In message m,
peter123 writes
peter123 wrote:
*Hi,

I am having a great deal of difficulty in tracking down a problem
with my Bay Tree.

We originally had two Bay Trees, the first one died last year with
this problem and now it's spread to the other one.

These are the symptoms:

a. Sticky Leaves
b. Leaves go from normal green, to a light green and finally to a
dried up golden brown and fall off.
c. Occassionally the leaves go black at the tips

I have inspected all the leaves and there is no signs of any insects
big or small.

There is also no sign of any "soot".

Please help!

Thanks. *

Hi,

Thanks for all the advice here.

The plant is potted (it's about 2.5 foot tall) and has been outdoors
throughout the summer and most of autumn.

When the weather started getting bad (October), I brought the plant
inside.

The first Bay plant had this problem when it was outside.

The second Bay plant was very healthy when it was brought in, but has
deteriated rapidly over the last month.

I've had another look at the leaves and you're right, I can see
something on the underside....they appear to be small brown (1mmx2mm)
marks which run up the middle of the leaf...so I think you're
right....the brown marks also come off if I scrape them with my finger
(see picture).

The problem is that this is on every leaf and there's no way I will be
able to scrape them all off.

The problem has become so serious (and please bear in mind I'm a
complete novice), that I am considering removing all the leaves and
seeing if it will grow again from the root (this is what I have read
about Bay Trees)....is this sensible?

You are absolutely right about over watering, so I've been quite
careful here. The advice I read (and followed), was that you water the
plant during winter when the compost feels dry to touch...maybe this
wasn't right?

Peter, I've just had another thought. What about putting in the ground
outside and seeing if it recovers. Not right now of course, but as soon
as it warms up a bit. I planted my Bay outside when I moved here in
1995 and it now has to be severely hacked back annually or it would grow
too big for its boots so to speak.

I have another that is a mere sapling and I put it in the cold frame for
the winter and it looks very healthy.

The place I put mine is north facing and it gets very little direct sun
except at the summer solstice time. It is sheltered by the brick wall
of the house and a wooden fence, so it doesn't get our strong winds
unless they blow from the north. But it has not looked back since the
day I planted it really, and I remember reading that it was a bit
tender. Soil is moist but stony and slightly acid sandy so its free
draining.

Good luck!
--
Chris Boulby National Collection of Diascias