA!

Lol - I thought it looked a little strange... like I said, it's easy to get them confused!

You have, however, given me an idea... I might be able to grow a bayberry here in a container of well-draining mix (and unlike my sweet bay, it wouldn't have to come inside in the winter).

If you cook, especially soups and pasta sauces, it's very nice to have a sweet bay for the fresh leaves, which have a lot of subtle flavors that dried bay leaves lack.

:-)

Jill, Jim....anyone....

My bay laurel has lost almost 50% of it's leaves BUT has tons of new growth and the flower pods have opened into full bloom. I'm a little bit confused on what this poor thing needs - it's looking like a Charlie Brown tree. Hee hee.

The help I need is: upon sifting through the upper portion of soil, I found microscopic white worms AND tiny snails......the worms I don't think are harming, but I can't find any info on these snails. I'd send a picture, but they are SO little and I don't have a micro lense for my camera. Anyone know about these little snails? They are dark brown, flat coiled, not round and fat.....and it does not appear as if they are eating the green leaves, I was just wondering about the roots.

I had it outside all summer where it flourished....and have not repotted it.
~chele

Are you sure they're snails? I've had a dying potted plant infested with little brown centipedes -- they curl up tight when disturbed, so they could look like a flat brown snail, sort of.

I suspect both the little white worms and the "snails" are munching on dying roots, but I'm not sure what the problem could be.

When in doubt -- prune (especially any dead or bare branches) and repot. Repotting will also give you a chance to see what's going on with the roots and whether the soil seems too wet or too dry down into the pot.

Yep, they're snails.....took one out and put it in a bowl to try searching online....it crawled out. LOL

None of the branches are dead - they all have new growth and flowers/buds. It's losing leaves from the bottom up, if that makes sense.

Ok, I'll plan a repotting session. Was hoping to make it until Spring......is it here yet?

I believe the worms are: enchytriad worms - everything I've read say they are good for the soil. Just thinking the snails are not.

If it's getting healthy new growth (not yellow or stunted or anything), then I'd be tempted to leave it until spring. You might be able to drown the snails in a saucer of beer or get rid of them with a few bits of phosphate bait.

I just trimmed a bunch of brown leaves and little dead twigs out of my ficus... figured it was just one of those things that happens sometimes, especially in winter. Possibly it got too dry at one point, but it just took a while for the affected leaves to crisp up and drop.

I don't know what the fauna is, but I'd agree with critter on this : if the plant seems generally healthy, with good new growth and flowers, I'd leave it and wait. Late winter leaf loss from lower and older branches, I think, is fairly common with trees and shrubs grown indoors. Just kee an eye on it and plan to repot if it shows signs of yellowing or weakness.

My outdoor bay has many "frostbitten" leaves, but remains stron and healthy! Since this is about the worst winter we have had in a decade, I am really pleased!