"Paul Taylor" wrote in message
news
Hi,

I have a Bay Tree in a pot. I have had it for three years. The first
year its leaves were plentiful, green and healthy looking. Its been
pruned into a standard. It is about 4ft tall, the trunk is about 1.5 to
2 inches thick, so I guess is was quite mature when I got it.

Now, the leaves are yellowing, some are falling off. It does have some
flower buds on at the moment, but alas it still looks sad!

I am considering what to do with it:

(1) Maybe just replace the compost?
(2) Maybe a bigger pot? - the one I have it in is about 18 inches
diameter, 18 inches deep.
(3) Or maybe I just need to feed it with something that Bay tree's
respond well to?

If anyone could suggest how I might try to revive it, I would be very
pleased.

You may have a case of vine weevil - I have a bay which had most of the
roots eaten away and it behaved much like this.

I think it is now recovering but it was touch and go.

AFAIK you will probably have to take it out of the pot and examine the
roots.

If they are fine and healthy just repot in new copost.

If they are mainly missing, repot in a new pot in new compost, and treat the
compost for vine weevil.

I guess you should throw away the old compost and sterilise the pot.

Keep the plant out of direct sunlight in a cool shady part of the garden to
make the conditions as stress free as possible.

Bay trees are usually very hardy and tolerant of neglect, so I suspect
something serious is happening :-(

HTH
Dave R