Question about Damage to Bay Tree Leaves

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post on the forum!

I apologize that I'm starting right away with a question, but I have a particularly tricky problem that I haven't been able to solve with a small bay tree (in container) that I recently bought from a garden centre.

It has been harboring some bay suckers for the past few weeks, which has damaged some of the leaves - I've been diligently trying to prune the affected ones away, and I think I've gotten on top of that now.

However in the past few weeks, I've also noticed a completely different kind of damage. Leaves are showing up that look as though they've been nibbled on, and in some cases, a very straight "slash-cut" has been made across the leaves. I thought originally this may have been caused by shear pruning at the garden centre, but I pruned a set of those type of leaves away and now I can see that more are being made each night!

It must be an insect that I'm unaware of...I haven't previously come across something that makes such a clean slash, and all in a single evening.

I have attached a few photos of the leaf damage to this thread.

I'm wondering if anybody might know what is causing this, or has faced this before with on of their bay trees? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks a lot,
James

 

Don't think picture one and two are insect damage .

 

Hi Pete,

Thanks - I also wouldn't think so normally. Is there any alternative you know of that might be causing this?

I do think the nursery pots are on the small side, and the trees need to be watered nearly every day to keep them happy.

Do you think this would happen if they were rootbound?

 

It looks like the leaves were cut off like that.
How long have you had the plant.

 

Hi @pete - I've had the plants since the end of June.

Its so odd though - there are leaves that I KNOW were originally whole (even some that were new growth 1-2 weeks ago), and yet now they are. I certainly would never make a cut like that, so I'm really at a loss to explain it.

Unless I'm going crazy

There are not a lot of leaf pieces on the floor of my balcony, and these cuts seem to be appearing extremely fast - not developing over time. The only thing I can think is that something is eating them that way.

The garden centre I bought them from suggested vine weevils, but I went out there late last night to see if I could see any and I couldn't. I was planning to move them to a larger pot this week, so I will keep my eye out for any larvae in the soil.

If I look at pictures of weevil damage, it doesn't seem to happen in straight lines.

However, I'm not the only one who seems to have this strange issue. I have seen some other posts around (but without resolution) of people saying the same.

I am trying to find them to provide a reference..

 

Our Bay has been through the wars, bought as a pot plant, planted out into a "sunny" position then transplanted into a shaded area of the garden but it still thrives, over 3 metres tall now and still growing. Bay's are tough as old boots, leaves nice in a stew too!

 

Rabbits, squirrels, cant think its an insect.

 

Hmm, I'm on a 5th-level balcony though. I'm not sure rabbits or squirrels would venture up here.

Attached some photos of the balcony.

There are two potted bay trees. Both are experiencing this same phenomenon, though the one to the right to a much greater degree.

 

Cases like this one particularly puzzle me. This is not a straight cut, so it seems unlikely to have been made by pruning at the garden centre.

(attached)

 

The edge on that looks brown, which suggests it been like it a while.
It also appears to be an older leaf, most insects would go fopr new growth I'm thinking.