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What would you do with this bay tree?

B3B3 Posts: 25,283
in Plants
It needs something doing .
I have a container  same shape the next size up.
Would you  top dress  or pot on?
I don't  want to break  the container so I  would need to damage  the roots if I pot on 



In London. Keen but lazy.
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,060
    It really deserves to be in the ground
    Devon.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,283
    I know that but we don't all get what we deserve😉
    I have a healthy thirty year plus one in the ground. The favoured one. The one the gods smiled on.
    But  this one was born under a bad sign.. It has to work for it's crust on the shady side of the patio. Don't make me feel bad @Hostafan1
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,680
    How about turning it into a bonsai? It looks like it's on the way anyway.
  • FireFire Posts: 17,116
    There is still the question of getting it out without breaking the pot.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,909
    If you can't bear to break the pot, one way to get the plant out would be to get a long sharp knife and cut vertically around in a ring inside the rim of the pot. You'd be taking off a fair bit of root so you might need to take off some top growth as well, to reduce stress on the plant, and there's no guarantee that it would recover well. If you need to put it into another pot and not in the ground, try to choose one that doesn't get narrower at the top. Or use a regular-shaped plastic pot that will fit inside your ceramic one, but it'll need room for some fresh compost as well as the rootball.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,283
    It sounds as if it's going to be the pot or the plant, doesn't it?. Pots are easier to come by than mature shrubs, aren't they?
    Oh well. I have my answer😏
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ShepherdsBarnShepherdsBarn Posts: 401
    Give it to someone who could put it in the ground?!
  • FireFire Posts: 17,116
    Worth slicing with a knife and repotting the bay to see what happens.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,283
    I'll see how it gets on in a bigger pot. It's only in the last couple of years it's been suffering( wanted another word, but that's probably the right one)  It's hungry 😞
    I have the space to plant out if necessary.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,909
    I have several of those pots that get narrower at the top. These days I either use an inner pot or use them for temporary plants like summer bedding.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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