I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

In article ,
George Orwell wrote:

I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

Hello George!

I'd consider going to an animal farm and or at least get some real
compost. Gardening is about death, decay and transformation back into
life. If you prefer sterile growing conditions good luck! It's sort
of like children growing up without bugs and dirt and the increase in
asthma. Can be done but is difficult and some folk's like a challenge.

Get dirty.

Bill

--
Zone 5 In South Jersey USA Shade
Consider all sorts of music at http://xpn.org/
"No Progress without contraries" William Blake.

George Orwell wrote in message t...
I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

Where are you? on the moon?
Try adding some soil to the mix.
If you worry about soil borne diseases you can cook the soil first.

Good Advice Bill. I will try adding 25% mushroom compost next time
around. Also going to try using coir fiber instead of peat because it is
supposed to have a more neutral pH. Too bad I don't have a yard or I
would be gardening outdoors

Hello George!

I'd consider going to an animal farm and or at least get some real
compost. Gardening is about death, decay and transformation back into
life. If you prefer sterile growing conditions good luck! It's sort
of like children growing up without bugs and dirt and the increase in
asthma. Can be done but is difficult and some folk's like a challenge.

Get dirty.

Bill

I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

George Orwell wrote in message t...
I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

It almost sounds like some kind of blight or mildew, although I've
never heard of anything like that attacking basil. I start my basil
indoors in a window sill every spring, using recycled plastic 6-pack
containers from the nursery and just regular garden soil. I soak them
thoroughly when I sow the seed and keep them very wet until most of
the seeds germinate. After that, I back off on the water. When the
plants are about 1 to 1.5 inches tall I start putting them in a
protected place outside during the day, as long as the temps are at
least 50F. At that point, I give them a little Miracle-Gro once a
week or so. As the weather gets warmer, the plants spend increasing
amounts of time outdoors until it's time to transplant them into the
garden. I live in Colorado, where the relative humidity is usually
quite low, so I don't have a lot of trouble with mildew.
Don't know if this was helpful or not, but good luck,
Gary

In article ,
George Orwell wrote:

.. I will try adding 25% mushroom compost next time
around. Also going to try using coir fiber instead of peat because it is
supposed to have a more neutral pH. Too bad I don't have a yard or I
would be gardening outdoors

Nothing wrong with trying stuff. My gardening technique is different
each year. My garden however is different every day! Hope you can own
your own land someday, meanwhile community garden's could afford the
chance to get down and dirty.

Best

Bill

--
Zone 5 In South Jersey USA Shade
Consider all sorts of music at http://xpn.org/
"No Progress without contraries" William Blake.

George Orwell wrote:

I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??

Two parts peat moss to one part perlite might be a bit too acidic.
Also, herbs like basil and mint do very well without excess
nutrients.

Try my home-made potting mix. See
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html. However,
cut the blood meal and bone meal in half; and use only a pinch of
iron sulfate. Since basil is an annual, you can omit the zinc
sulfate (which is optional anyway) and Epsom salts. For the mint
(a perennial), a pinch of Epsom salts is still useful to promote
new shoots; but you can wait until the second year for this.

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

George Orwell wrote in message
...
I am trying to grow basil in containers with a mix of sphagum peat moss
and perlite (2:1), pH adjusted to 6 with horticultural lime. The last
two times, my plants did not look good after reaching about 4 or 5
inches. They get spots of silvery stuff on the leaves. This is
accompanied by tiny black spots and the plant growth slows to a crawl.
After close inspection, I don't think that it is any kind of insect. I
am feeding with a VERY dilute balanced nutrient solution with
micronutrients with every watering letting top of the soil dry before
watering again. I have also had this problem with my spearmint (although
it doesn't seem to bother the mint much) and patchouli (just starting to
happen here). Any ideas??
--

Silvery stuff? Tiny black spots? Sounds to me like you have spider mite.
They thrive in dry conditions. You could try spraying your plants with a
fine mister, especially under the leaves.

I have a couple of two-foot wooden tubs outdoors (here in U.K.), and in the
spring I throw another few handfuls of growbag (tomato) compost on, to top
them up ('cos it always sinks down a bit through the winter).

In one tub I sprinkle coriander seeds, in the other I sprinkle basil seeds.
Then I put on a rack from a dead refrigerator (to keep the cats off). The
basil seeds came up last week after only 1 day, the coriander is more shy
and takes about a week, it's just poking through now.

I don't feed them with anything, I just water them when they look dry, and
they provide me with leaves until October.

VERY INTERESTED to hear about your growing patchouli. Where can I get some
seeds?

s.

You can get patchouli plants from www.companionplants.com. They don't
sell seeds. Not sure what condition the plants would be in when they get
to the UK. They might not even ship overseas.