Potting in Compost?

[Jim]

Should I pot simple plants in compost or soil?

Also - Bay trees - should they be planted in soil or compost - a few died last year and they were planted in compost....

Regards

[Persephone]

Compost is meant to enrich soil, not to replace it.

Use soil, amended by compost.

Persephone

[Jangchub]

First you have to define "compost." It is very easy to kill a bay laurel by overwatering it. They are also not very hardy in areas where frost is nearly constant in winter.

I'm on the edge of its hardiness in Texas, USDA Zone 8b.

[David E. Ross]

Compost is a good component of potting mix. It adds the soil bacteria needed to release nutrients. See my for a recipe for a do-it-yourself potting mix.

In the ground, plants should have a mixture of the native soil and soil amendments. I strongly recommend that the planting hole contain not more than 50% amendments; the rest should be native soil. Otherwise, roots might fail to penetrate beyond the planting hole. Straight potting mix should be used only in containers. As an amendment in the ground, even potting mix should be limited to 50%.

Bay (Laurus nobilis) can grow in the ground as a large shrub or small tree. I have one in a 12-inch flower pot, but I keep the top trimmed so that foliage doesn't exceed the ability of constrained roots to supply moisture during the heat of summer. Where winter temperatures drop below 20°F, bay should be grown in a container and moved indoors in the winter.

[cat daddy]

I usually mix my compost (more correctly pecan leaf mold) at 50/50 with the sandy loam soil of my yard for potted plants. However, I planted tomatoes (Celebrity and a black heirloom) this year in 100% compost and they are amazing looking right now and are bearing already after only a month.

[William Rose]

Which bay laurel are we talking about?

I'm on the edge of a temperate rain forest in northern California and our California bay trees have no problem with over watering.

- Bill Cloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

[David E. Ross]

Bay laurel (also called sweet bay) is Laurus nobilis. This is the traditional bay leaf used in cooking.

California bay (also called California laurel) is Umbellularia californica. This can be used in place of L. nobilis in cooking with some caution. The flavor of U. californica is much stronger than L. nobilis, so you must use less. More important, some people are violently allergic to U. californica when they are not at all allergic to L. nobilis.

U. californica is hardier than L. nobilis. Being quite different plants, their culture is different (including soil and water needs).

[Jangchub]

I have a Bay Laurel ? Laurus nobilis