how did your watering protocol change..

and it might help to have a pic of the greater area ... just to see how its situated ...

ken

We haven't changed anything regarding the watering. These laurels have been healthy and problem free from the time we planted them until a couple of months ago.

Looks like leaf scorch....did you happen to apply too much fertilizer?

No, we haven't applied any fertilizer to them.

review link.. lets discuss.. anything you did contrary ...

but listen ... ANY browning.. after transplant.. and after a summer ...

is USUALLY a watering problem ...

the plants went into shock at planting.. and could not cope with summer ...

your base problem.. is that.. they are evergreen... and the problem is only showing now ...

it does not appear.. that you mulched them.. in fact.. it looks like pure peat moss.. which is bone dry ... you may never get that wet again ... its integral to the beast ...

IMHO ... its a watering issue during the summer..

take a hand trowel .. and dig 3 to 6 inch holes.. AND FIND OUT... if there is any moisture at depth .. its your soil... and you have to figure it out.. no guessing ... find out ... tell us what you find.. we will help

if not moist .. put the hose on trickle.. and water deeply.... all this is covered at the link ... including clay soil .. if you have that. ...

lets get them properly hydrated before winter ...

i have done a lot worse.. a little leaf damage is the least of your problems ... the future is all in the buds .. so look at those.. i think i see a fat and happy one in the first pic ... a dying plant would have dead buds ...

ken

ps: new stock is usually rather pest free .. and for me.. that rules out bizarre disease and bugs ...

pps: if you have heavy non draining soil.. you might find them water logged.. which is still a watering issue ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Ok, after looking at some old paperwork I was able to determine that the laurels were planted 6 years ago, so they're older than my initial estimate of 4 years.

I dug down around the plants and the soil is slightly damp in the root area of the plants but that's because they were recently watered. The soil (clay) a few feet away from the plants is hard as cement and quite dry.

So, not enough water and lack of mulch seem to have been the primary cause of the problem.

I'm planning to install a drip system so that watering gets done on a regular basis during the hot season.

The only thing holding us back from mulching in the past was $. Removed aesthetics from the equation and decided as soon as the leaves start falling off of our Northern Red Oak we're going to use them as mulch.

Below is a photo of two of the four laurels. Both of them were subjected to the same conditions (i.e., shade, sun, soil, watering, lack of mulch) and yet one is shriveled up while the other one appears to be perfectly healthy. That's what I don't understand.