Tej Patta Plant

Sweet bay trees should be planted in well drained soil with an incorporation of generous amounts of compost. The trees can be kept at a smaller growth habit if grown in a container, which also allows the gardener to bring the tree indoors or to a sheltered location when cold temperatures threaten. Plant the trees at the same level in soil that they were grown in their nursery pot. Planting bay trees is best done in early spring when they are semi-dormant. You can grow a bay tree simply as an ornamental plant or as part of your culinary arsenal. Growing a bay tree from cuttings or air layering is the common form of propagation. Cuttings should be taken in late summer and set into a soil-less medium. Air layering requires the gardener to wound the tree and pack it with sphagnum moss until roots form in the wound. The stem or branch can then be cut off and planted. Protect sweet bay trees from heavy winds, which are damaging to the weak wood. Bay trees do not need feeding or supplemental watering in winter. Bay trees can be trained into a topiary or another form with careful management when the plant is young.