I can't see the browning very clearly in the pictures, I'm afraid, but it could be a fungal infection. I'd just nip it off. Otherwise it looks pretty healthy.

I can see some light green leaves top left in picture 1 and they're not bay. If you can post a closer picture the Name That Plant Forum can probably id it for you.

Where are you located geographically? Bay isn't a tropical plant and can live outside in temps down to 20f. If you can't put it outside, keep it cool, very light and not over watered.

Btw calling it a bay leaf 'plant' is a little misleading. Bay is a tree and will grow to thirty feet in a conducive climate.

Thank you so much for your comments. I have added pictures that hopefully are easier to see. Is that forum on Houzz? Also I have gnats on the plant and am having difficulty getting rid of them.

Sorry one more question. What should I call this plant?

The little light green seedling looks like an oak species. If you remove a little soil do you find an acorn? Name That Plant is a Houzz Forum Here's a link

The brown blotches look like an overwatering issue. The presence of fungus gnats would support that view since they are a problem of wet soils.

Over here we'd call your plant a Bay Tree. In the USA I believe Bay Laurel is the usual name.

You should look up bay laurel wilt. We lost a large bay tree to the wilt and several avocado trees as they are related. I am in zone 9/b east central FL coast US. Sorry, hope your plant is not affected.

Thank you so much for all of your helpful comments and the link. I am trying to get rid of the gnats but am not having much luck.

Gnats are a telltale sign of overwatering. Likely the cause of the brown leaves too.

You should remove the small oak tree growing in there.

I am chiming in since I have bay trees overwintering indoors. They should be kept on drier side - fungus gnats are for sure because of wet soil. You could kill your tree if too wet.

You didn't answer what part of world you are in, and also if plant is indoors year-round or not?

Thank for the comments. I am keeping the plant inside for the winter time. I did remove the oak, and the browning leaves. The plant has many buds which I am happy to see. There are still some gnats in the plant. I put the yellow stickie tapes in the plant to try to catch some gnats. I was keeping the plant quite dry. Then I was concerned that maybe it was too dry so I added water to the base of the planter - it self waters. But I see that the soil is quite wet. I am actually killing gnats when I see them - this is driving me crazy as I do not want to lose my plant. The good news is that there are less gnats. Should I water a different way? Thank you.

If we had a location we could say whether your baytree needs to be indoors. You say you were 'concerned that maybe it was too dry'. Can you say what the symptoms were? Bay isn't a water hog and unless it's showing signs of wilting I'd leave it longer between watering.

I am in northern Alberta, Canada, and the temperature now is -29 centigrade. I felt the soil and it was dry for at least the top inch. Thank you for your helpful comment. I will not water until it shows signs of wilting. Perhaps I will not put water in the base of the pot (self watering) and instead water as per your helpful suggestion. Thanks again.

Me again. Can you give me some general suggestions on watering indoor house plants please. When do you water and how do you determine this? Thanks.

It's impossible to say with any degree of accuracy :-) It will need to be determined on a case by case basis as the type of potting soil, size of pot and its material, the dryness and heat of indoors and the water requirements of the specific plant will all come into play.

The best way to determine when to water is by using a tell - a wooden dowel or bamboo skewer inserted into the potting soil as deeply as possible. When the tell is withdrawn, if completely dry and with no soil attached, its time to water....actually probably past time for most plants other than succulents and cacti. If the tell is slightly damp and with some soil clinging, that is a good indication of a need to irrigate soon. If the tell comes out wet, you should wait. If this does not dry out in a day or two, your potting soil is likely too water retentive. This can lead to issues with the fungus gnats and with more serious problems like root rots.

-25! Good grief. Definitely not Bay tree weather. I thought of this post today when looking at a local tree which must be a good 30 ft high.

Thank you for telling me about the “tell”. I will definitely do that. I am hibernating and just going out when absolutely necessary. I just came back from grocery shopping and my car windows were iced from the inside. These temperatures will thankfully end by next Monday. Thanks again everyone,

I have bay that is probably 20 yrs old now. I bring it in when temperatures drop below freezing consistently. It can tolerate a bit of cold but not too much. I consider it to be one of the easiest plants to grow. Keeping it on the dry side through the winter is the key. I let it dry out almost completely before watering again.

Bay will not show signs of wilting until it is too late. It will go from green to brown without wilting really. Young leaves may wilt but it is unlikely you will see much growth in winter. On the other hand, you can take a cutting and stick it in moist soil and it will be green for months without even rooting.

I suggest reduce your watering and let it dry out. In my opinion self watering containers cause more trouble than it is worth. It leads to over-watering more often than not. All the symptoms you are observing are because of over-watering.

I think your soil is peat based and that is why it is retaining a lot more water too. Next summer, I suggest you transfer it to a better soil that drains well. Mine is in so called 511 mix. If you research the container forum you will find a lot of info on that. To get you started here is a link: CONTAINER SOILS - WATER MOVEMENT and RETENTION XXII

The only pest I have ever noticed on bay are scales. They are difficult to notice since the plant is so dense and tight. So do look out for those. Especially, if you notice any shiny sticky substance on your leaves.

Thank you so much. Yes I think this self- watering pot is giving me problems. Also, I think I do need to repot this plant. I actually removed about an inch of soil to try to get rid of the gnats and added new potting mix. But now I see that the soil is compressed and has dropped about an inch. I will let it dry out. Do you think I should repot it once it is dry or could I just add fresh potting mix? Also, do you use fertilizer?

Soil that is primarily peat based will compact over time. I would say add whatever soil is needed to come up to base of trunk enough to cover the roots. Repot in Summer (in June) when you start seeing active growth. It will be easier for the plant to recover.

if you choose to use something like the 511 mix or some other well draining mix, make sure to remove and tease out most/all of the old soil. When you are ready for a full repot post your questions here and one of us can guide you through the process. Bay is quite a robust plant - it should be fairly easy.

Thanks again for your help.

And it will be useful for you to get into the habit of feeling the weight of the pot. When it is dry it will become quite light. After that you water it very well and the forget about it for a couple of days and check for water with the "tell", get a feel for the weight of the pot and then wait again. Resist watering. You will eventually learn how much it should weigh. Remember it is winter and the plant is using very little water since it is sort of sulking now. By March/April you will start seeing a difference in growth.

Thank you so much. That is also very helpful.