Bay Tree Pruning

by Audrey Howard
(Baltimore, MD)

I have two tiny Bays (single main stem, just 1 year old) that are planted in containers so they can over winter on the enclosed back porch. This year, they sprouted up a good 8-12 inches and require support. Should I trim back at the top to encourage more lateral limbing?

Doug says that you prune them for shape at this point. If you want a low-growing plant then pinching off the growing tip will cause branching.

If you want a taller tree-form, then you leave the main top shoot alone until it reaches the height you want.

They do look kinda "straight-up-and-down" for the first little while until they grow to the height you want. ;-)