Hebs need help
NeoX
Posts: 34
I maintain a tiny balcony garden. For my work, I have to live for extended period in different countries. Right now I am in a city in China. Weather here is a little strange for me. Temperature and amount of sunlight fluctuates a lot. These days the temperature is usually between 20 and 30 deg C and it is mostly cloudy and rainy. 
I usually love to grow different foliage but this year I tried growing several herbs. Mints are growing great and wild. Citronella is also growing well. Sage and Rosemary are in sort of non-responsive state. They are neither growing new leaves, nor in a bad shape. I actually bought two Rosemary and just one survived. Oregano and Thyme are in bad shape. Nearly dead. The soil is moist but not too wet. Leaves nearly all dried up. One of the herbs that I love most but have not been successful is Basil. I bought some Lemon / Thai Basil in the beginning they had tough time surviving and after a long time, they are alive but not growing much. I bought a pot of Sweet basil which had three plants in it. They were not growing much so I pruned them but it did not help. I thought they might be having space problem and so separated the three in to three separate (larger) pots. Since then they are having tough time. I am not able to make out what is going wrong with them. The soil is moist but not wet. When I place them in the balcony leaves seem to start falling more then when they are in the room. At times an entire stem droops down and eventually I have to pinch them off. I am trying to avoid watering them as I am not sure about the problem. I loosened the soil a little and mist the plants about once in a day. Kindly advise what can be done to help my herbs grow well. Where am I going wrong ?
Posts
The pictures on most of your plants look quite nice. Are you worried about just the Thyme and Oregano?
I believe your soil is a little too rich. Maybe try to get small gravel or some sharp sand and mix it into your current soil. Make sure there is a drainage hole on those pots. Try to put some larger stones or even brokened up pieces of polystyrene to help with the drainage. These plants really need a nice free draining soil and minimal care with regards to watering. In your case, neglect it a little and don't be tempted to water it too much. Keep them in a sunny place and I think you'll see they'll be far more happier. Rosemary also thrive wth this kind of soil.
Last edited: 21 June 2017 15:43:22
Thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano - Mediterranean herbs that like free draining soil and sunshine so I reckon your soil is too rich and too moist.
Basil is actually originally from India but has been cultivated for at east 500 years. It is in the mint family so wants a fairly rich compost with good drainage but frequent watering. It is very sensitive to cold and loves sunshine.
I am worried about Thyme and Oregano but they are nearly / already dead so I am more worried about Basil.
As i know Mint and basil are of similar family so if my Mints are surviving so well why are Basil not growing well ? Pots do have drainage holes and the soil was mixed with coconut fiber to increase porosity.
What can I do to make Rosemary grow well ?
Does rich soil means one without proper drainage / without porosity / clay kind of soil ?
I am a little confused, you said the soil is too moist but you also said, Basil needs frequent watering.
Easy - it doesn't want to sit in a puddle or dry out either so water frequently and let it drain.
I find that Basil is best with the surface of the compost kept dry ..also keep their leaves dry ... I water them by standing the pots in a tray with about an inch of water in it ... if there's still water in there after 20 minutes tip it away.
Last edited: 21 June 2017 17:03:19
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Rosemary is quite a very slow growing plant. Make sure it is planted in very free draining soil and you must not over water them, they will not appreciate this. I don't think coconut fibre is enough to keep the soil free draining. Try to get some gritty sand or small gravel and mix it into the compost.
Mint is a very adaptable plant and will deal with sun or shade. They also like a moist soil which is why they are thriving the best.
With the basil plant, I'm assuming you are pinching the tips and continually doing this. Because you have photographed from above, I can't see how they look from the sides, but they look like they need pinching to create a wide open shape. They respond well to this, so do this. What they don't like is cold. I notice you mentioned fluctuating temperatures. Maybe put the Basil pots outside when it's hot and sunny and bring them in if it's raining or quite cold and damp. You can keep them on a sunny window sill to see how they respond too.
That picture you posted looks so nice. I wish I could grow Basil like that.
Thanks. I will try and make the soil more porous. When pinching Basil leaves, should I pinch just the top two leaves or a portion of the stem ? Those Basil that have survived are also growing two slow. How can I make them grow faster. As they are growing too slow I feel afraid in pinching them too much. I would love to grow the Basil the way Mint is growing.