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Bay tree Leaf curl

janemcwilliamsjanemcwilliams Posts: 11
in Problem solving
Hello can anyone help me ID this problem. Bay tree with some kind of leaf curl and white powdery stuff under the curl … is it a beast or fungus? Or could it be related to scale insect which the forum helped me identify before and which I thought I had got rid of … photos attached thank you 😊 

Posts

  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    It looks like  bay leaf sucker ( pest) .
    Mine gets it every year , I ignore it, doesn't seem to kill the bay , looks ugly for a bit but recovers. But then I don't really use the leaves for cooking.
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • janemcwilliamsjanemcwilliams Posts: 11
    Thank
    you @Desi_in_London good to know it doesn’t kill it. I’ll just be careful which leaves I pick for cooking 😀
  • pr1mr0sepr1mr0se Posts: 1,193
    I cut out the affected shoots.  It seems as if newer growth is more susceptible, and I then used a strong spray from the hose to clear as much as possible.  It appears to have been pretty successful thus far.
  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    Yes if the aesthetic  really starts to bother me , I cut out the worst shoots. For me it feels like the spring new growth is susceptible ( so now is the older leaves ) -- the new summer growth looks ok ( no hosing/ spraying done, can't reach without a stepladder , shrub is more at large shrub/mini-tree like proportions)
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    A strong jet of water ( not a pressure washer!) Will flush off the white stuff without damaging the leaves. You get a very satisfying milky run off😊. Then snip off any damaged leaves that you can reach. Or you could do the snipping first.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • janemcwilliamsjanemcwilliams Posts: 11
    thank you all @Desi_in_London @pr1mr0se and @B3

    really helpful all😊

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