Bay laurel looking bad - Ask Extension
What’s wrong with my bay laurel? I keep it outside during summer. Inside in winter. Lately looking very sad.
Knowledgebase
Bay laurel looking bad #924925
Asked February 23, 2026, 8:24 AM EST
What’s wrong with my bay laurel? I keep it outside during summer. Inside in winter. Lately looking very sad.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
We don't see any issues of concern in the photos, though it's hard to see enough detail. You can look at the underside of the leaves showing yellow mottling to make sure there aren't any scale insects (likely armored scale versus soft scale, but either may be possible), and if not, the slight yellowing and brown flecking may be symptoms of minor stress from indoor conditions, a situation not uncommon with plants overwintered inside.
Indoor humidity is much lower than most plants would prefer, and drafts from windows or air vents/radiators (if applicable) may add to their stress. Although not reliably cold-hardy enough to keep outside year-round, bay laurel does generally do fine with cool winter temperatures (cooler than most houseplants would tolerate), so if anything, too much warmth indoors might be a contributing factor, at least if it's combined with the potting mix drying out too much between watering. To be fair, bay laurel is easier to over-water than under-water, but try to water once the potting mix has become fairly dry to the touch around two inches (for the size of this container) deep, emptying collected water in the saucer when it's done draining promptly so it doesn't seep back into the drain holes and keeping the bottom of the root zone too wet.
If the plant hasn't been repotted in a couple years or more, old potting mix may be a contributing factor. Over time, minerals from tap water and unused fertilizer residue can accumulate in the potting mix and stress roots. How quickly this happens varies due to a range of factors, and not all plants are as sensitive to mineral buildup as others. If the plant could use repotting into fresh mix, this coming spring, once it's transitioned back outside, would be a good time to check on the roots. It can be moved into one size larger of a pot as well if the roots are getting crowded in the pot, though from what we can see, the size of the plant looks okay in proportion to pot size for now that we don't think it's outgrown the container yet.
If the plant hasn't been fertilized in recent months (prior to coming in for the winter, as dormant indoor plants don't usually need fertilization), in the next month or so you can begin to fertilize it for the growing season. Sometimes leaf yellowing is a result of nutrient deficiencies, though it can be difficult to tell which exact nutrient. (Using a general-purpose fertilizer that contains the full range of nutrients - iron, manganese, etc. - instead of only the big three, N-P-K, helps avoid that issue.)
Miri
Indoor humidity is much lower than most plants would prefer, and drafts from windows or air vents/radiators (if applicable) may add to their stress. Although not reliably cold-hardy enough to keep outside year-round, bay laurel does generally do fine with cool winter temperatures (cooler than most houseplants would tolerate), so if anything, too much warmth indoors might be a contributing factor, at least if it's combined with the potting mix drying out too much between watering. To be fair, bay laurel is easier to over-water than under-water, but try to water once the potting mix has become fairly dry to the touch around two inches (for the size of this container) deep, emptying collected water in the saucer when it's done draining promptly so it doesn't seep back into the drain holes and keeping the bottom of the root zone too wet.
If the plant hasn't been repotted in a couple years or more, old potting mix may be a contributing factor. Over time, minerals from tap water and unused fertilizer residue can accumulate in the potting mix and stress roots. How quickly this happens varies due to a range of factors, and not all plants are as sensitive to mineral buildup as others. If the plant could use repotting into fresh mix, this coming spring, once it's transitioned back outside, would be a good time to check on the roots. It can be moved into one size larger of a pot as well if the roots are getting crowded in the pot, though from what we can see, the size of the plant looks okay in proportion to pot size for now that we don't think it's outgrown the container yet.
If the plant hasn't been fertilized in recent months (prior to coming in for the winter, as dormant indoor plants don't usually need fertilization), in the next month or so you can begin to fertilize it for the growing season. Sometimes leaf yellowing is a result of nutrient deficiencies, though it can be difficult to tell which exact nutrient. (Using a general-purpose fertilizer that contains the full range of nutrients - iron, manganese, etc. - instead of only the big three, N-P-K, helps avoid that issue.)
Miri
