Sometimes the cherry laurel shows brown tips and leaf edges, although the wood sprout vigorously and is thriving at first glance. In most cases, this damage has a non-parasitic cause that you can easily treat yourself.

Nutrient deficiency or oversupply leads to leaf damage

Too much or too little of certain nutrients often causes leaf discolouration, deformation of the foliage or stunted growth of individual leaves. If the leaves turn brown from the edge and eventually fall off, in many cases they have been fertilized too much.

Soil pH also affects cherry laurel growth. If this value is in the strongly acidic or basic range, the laurel cherry reacts with brown edges on the leaves. To rule out this cause, you should have a soil test carried out.

Feeding damage of the vine weevil

If you can rule out a care error, you should search the bushes with a flashlight after dark. The brown edges and tips of the leaves could be damage caused by the vine weevil, whose favorite food is woody plants with somewhat coarser foliage. It is not the beetles themselves that are dangerous for the laurel cherry, but rather the larvae living in the soil, which damage the roots and thus massively weaken the plant.

The shotgun disease

Although early-stage shotgun disease is usually indicated by black spots on the leaves, brown tips and edges should be a concern of this fungal disease. If you look closely, you will find spot-like brightening spots on the foliage next to the brown edges of the leaves, which later turn reddish-brown and are finally shed by the plant.

tips and tricks

If the leaves turn brown from the edge inwards, potassium deficiency could be to blame. In this case, fertilize the laurel with comfrey manure, manure or wood ash, since all these fertilizers contain a lot of potassium.

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Trees