Why do bay trees go brown

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The leaves sometimes curl up and if you unroll them you can sometimes find the insect inside. Disease problems of bay leaves include Shot hole fungus that should be best treated via prevention- increased air circulation, avoid overcrowding, encourage vigorous growth. If your plant also has black sooty looking coating on stems or leaves, it is caused by aphids or scale insects feeding on the plant.

You can wash away this sooty mold with water with a little bit of soap in it. Spray it on and wipe each leaf and stem off carefully. If they come back you may need to treat with an insecticide preferably a systemic one that is delivered via root drench. If there are no insects or insect damage present, the cause of the brown leaves is almost certainly environmental - too much or too little water possibly, damage from cold and wind or occasionally too much heat.

The key to coping with this damage is to get the conditions correct for your bay tree. Follow the steps below and then wait and see what happens over the next six months, chances are that your tree will recover:.

Ask Extension. Brown leaves on my laurel nobilis My two ball bay trees have been in a heated greenhouse all winter. The inside leaves on one of the bay trees have turned brown leaving only the outside leaves on the branches green and looking healthy.

They also love nitrogen fertiliser, especially when applied early in the growing season. Where bay trees have been well fertilised, the leaves will be a deep green colour as opposed to the light green colour when they are lacking in nutrients.

You can either remove the brown leaves by hand, or they will eventually fall off. Start the spring growing season by fertilising your bay trees in late October with Daltons Premium Tree and Shrub Fertiliser and apply mulch to help maintain moisture levels. Regularly trim the plant to encourage new leafy, healthy growth.