Knowledgebase
Dodder vine on purchased pot of basil #873068
Asked June 14, 2024, 8:05 AM EDT
I have a 10 inch pot full of basil Plants purchased from Home Depot. I've separated out all the plants into smaller pots and into the vegetable garden. Two of the plants in the garden have sprouted what I now know is the parasitic dodder vine. I pulled the vines off the first plant about two weeks ago and just discovered the second plant this morning. After pulling off the vine do I need to dig up the plants and get rid of them so they don't infest my garden? I haven't noticed any problems on any of the other plants that were grown in the same pot. Any information you have is most appreciated thank you.
Dutchess County New York
Expert Response
Thank you for your question.
As you know, Dodder is a parasitic annual vine whose yellow-orange thread-like stems twine on other plants. Here is what I’ve learned:
Discarding the infected plants is the easiest method of control. Removing of the dodder aerial growth from the host plant is not an effective control. New dodder growth will develop from the haustoria, nutrient-absorbing outgrowth of a fungus or parasitic plant that penetrates the tissues of the host organism, and re-cover the host plant.
The key is not to transplant an infested plant into the garden and allow dodder to produce seed. Seed can survive between 5 and 10 years in landscape beds and infect the next season’s planting. Pulling and destroying dodder infested plants before they flower is recommended.
Based on this information, you would probably want to remove the plants from the garden and discard them.
