OT: Please save the life of my basil

[kwormann]

Ive tried. I really have. Ive tried indirect sun, ful sun, less water, more water, but my basil is dying. It never got biger than the plant I bought and now the bottomleaves are getting yellow. Is it too late? WHat did I do wrong?

[Peeps]

I don't know if your problem is bugs but I had a terrible time with something eating off all my basil leaves (can you blame them?) - I had nothing but stubby stems left. I started spraying mine with a solution of mostly water with just a drop of dish soap and a pinch of baking soda in it and it seems to ward off whatever was doing the eating. I have to be vigilant and do it everyday but it has helped tremendously - even brown stems from last year that I thought were completely dead have sprung back to life and are producing leaves.
Mine are outside in a pot and get sun about half the day I'd say.
Good luck!

[browneye]

I don't know if this will help, but I have had really good luck with my basil- better than any of my gardening friends in the area-
I plant both tomatoes and basil in the same large containers...the basil to the south of the tomatoes. I never water them from overhead, just soak the soil with the hose. I also have them sitting under a overhanging portion of a south-facing porch which keeps all rain off of them, but allows full sun... they don't like rain.
They are doing well this year. Wish I'd planted more....

Also, be careful with fertilizers, sometimes they can cause burn and leaf damage
Hope they get better!

[Svadhisthana]

Herbs usually don't transplant well, that could be your problem. The drainage of soil is also very important, if the soil has too much "clay" the plant will "drown". If you find that the problem is pests, I would stay away from over the counter insecticides and try natural solutions instead, because the plant is meant to be edible. Good Luck.

[lindrusso]

Kim,

I don't know if this will be any help, but is it in a pot? I just don't have luck with growing basil in a pot. Are the stems turning black and getting "woody" looking? I don't remember the name of the disease, but there is something that commonly afflicts basil plants and I don't think there is much you can do about it. I think that even my basil plants in the garden get it, but they grow so fast in the garden that I can get plenty of harvest from them before they succomb. If I find out the name of the disease, I'll let you know. I do remember that someone at a plant nursery said that it's very hard to avoid and that even professional growers are at its mercy.

[kwormann]

I live in a condo wo a yard, so I have to grow anything in a pot! I was hoping to have luck and to maybe grow tomaotes the same way next year but.......

[Anne]

Some basils are really prone to mold/fungus. Is your basil located where it is exposed to moving air? I've had pretty good luck growning basil (and herbs in general) in a hanging planter - one of those wire mesh bowls than you stuff sphagnum moss or coconut mat into to hold the soil. This way the herbs get lots of air circulation and never get soggy feet. Good luck.

[Kerri]

I feel your pain Kim! This is the first year that I finally have been having luck with my basil. I think in Texas it is just so hot here, that even though basil loves the heat, it just gets to be to much. I lived in an apartment that faced west and everything died. We moved into an apartment that faced east and everything thrived. We just moved into a house that the backyard faces west and things started looking not so good. I moved my pots under a tree and they are really perking up now. My dad once told me, "the only way I could get herbs to grow in TX is under a tree." I don't know if that will work for you in a condo though.

One more thing, you mentioned yellow leaves. Well, my rosemary started getting yellow leaves which was very strange because it had been doing so well. I did some reading and found that yellowing usually indicates a lack of nutrients. So, I fertilzed. The rosemary, basil, and sage loved the fertilzer (and so did some indoor plants), but the oregano, mint, thyme, and parsley were having a harder time with it. So, if you fertilize, be careful.

I think drainage is also a big thing. To help, you can put gravel in the bottom of your plant. I have never tried this, but it might work for you.

I hope this helps!

[KathrynY]

Kim, don't be discouraged about growing herbs and veggies in pots. Many of them do quite well. If basil doesn't work out for you for whatever reason, try something else. I had excellent results growing cherry tomatoes in a large pot on my deck. Of course I'm not in Texas but I think your tomatoes would even be happier than mine because the two things they love most are water and SUNSHINE! So don't give up on those tomatoes for next year. :)

[cooksrhot]

Kim, I don't know what to say about your basil...that's weird. I thought it was usually pretty hardy, from my experience anyway.

I wanted to tell lindrusso that her avatar cracks me up. Thanks for making me smile!