3

I have a small bay tree indoors in a pot. It's next to a large, north-facing window with a minor draught coming from it but thankfully the cold in winter doesn't seem to come in too badly.

The tree was recently repotted (maybe 2-3 weeks ago). Since repotting I've watered it, but not given it any food. I've noticed that although the leaves seem to be greening up again after the repotting, they're somewhat curled under and don't seem to be fleshing out.

I am not sure if some plant food, particularly since colder times are on the way, might be a good idea. Any tips or tricks welcome since I really want this plant to succeed as it has sentimental value :D

Bay Tree Position etc.

Vigilante Comedian
  • 33
  • 2

1 Answers1

0

The new potting soil you used will have had some fertilizer in it anyway, and that should last up to six weeks, so not necessary to feed now. The only concern I have is the size of that pot - unless the plant had an unusually big rootball in comparison to the topgrowth, it's too big. The pot should be big enough to give an inch all round and below the rootball at most - if its much bigger than that, I'd recommend you buy a smaller pot and decant/repot. Keep the bigger pot for when it needs repotting again. The reason is that a small rootball surrounded by a lot of soil will either be too dry, or the soil in the pot will be too wet in order to try to keep the rootball damp - too much wet, unoccupied soil can 'sour' and may cause problems.

Bamboo
  • 131,823
  • 3
  • 72
  • 162
  • Thanks! It did have quite a lot of roots vs the size of the plant which I put down to the conditions it was in before and did my best to keep them intact and bury in the soil. If I can't repot it for some reason what is the best tactic to keep it happy? – Vigilante Comedian Sep 11 '18 at 15:52
  • Patience I'm afraid - keep it watered as necessary - wait til the surface of the soil feels just about dry to the touch, water thoroughly, and empty out the outer tray after 30 minutes. Keep it as cool as possible indoors - expect growth to be slow, as currently, winter approaches ... You are sure its a Bay are you - only the leaves look a bit narrow for Bay, more like Rosemary – Bamboo Sep 11 '18 at 16:57
  • You know, now that you mention it I can't be certain! It's definitely not rosemary, I've seen the mother plant this came from. However, after taking a look I can't be convinced the original plant is a bay (though I've been told for years that it is). Perhaps another question to ask in the future when this has grown a bit! :D – Vigilante Comedian Sep 11 '18 at 20:36
  • I'm pretty sure its not a bay - but not sure what it actually is... – Bamboo Sep 11 '18 at 22:04