Cherry laurel leaves turning brown

We planted some cherry laurels in January. They appeared to be doing v well in the spring, but over the past few weeks, leaves have started to turn pale, then brown and drop off at an alarming rate. It starts at the base of the stem and works upwards. I have cut away affected stems and sprayed with fungus fighter, and fed the soil. If anyone has any advice I would be very grateful!

They are planted in clay soil, in shade (under a horse chestnut tree).


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Hi fimrie

Welcome to the forum.

Prunus laurocerasus is a very tough plant - once it's established. I think your new plants have been attacked by leaf spot and the treatment you've been giving them is all you could have done. You could try spraying them with Dithane 945 as an alternative to fungus fighter, which I'm not familiar with.

Because your plants are new, their ability to regenerate themselves will be slow but they should be able to recover with time. Destroy all the brown leaves and twigs, and make sure the plants have enough water.

 

As far as I know leaf browning indicates under-watering. However, cherry laurels can be affected by a fungal disease that causes browning of the stems and leaves, usually triggered by age, water-logging and physical damage that lets in the fungal spores. The trees do not like being moved about too much and this can cause problems. Otherwise, they do respond well to pruning, which can help fix problems as long as the disease is not too advanced. Perhaps the branches are also dead? Or maybe it is just the stems and leaves. I am not an expert on these trees, but this is a good site and I have found a page concerning the cherry laurels: http://www.angliangardener.co.uk/Plants pop ups/prunus_laurocerasus.html
What concerns me is that you describe all of the laurels as suffering from this problem, suggesting a rapidly spreading virus or disease. Have you checked for pests? If it persists, perhaps a professional "Tree Dr." might have to be called in?

 

Thanks for this. They seem to be doing better now, with new growth, and it doesn't seem to be spreading as I had first feared. So, I think it probably was mainly due to underwatering, and maybe a bit of leaf spot too.