Bay laurel
Laurus nobilis
Also known asSweet bay · True laurel · Bay tree · Grecian laurel · Daphne (Greek)
Environment
The bounded range this crop tolerates.
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 7–11 (winter low around -18°C)
- Frost
- frost hardy
- Season
- cool (spring/fall)
Growing systems
Root mass: heavy. Thin-channel systems can't hold this crop.
Growing media
| Medium | pH effect | Retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies | high | high |
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| vegetative | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.4 |
Aquaponics suitability
Not recommended
Fish waste alone doesn't supply enough of what this crop demands. Grows in hybrid systems with supplemental dosing, but expect active management.
Care notes
A long-lived container plant that suits greenhouse hydroponic and aquaponic herb sections. It is not a fast crop; bay laurel is a decades-long perennial. Use a large container (around 30 L) with well-drained media such as perlite or expanded clay. Hold EC around 1.2-1.8 mS/cm and pH 6.0-7.0. Keep temperatures 10–28°C; an established plant takes brief frost to roughly -8°C, but young plants are more tender and pots are best moved into a cold greenhouse over winter. Give full sun to partial shade, on the order of 15-25 mol/m2/day. Growth is slow, about 15–30 cm a year. Pick leaves as needed or prune branches and dry them; dried leaves hold flavour for 12 to 18 months sealed, and fresh leaves are stronger and a little more bitter. The plant can be trained as a single-trunk standard or grown as a multi-stemmed shrub. Scale insects are the main pest, so inspect and treat with horticultural oil if needed. One plant kept for years supplies a steady amount of an otherwise pricey dried herb.