What's happening to my basil? - Ask Extension
I purchased these at the Incredible Edibles in early May, I used potting soil from Costco to transplant into pots, and kept them inside until a few ...
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What's happening to my basil? #871108
Asked June 01, 2024, 11:19 PM EDT
I purchased these at the Incredible Edibles in early May, I used potting soil from Costco to transplant into pots, and kept them inside until a few days ago when I put them on my deck in the sun. Today I noticed the change in leaf color and lots of gnats in the soil. Are they doomed and should I start over? Thank you.
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
I doubt you need to start over yet. Control fungus gnats by allowing the soil surface to dry between watering.
“Hardening off” seedlings for both sunshine and cold nights is helpful. The discolored leaves are cold or sun damage, or both. I can’t be sure. It isn’t really warm enough to leave basil out at night. It won’t die, but it needs warmer soil temperatures to thrive, and we have nights around 50°F, the lowest for basil. If you take a plant that has had no direct sun and put it out all day, the leaves often burn. Put these outside for a few hours, increasing over a week or so, and bring in at night while you watch the nighttime temperatures rise.
Consider changing your soil. I don’t have the ingredients for your potting mix, but it looks like it will hold too much moisture to work well for container gardening. If it is staying wet then roots can rot, and fungus gnats are more of a problem. You want good drainage, so choose a mix with perlite or vermiculite. See this article for more basics on container gardening.
Oh, and check that your containers have good drainage holes, too.
“Hardening off” seedlings for both sunshine and cold nights is helpful. The discolored leaves are cold or sun damage, or both. I can’t be sure. It isn’t really warm enough to leave basil out at night. It won’t die, but it needs warmer soil temperatures to thrive, and we have nights around 50°F, the lowest for basil. If you take a plant that has had no direct sun and put it out all day, the leaves often burn. Put these outside for a few hours, increasing over a week or so, and bring in at night while you watch the nighttime temperatures rise.
Consider changing your soil. I don’t have the ingredients for your potting mix, but it looks like it will hold too much moisture to work well for container gardening. If it is staying wet then roots can rot, and fungus gnats are more of a problem. You want good drainage, so choose a mix with perlite or vermiculite. See this article for more basics on container gardening.
Oh, and check that your containers have good drainage holes, too.
