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Herbs - Australia

Bay Tree

19 years ago

I have a bay tree in my back yard, it must be 30 years old by now. However, it is causing me trouble and I do not wish to remove it BUT I would like to permanently remove it's suckers. I have done as suggested on Gardening Australia and that as cut it and dip the ends in pure roundup, this however only kills the next 3 inches of the sucker. I have sprayed repeatedly over a few weeks with round up also ..... all to no avail. Has anybody any ideas for me???

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Comments (4)

mytmum
19 years ago
Unfortunately I cannot offer any help with the bay tree suckers, but could not ignore the mention of roundup. This herbicide is made by Monsanto. I would urge you to investigate this companies involvement with the worlds seed bank and the gene shearing of pigs. There are other Glyphosate (active ingredient) sprays on the market, readily available and cheaper. Please, please make an informed decision where this companies products are concerned.
mrs_gloworm
Original Author
19 years ago
*sigh* the suckers continue to grow. Yes mytmum I am well aware of Monsanto and yes I already use alternate glycophosphates when I use them, which I must say is rarely. However, the trade name I used was the only name which would slip to the ends of my finger tips when I was typing. Mayybeee it is the fingers which have the dementia and not me *laughing* Seriously though your warning about this company to me may enable others to re-think and research it's practices and hopefully choose products from alternative company's
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Gravy,,,I had to research since I've never propagated these seeds. One way to propagate is by sowing seeds, preferably in spring. Use moist, but not saturated soil. Place seeds on the surface, and barely cover with dry compost. Place the container in the dark, temperature around 65F. Success is erratic, and can take as long as 3 months to sprout a shoot. Normally they take 3-4 weeks. The big danger with these seeds is rot. Here's another entry: Gardeners in frost-free or light frost areas will find that Bay Laurel seedlings planted in the ground willingly grow into large trees, 38 feet (12 m) and taller; but when kept pruned the Bay Laurel tree can thrive as a small bush. Bay Laurel can also be grown in containers, the size of which limits the ultimate size of the trees. New plants are often started via layering, or from cuttings, since growing from seed can be difficult. Bay trees are difficult to start from seed, due in part to the seed's low germination rate, and long germination period. Fresh seeds with the pericarp removed typically have a 40% germination rate, while dried seeds and/or seeds with an intact pericarp have yet lower germination rates. In addition, the Bay Laurel seed germination period can be 50 days or more, which increases the risk of the seeds rotting before they germinate. Treating the seeds with gibberellic acid can be useful in increasing seed yield, as is careful monitoring of moisture levels in the rooting media.[7] Pericarp definition---In fleshy fruits, the outer and often edible layer is the pericarp, which is the tissue that develops from the ovary wall of the flower and surrounds the seeds. Hope this helps..Toni
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Thanks, Heathan1, for your response. I'll just have to unearth one of them and find out which .... they're taller than I thought - maybe 2 feet. If they're suckers, can I just dab them in rooting hormone and put them in soil, or what?
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Since you are referring to your plant as a Bay Tree and not Bay Laurel I am going to take a wild guess that you are in the British Isles. All Bays get some yellow leaves eventually. It's just old age. Even evergreens have to shed their leaves at some time. But they should not get a lot. As long as you feed the plant it can live in quite a small container but I wouldn't put it in anything less than a 5 litre pot. Repotting every few years will help. You can use the leaves at any age. But they dry better when they are mature and leathery rather than still soft and newly unfurled. Water it when it needs it. There's no timetable we can give you. If you have space you could plant it in the ground where it will not need any care at all except pruning to keep it a to a size you want.
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fungii indicates rotting interior wood ... and the healed over wounds indicate something was going on there.. soo many years back .. the last pic.. huge wound.. showing some signs of healing ... is this the same trunk ??? but based on these pix.. i cant go much further.. as i can get no sense of the overall problem ... lets see some more pix.. tree over all .. canopy ... etc ... im thinking.. a visit from a tree dr might be in store ... and the best ones.. might not own a chainsaw ... aka ... have a vested interest in giving you an opinion that involves them making money beyond the opinion ... pix first though ... ken https://duckduckgo.com/?q=isa+certified+tree+dr&t=ffcm&ia=web
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popi_gw
19 years ago
Hello Mrs Gloworm

I wonder what the solution rate of the glyphosate is, do you know ?

Are you using neat, perhaps if you try different solution rates.

I have a small bay tree in my garden, and I am considering removing it. I have seen a really old bay tree, that was cut down, and was really shocked at the amount of suckering, it frightened me actually.

I think it would be far better to grow bays in pots, never put them in the ground. I think nurseries should tell people about this !

They do smell lovely don't they.

P
mrs_gloworm
Original Author
19 years ago
Yeah popi they smell wonderful but the suckering is a problem. I have seen they toparied in pots and they were suckering in that situation.I think your correct popi when you say they should be only grown in pots to contain them. However, they are a beautifl tree. I was at a specialist herb nursary yesterday and asked the woman there how to get rid of the suckers. She replied that a few weeks ago the owner removed all the top soil away from the tree and covered the roots, after trimming off the sucker, with black plastic, as they too have the problem. As for the glycophosphate, I have tried it in all sorts of strengths upto full strength with dishwashing detergent all to no avail. Hubby and I thought that we may uncover the suckers snip them off and paint the wounds then maybe cover with weed mat but I still do not like my chances of permanent success. My other option is to grub it and replant in a pot and I KNOW hubby will not allow that *laughing* he has seen me remove so many old tress and replace them since I have been here but I protest and say only the sick ones have gone.... he mumbles and disappears inside *laughing* hubby's.... ya have to love em.

Cheers
Susan

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