In the back garden of my late mothers house there is a bay tree. It was
a small tree in a pot when my wife gave it to her, it is now about 20
feet high! It would be nice to take a cutting from the tree before the
house is sold or whatever happens to it.

We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

Any ideas?
--
Snowy

Dear Ian,
I've taken cuttings of bay, they are just a bit slow thats all, put 4 inch
cuttings (take all but two leaves off) half buried in loam in a shady, moist
but not damp spot outside. In a pot in a plastic bag they are quicker in a
cold glasshouse again in shade. Suckers from the base of bay are quickest if
you have got any.
Andy


"Ian Snowdon" wrote in message
...
In the back garden of my late mothers house there is a bay tree. It was
a small tree in a pot when my wife gave it to her, it is now about 20
feet high! It would be nice to take a cutting from the tree before the
house is sold or whatever happens to it.

We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

Any ideas?
--
Snowy

In article , Ian Snowdon
writes
In the back garden of my late mothers house there is a bay tree. It was
a small tree in a pot when my wife gave it to her, it is now about 20
feet high! It would be nice to take a cutting from the tree before the
house is sold or whatever happens to it.

We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

Any ideas?

Depending on how well the garden around it has been cultivated, you
might very well find small Bay Plants growing already, these will be
easy to lift and grow on. We have bay and these little plants grow
almost like weeds.

BUT, am I correct in saying that there are 'Bay Trees' and bay trees? To
me a bay tree is a bay and they all look the same. :-(

We are happy with ours :-))

Mike

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee
asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?"
I said, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?"
He smiled and nodded knowingly, "That's why we ask."

In article ,
Mike writes:
| In article , Ian Snowdon
| writes
|
| We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
| more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

You can take cuttings, but I am not good at them.

| Depending on how well the garden around it has been cultivated, you
| might very well find small Bay Plants growing already, these will be
| easy to lift and grow on. We have bay and these little plants grow
| almost like weeds.

That doesn't sound like sweet bay, Laurus nobilis. It doesn't often
seed itself in the UK, but might in some places. It does sucker, and
digging up a sucker complete with some root would be the best way,
but it could be tricky getting enough root. It is what I would try.

| BUT, am I correct in saying that there are 'Bay Trees' and bay trees? To
| me a bay tree is a bay and they all look the same. :-(

Yes. There are several plants called "bay" and several that look
like Laurus nobilis but aren't. Sweet bay's leaves smell like the
bay leaves you buy for cooking when crushed (only better than dry
ones), because they are :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

On Mon, 20 Jan 2003 23:33:36 +0000, Ian Snowdon
wrote:

In the back garden of my late mothers house there is a bay tree. It was
a small tree in a pot when my wife gave it to her, it is now about 20
feet high! It would be nice to take a cutting from the tree before the
house is sold or whatever happens to it.

We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

Any ideas?

I've seen it recommended that bay cuttings be taken in October,
but as Christopher Lloyd has said, the right time to take any
cutting is when you can.

Take the cuttings now; remove all but three tip leaves from each,
and cut those remaining leaves back by 2/3 of their length. Put
the cuttings in mixture of 90% perlite and 10% peatmoss. Water
once and allow to drain really well, then seal in a transparent
plastic bag. Put in a bright window in a heated room and be
patient.

It might help to scarify the cut ends, and rooting hormone might
also help.

Don't plan on messing with them before next spring; remove any
that are obviously dead.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

in article , Rodger Whitlock at
wrote on 21/1/03 5:08 pm:

On Mon, 20 Jan 2003 23:33:36 +0000, Ian Snowdon
wrote:

In the back garden of my late mothers house there is a bay tree. It was
a small tree in a pot when my wife gave it to her, it is now about 20
feet high! It would be nice to take a cutting from the tree before the
house is sold or whatever happens to it.

We are told that you can't just take a cutting and get it to grow, it's
more difficult than that. OK, so how should it be done?

Any ideas?

I've seen it recommended that bay cuttings be taken in October,
but as Christopher Lloyd has said, the right time to take any
cutting is when you can.

Or as Percy Thrower said "when the owner's not looking." ;-))
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Yes. There are several plants called "bay" and several that look
like Laurus nobilis but aren't. Sweet bay's leaves smell like the
bay leaves you buy for cooking when crushed (only better than dry
ones), because they are :-)

But are they all edible (well cook-withable cos I know you're not supposed
to eat them)? I'm worried now cos my sister has a 'bay' tree and is busy
cooking all sorts of stuff with the leaves infused!

--A

In article , Alison alison.freeth@NoS
pAm.wideopenwindows.fsbusiness.co.uk writes

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Yes. There are several plants called "bay" and several that look
like Laurus nobilis but aren't. Sweet bay's leaves smell like the
bay leaves you buy for cooking when crushed (only better than dry
ones), because they are :-)

But are they all edible (well cook-withable cos I know you're not supposed
to eat them)? I'm worried now cos my sister has a 'bay' tree and is busy
cooking all sorts of stuff with the leaves infused!

--A


We're still here after about 30 years of using them :-))

Mike and Joan and the children :-))


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee
asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?"
I said, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?"
He smiled and nodded knowingly, "That's why we ask."

In article ,
Alison o.uk wrote:

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Yes. There are several plants called "bay" and several that look
like Laurus nobilis but aren't. Sweet bay's leaves smell like the
bay leaves you buy for cooking when crushed (only better than dry
ones), because they are :-)

But are they all edible (well cook-withable cos I know you're not supposed
to eat them)? I'm worried now cos my sister has a 'bay' tree and is busy
cooking all sorts of stuff with the leaves infused!

The smell of true bay is pretty distinctive; all of the other ones
I know of smell very different.

In any case, I don't think that any are seriously poisonous, in the
quantities you use bay leaves in cooking.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 07:16:49 +0000, Mike
wrote:

BUT, am I correct in saying that there are 'Bay Trees' and bay trees? To
me a bay tree is a bay and they all look the same. :-(

Yes, there are bay trees and then there are bay trees. Laurus
nobilis is a dioecious plant, which means that a given individual
has either male flowers or female flowers.

Boys and girls iow.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

In message , andrew jones
scribes
Dear Ian,
I've taken cuttings of bay, they are just a bit slow thats all, put 4 inch
cuttings (take all but two leaves off) half buried in loam in a shady, moist
but not damp spot outside. In a pot in a plastic bag they are quicker in a
cold glasshouse again in shade. Suckers from the base of bay are quickest if
you have got any.
Andy



Many thanks for the replies

--
Snowy