I found this method of ridding yourself of the fungus gnats ................

http://www.caringforhouseplants.com/how_to_remove_gnats_from_houseplants-35849.php

It sounds to me like your bay tree was overwatered - you might want to take it out and see if there are any live roots left, then repot it and make sure it gets pretty dry between waterings and doesn't stand in a tray of water.

I think trying to keep bay alive inside is like trying to keep rosemary as a houseplant - difficult to manage, and why bother when it will grow outside in the ground.

My bay trees are planted in the yard, and they do fairly well outside - my one in Euless suffered from the drought when I didn't notice that the sprinkler head that watered it was clogged. It came back from the roots though. I've read that they can take cold, or they can take wind, but wind and cold together can damage them. I try to plant them in a protected spot.

Has anyone tried growning bay laurels from cuttings? I took some cuttings last spring and they stayed green for a long time, but never made roots and finally died.

So what, precisely, did you plant it in? Sounds like the plant just isn't getting sufficient moisture. That can easily result from root rot, if the planting medium has stopped draining well, due to compaction, subsidence and whatnot.

I have a bay in a pot from last year. It is not happy. Should I plant in full sun,or part sun? Should I put it in my raised bed veggie garden or out in the yard? It was a gift but I have no idea what makes it happy.

thank you
c

full sun, these are BIG trees, but not too fast growing. Mine is around 12` tall. They do like to go dry between waterings and hate being indoors.
Good luck with it.
Tally HO!

Oh wow! Mine is just a twig. Thank you Tally!

we are talking about the bay leaf plant....right?

c

yep, they are big trees when mature.
Tally HO!

So the bay plant has been outside for about a month now, and it has new leaves!!! I am so so so happy to see this. It still is a pretty sad looking plant (it's only about 1.5 feet tall), and most of the stem is bare, because we took the fungus (blacked leaves) off, but we have some new growth on top, and some along one of the stems.

I know it's spring, but to think ahead, should I be planting the bay plant in the ground? Will it survive a transplant? How will it do in the winter outside?