[shokkyy]

I started off a few sage plants this year, some in beds and a couple in pots. They're all healthy but the ones in pots have grown much bigger and have a lot more leaf. I want to take some leaves for drying but I'm not sure how many I can safely take, without harming the plants. Is there a rule of thumb, like one leaf in three or something like that? Can anyone help with this?

And actually, I wouldn't mind some guidance along the same lines for harvesting leaf from a bay. I have a culinary bay I bought about a year ago, which limped through the winter indoors but since I repotted and put it outside has thrived. With a bay it's not just about how many leaves to take, but also about training the shape. I'd kind of like to make it more bushy from the base, as it's looking a bit thin stemmed and leggy, but if I cut stems near the base to encourage new shoots lower down that's going to make it awful thin.

[arugula]

Hi Shokkyy,

I had sage in a pot last year and in the spring this year I split it and planted the bits out. One went in a particularly good spot and has grown to roughly 2 foot in every direction. If I was going to take leaves off it for drying, I would take them so that it didn't leave the plant looking too bare.

 

HTH.

[diggerjoe]

I give my established sage in open ground  a good 'haircut' with the shears about september only because it takes over the path to the greeenhouse and dry the clippings. It comes back every time. Last winter took its toll but I cut it back to any small shoots and massive again. My Bay tree is very well established ( OH wants it chopped back but he's not having that ) I'm trying to make it a better shape but it enjoys being pruned and just gets bigger.   

[JayG]

Use secateurs to shape the bay tree (to avoid leaving lots of cut leaves which will go brown and look a mess.)

As long as you dont remove shoots right back to the main stem they will readily produce new side shoots and thicken up nicely. Mine has put up with my clumsy attempts at topiary for many years (including trying to turn it into an "ornamental" shape!) but still happily comes back for more!

Late spring is the usual time to prune but it won't hurt it to do it now.

 

[shokkyy]

Use secateurs to shape the bay tree (to avoid leaving lots of cut leaves which will go brown and look a mess.)

As long as you dont remove shoots right back to the main stem they will readily produce new side shoots and thicken up nicely. Mine has put up with my clumsy attempts at topiary for many years (including trying to turn it into an "ornamental" shape!) but still happily comes back for more!

Late spring is the usual time to prune but it won't hurt it to do it now.

 

Thanks for that. Where I'm struggling with my bay is that it doesn't really seem to have a main stem, just several twiggie stems coming up from the ground, all in a bunch.

[JayG]

My bay persists in throwing up root suckers, which if I left in place (I don't) would presumably turn the whole plant into a bush. Are you sure there isn't a proper central stem amongst all the shoots?

Bush bay-bee maybe? 

[shokkyy]

My bay persists in throwing up root suckers, which if I left in place (I don't) would presumably turn the whole plant into a bush. Are you sure there isn't a proper central stem amongst all the shoots?

Bush bay-bee maybe? 

Not that I can see, no. It's just half a dozen stems that are just about exactly the same size and thickness.