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Yellow leaves on bay laurel: causes and fixes

Laurus nobilis

Quick answer

Yellow leaves on your bay laurel have a few possible causes, and on this plant the likeliest is overwatering and early root rot.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis)
Bay laurel · Laurus nobilis
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Toxic to pets

First, check the soil. Push a finger 2 to 3 cm (0.8⁠–⁠1.2 in) into it and lift the pot. Dry and light means thirst. Wet and heavy means too much water or poor drainage.

Most likely cause

Overwatering & early root rot

Pixel illustration of water being poured out of a saucer into a bowl

How to tell

  • The soil is still wet days after watering, the lower and oldest leaves yellow first, and the stem base may feel soft.
  • Small dark flies around moist potting medium may be fungus gnats.

The fix

  1. 1
    Stop watering.
  2. 2
    Make sure the pot can actually drain, and wait until the top 3 cm (1.2 in) of soil feel dry to the touch.
  3. 3
    If the base is mushy or smells sour, unpot it and trim any brown, soft roots before repotting in fresh mix.
More about this

They suggest conditions suitable for breeding, without proving that the surface never dries.

Other possible causes

Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.

Thirst (underwatering)

The soil is bone dry, and the yellowing arrives alongside crispy leaf edges rather than soft, mushy growth.

The fix

  1. 1
    If the soil is dry, water thoroughly (every 6 to 8 days in summer is the usual pace for a bay laurel), then settle into feeling the soil before every watering rather than watering on a fixed day.

Too little light

The yellowing comes with pale, stretched new growth leaning toward the nearest window.

The fix

  1. 1
    Move it to a sunny window.
  2. 2
    If it has been somewhere dim for a while, move it over a week or two so it can adjust to the stronger light.
More about this

That combination shows that the spot is too dim for a bay laurel.

Hungry (nutrient shortfall)

Older leaves fade to an even pale yellow and growth has clearly slowed, usually after many months in the same tired mix.

The fix

  1. 1
    Feed with a balanced, diluted liquid fertilizer through the growing season, and refresh the top layer or repot if it’s been over a year.

Simple old age

A single bottom leaf slowly yellows while the rest of the plant looks healthy and is pushing new growth.

The fix

  1. 1
    Nothing is wrong.
  2. 2
    Snip the spent leaf off and carry on.
  3. 3
    Plants retire their oldest leaves.

All bay laurel guides

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