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Lancashire, United Kingdom

I have two bay trees that were purchased at the same time at the same garden centre.
I had problems with them at the beginning of summer as the leaves were turning yellow and brown and they also got infested with caterpillars.
They now seem to be doing better after re-Potting but now one of the trees has hundreds of tiny green buds/berry type things but the other has not.
What are these?


On plant Bay tree


Answers

 

Well, lucky you - you've managed to buy one male and one female tree, and the female, having been pollinated and fertilized, is producing berries which will be black when ripe rather than red. The berries from bay have historically been used in medicines, specially topical applications, as a spice when dried, and for perfume mixing.

22 Sep, 2014

 

Thank you for that!
I was thinking it was on its way out but maybe not!
Thanks again x

23 Sep, 2014

 

There is evidence of damage on the leaves of your bay tree in the picture - certainly, some of it is caused by one of the totrix moths, which lay eggs and stick two leaves together with a sort of sticky web, or sometimes bending the edge of the leaf over and binding that to protect the egg. They also sometimes get scale infestation, so check the backs of leaves and stems for anything that shouldn't be there (tiny nymphs along the veins on the back of the leaves, or sort of bumpy looking brownish things on the stems, sometimes with white fluff extruding). I can't see Bay Sucker as an issue at the moment, but that's a possibility too. So those are the three commonest problems with bays, specially in pots - treatments vary, but as its a herb plant, if you choose to use Provado Ultimate Bug Killer ready to use, you must wait 3 weeks before using any of the leaves in food. Otherwise, pick off badly affected leaves, prune to shape in spring, and keep a close eye on the plant as spring progresses to catch problems early.

23 Sep, 2014

How do I say thanks?

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