[BabyStar]

Bought a lollipop bay tree the other day, it had new shoots on it and all looked fine. It's since been re-potted into a bigger home and the new shoots are starting to turn black and shrivel up. The older leaves don't look any different. The roots etc. weren't interfered with, it was transplanted straight over. Can anyone tell what's happened and what I need to do?

[cooperman]

did you giveit a good water when repotted?

[mumofstig]

Is it in a windy place, or standing in a dish of water, they don't like cold winds or being soaking wet.

[BabyStar]

My husband re-potted it so not sure if he watered it well, although we do a daily watering of everything so it would have got some since. Is it possible that it's not enough? Would it be an idea to give it a good soaking?
Also it is positioned on the patio but it is rather open and we have had some quite windy weather recently. Can wind cause the leaves to do this?
I will try moving it and giving it a good drink. We have never owned a bay tree before and am afraid we've killed it already... 

[JayG]

Is it possible it wasn't hardened off much (or even at all) when first bought?

They don't like cold winds much at the best of times and being recently re-potted will have been another shock to the system. They are quite tough plants though; try and find somewhere sheltered for it and it should recover.

[shokkyy]

My bay tree is looking very sickly at the moment. It's just a small plant in a pot on the patio. Last year it was doing really well but the winter almost killed it. It's not quite dead but there isn't much left on it that isn't brown. I've given it compost and water and cut off some of the really dead bits, but it doesn't seem to have done any good. Hard to know how long to keep persevering with them, isn't it.

[JayG]

A friend of mine whose anonymity I will preserve has had a potted bay tree for about 15 years, during which time it has "died" approximately every other year due to being completely ignored and left to look after itself (it has been reduced to leafless twigs more than once!) 

Saw it just the other week and it's doing just fine (don't know how long for this time though!) 

[shokkyy]

There's hope yet, then

My neighbour has got a monster bay tree in their garden, and it is a proper culinary bay, planted out in the garden and 15 to 20 feet tall, so they clearly are tough enough to survive hard winters. Maybe I need to find mine a more sheltered spot or something. Anybody ever tried growing one from a cutting? If it's not too hard I might see if I can get a couple of cuttings from next door's tree.

[BabyStar]

My bay tree is looking very sickly at the moment. It's just a small plant in a pot on the patio. Last year it was doing really well but the winter almost killed it. It's not quite dead but there isn't much left on it that isn't brown. I've given it compost and water and cut off some of the really dead bits, but it doesn't seem to have done any good. Hard to know how long to keep persevering with them, isn't it.

It said on the instructions that they are quite hardy and can withstand fairly cold temperatures, although in winter to protect the base as the roots aren't as tough so we are planning on popping ours in the greenhouse then.

Is it possible it wasn't hardened off much (or even at all) when first bought?

They don't like cold winds much at the best of times and being recently re-potted will have been another shock to the system. They are quite tough plants though; try and find somewhere sheltered for it and it should recover.

Sorry to sound like a novice (but I am!), what does hardened off mean? It said the tree was approx. 6 years old, is that something to do with it?
We have moved it into the corner of the patio so has walls on two sides now to see if that makes it feel better. There has been an extra chilly wind about for the past week or so. It is only the new leaves that have suffered so assume it's because they're not as tough as the old ones.  Keeping it watered, although don't want to over-water either! Fingers crossed we'll get it settled in nicely in the end...

[Ice]

If it had been kept indoors or under cover the plant needs to be hardened off ie introducing it to the outside temperatures and conditions gradually.  I find that however carefully you repot a bay tree it always sulks for ages and then is perfectly ok.

[totalnovice]

A friend of mine whose anonymity I will preserve has had a potted bay tree for about 15 years, during which time it has "died" approximately every other year due to being completely ignored and left to look after itself (it has been reduced to leafless twigs more than once!) 

Saw it just the other week and it's doing just fine (don't know how long for this time though!) 

You sure its the same tree?! I've always been a bit suspisious ever since my gold fish gre an extra white spot on its side when i was 7.......

[JayG]

A friend of mine whose anonymity I will preserve has had a potted bay tree for about 15 years, during which time it has "died" approximately every other year due to being completely ignored and left to look after itself (it has been reduced to leafless twigs more than once!) 

Saw it just the other week and it's doing just fine (don't know how long for this time though!) 

You sure its the same tree?! I've always been a bit suspisious ever since my gold fish gre an extra white spot on its side when i was 7.......

 
(There's no way anyone would dare to sell a bay tree looking like this one!) 

[Endymion]

My husband re-potted it so not sure if he watered it well, although we do a daily watering of everything so it would have got some since. Is it possible that it's not enough? Would it be an idea to give it a good soaking?
Also it is positioned on the patio but it is rather open and we have had some quite windy weather recently. Can wind cause the leaves to do this?
I will try moving it and giving it a good drink. We have never owned a bay tree before and am afraid we've killed it already...   

We've got bay in our hedges, it seems to self seed from somewhere or other, but we've also got a 'lolipop' in a pot.

They don't like being moved, tend to sulk a bit, but pick up after a little while. They don't like being too wet either, and will tolerate drying out.

Last year we were quite harsh with ours because we'd let it get a bit straggly, so we cut it back almost to the stem. It's completely recovered now, with loads of bushy new growth.

Maybe yours was grown indoors and the new growth was frosted? I can't see that it would hurt to cut off all the damaged leaves, and then sit and wait. Maybe you could wrap it with fleece overnight for a week or so, just to give it a bit of protection, because it's still quite cold overnight.

Before you take the secateurs to it you might want to take a picture of it, just in case you think you should be entitled to a refund.

[BabyStar]

It was outside at the garden centre but obviously don't know how long for, they could've just wheeled it out that afternoon! I will lay off the water a bit and see how it goes. It's been quite mild in these parts recently so don't think it's getting too cold at night times and it is in a very sheltered area now. Lol at sulking, who'd've thought tree's had personalities too?!

[sion01]

I'd go for it not being hardend off before you bought it too.I wouldn't worry too much about it