Please help my poorly Bay tree

[Megatron]

I have a bay tree in my garden. It's massive (about 10/2ft tall) and my favourite thing in the whole garden and I use it a lot for cooking etc. For about the last two weeks it's looking v poorly and all the leaves are turning brown and I'm worried it's going to die. I'm NOT green fingered at all but I would be gutted if I lost it. Any ideas?

HHm, mine are looking a bit thin and sad at present.
Let's hope a bay tree expert appears eh Mega?

you can't kill them. i chopped down a 5ft one and get enough new growth from the stump to keep me in cooking supplies.

I hope so moondog I'd be really upset if I lost it and it's only a bloody tree!

D'you think I should give it a good hack then littleomar? I was going to wait til spring but I don't really know when I should be doing it anyway!

I was interested in this myself as the one I have which I keep in a pot appears to have had it after the -10 frosts we had (they are hardy to -7 apparently.

I googled the following:

"If frost affects your tree, don?t panic. The leaves are likely to turn brown and wither. If only some of the leaves are affected, remove them in spring and give the tree a good feed. If all the leaves are affected, cut the tree down to about 15cm (6 inches) above soil level. New shoots will appear from the base in spring."

I would wait until Spring to prune though - one site mentioned April. They are dormant between August and then.

HTH

I've had to cut my bay tree right back for the last couple of years after some deep frosts. I cut it back a couple of weeks ago for this year (bit too early and can already see new growth coming through. I normally cut it back at around this time of year and it's grown back beautifully each year. Am no expert though and have it in a very sunny spot so might just be lucky.

Excellent, my bay tree is poorly too - I;d presumed because of the two years of harsh winters.

Will prune and cross fingers.

That's exactly what has happened to it, the leaves have gone brown and wrinkly! I shall have to sit on my hands until April as I'm desperate to sort it out now. Thanks SO much for your help everyone.

Interestting. I've got a standard one, it's about 6ft tall but the ball bit has become really sparse. Should I chop if off? Also it's been in the same earth in the same pot for years but it's huge and I don't really know how to tackle it. I tried digging some of the earth out to replace it but I think it's just solid roots and the shoot bits it sends up

Any advice?

My bay is looking pretty sick at the moment - I googled it, and came to the conclusion it was frost damage (can't be a coincidence that this is the first time it's happened, after a very cold winter?) I will have to go and tell DH not to prune it till April - he doesn't really do gardening but occasionally gets a bit gung-ho and hacks everything to death.