Can my bay trees be saved?

Racky_Roo

Hi all. I’m struggling to help my bay trees. They were planted 4 years ago in raised beds with new soil. For the first 2 years they were fine. After the last winter they didn’t look great and i thought they had vine weevils so treated them but it didn’t help. 
Now the 2 in the right hand side bed have died and the 2 in the left bed are looking terrible. I don’t think it’s the soil. All the other plants around them have thrived. 

I’ve taken some pictures to see if anyone knows what’s wrong with them and what i can do to help them. Many thanks 

 

Brie

Can't say for sure but when we had a bay at a previous property it went through a patch where it looked dreadful and about to die.  We went ahead and cut the whole thing down and then got a lot of growth from the stump that seemed perfectly healthy.  It's an extreme measure but might work for you.

Farway

Are the raised beds bottomless [open to soil] or on an impervious layer, concrete, or weed membrane for instance

fatbelly

I've had Bays come back from worse than that. Make sure there is good drainage at the base and apply a slow release fertilizer

KajiKita

That looks like frost damage to me. You could try Brie’s suggestion and cut it down - in effect coppice it - if it’s got strong roots it should resprout. 

KK

Racky_Roo

Farway said:

Are the raised beds bottomless [open to soil] or on an impervious layer, concrete, or weed membrane for instance

They’re on concrete but 3 sleepers high so there is a lot of soil between the trees and the ground 

Racky_Roo

KajiKita said:

That looks like frost damage to me. You could try Brie’s suggestion and cut it down - in effect coppice it - if it’s got strong roots it should resprout. 

KK

Great thank you. Think I’ll try a hard prune and hope for the best 🤞

twopenny

Is it perhaps that they are close together?

Bay trees grow up to 30ft.

I have had a lot of them, one grew to the second storey and a neighbour unwell wanted it down. Professionals took it to the base - and it grew again.

They're tough old things but don't like to be crowded

Slinky

We lost a well established lollipop bay tree February last year when we hadn't realised the strong winds had dried the pot out. We cut the top off and it has sprouted again around the stump.