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Bay Tree which has been water logged

Caroline.cheadle1Caroline.cheadle1 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
My poor bay tree, advice needed please. Due to the really wet weather  our bay tree
got water logged so we repotted it in a much larger tub , we took a lot of black root away and repotted in John Ings number 3, the pot has better drainage in it too.

Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    You must have had an awful lot of rain and the drainage in the original container must have been very poor. Did you also have strong NE winds as these can cause damage as well.
    It doesn't look at all happy.
    Check for live growth by scratching some of the bark. If it is still green then the bay may recover. If it is brown then it has died.
  • Caroline.cheadle1Caroline.cheadle1 Posts: 2
    Thank you for your reply. Yes we had really heavy rain storms and our garden faces NE. But sadly it is our fault for neglecting it this winter. The bark is still green as is the branches. Should I cut it right back and take off all the leaves ? And just wait hopefully for new shots to appear ? 
    Thank you again 
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I would leave them be and wait for new growth to form, and hopefully, you can re-assess later in summer. Growing Bay in containers will be tricky. They are more vulnerable to water stress, so watch out for keeping it watered throughout the summer months. Slate chipping cover makes it difficult to know how dry or wet it is underneath. I would remove that and lay some bark chip mulch or just compost. 

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I'd certainly take off the dead leaves but leave as many live ones as you can for now. The plant needs its leaves in order to survive.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
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