Basil problems
 

Hi,

I've got two different kinds of basil plants. The first is the Magical
Michael type that I grew from seeds just before winter, obviously
indoors and in pots, and it now reached about 30cm. The second kind is
normal italian basil that I bought from the local supermarket.

All plants go quite 'bushy' so I decided to remove the big and medium
leaves to make pesto! That turned out good!!

Anyways... the magical michael ones have leaves where black spots (5mm
dia approx) appearing on them. They're not dark black spots but
slightly paler.

Furthermore, both kinds have more leaves turning into a golden-brown
color.

I do water the plants lightly once a day in the morning, and they get
no water in the weeekend.

Am I doing something wrong, is this a fungal infection, overwatering,
or what?

Thanks,
Max

btw... I'm around Frankfurt, Germany!

Basil problems
 

MaxMustermann wrote:
Hi,

I've got two different kinds of basil plants. The first is the Magical
Michael type that I grew from seeds just before winter, obviously
indoors and in pots, and it now reached about 30cm. The second kind is
normal italian basil that I bought from the local supermarket.

All plants go quite 'bushy' so I decided to remove the big and medium
leaves to make pesto! That turned out good!!

Anyways... the magical michael ones have leaves where black spots (5mm
dia approx) appearing on them. They're not dark black spots but
slightly paler.

Furthermore, both kinds have more leaves turning into a golden-brown
color.

I do water the plants lightly once a day in the morning, and they get
no water in the weeekend.

Am I doing something wrong, is this a fungal infection, overwatering,
or what?

Thanks,
Max

btw... I'm around Frankfurt, Germany!


If the potting mix is moist, don't water. If the time of frost is past,
you should move them outdoors.

Basil is an annual, living for only one growing season. You can prolong
the life of the plant by removing all flower buds before they open.
This also improves the flavor since the leaves might get bitter if the
plant is allowed to flower. But eventually, you will have to discard
the plants and start over.

I just bought a small plastic pot of basil this week, along with dill
and sage. I plan to move them to larger pots tomorrow. At first, they
will be on my patio, which is in shade most of the day. After they
recover from being repotted, I will move them to where my other herbs
are in pots, out in the sun.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/