William Rose wrote:
In article ,
Jangchub wrote:

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 22:38:56 +0100, "Jim" wrote:

Should I pot simple plants in compost or soil?

Also - Bay trees - should they be planted in soil or compost - a few died
last year and they were planted in compost....

Regards

First you have to define "compost." It is very easy to kill a bay
laurel by overwatering it. They are also not very hardy in areas
where frost is nearly constant in winter.

I'm on the edge of its hardiness in Texas, USDA Zone 8b.

Which bay laurel are we talking about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_leaf I'm on the edge of a temperate
rain forest in northern California and our California bay trees have no
problem with over watering.

Bay laurel (also called sweet bay) is Laurus nobilis. This is the
traditional bay leaf used in cooking.

California bay (also called California laurel) is Umbellularia
californica. This can be used in place of L. nobilis in cooking with
some caution. The flavor of U. californica is much stronger than L.
nobilis, so you must use less. More important, some people are
violently allergic to U. californica when they are not at all allergic
to L. nobilis.

U. californica is hardier than L. nobilis. Being quite different
plants, their culture is different (including soil and water needs).

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/.

Anyone who thinks government owns a monopoly on inefficient, obstructive
bureaucracy has obviously never worked for a large corporation. © 1997