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Window-sill herb problems
robmar
Posts: 6
Hi all,
I've tried many times to keep my supermarket bought potted-herbs alive, with mixed success. So I thought I'd ask the experts.
I re-pot the with a herb compost, and try to keep them watered, but not too wet. I've started using a liquid fertiliser.
My parsley always develops the pictured yellow leaf ends, like burn marks (whether indoors or outdoors). I'm not getting the leaves wet in any way. The photo below looks a bit like the leaves are infested, but I think this is just a camera zoom artifact (I can't see any creepy-crawlys under magnification.)
My basil (outdoors) always catches a sort of black mold, so I've given up there. Indoors, it's better, but some leaves develop the pictured leaf damage, which I pluck off. Otherwise, the plants seem healthy.
I always have problems with fungus-gnats; these are almost under control now (less watering, a chemical spray directly on the soil, and sticky cards.)
Any suggestions what I can do to keep these two healthy?
Regards,
Robin
I've tried many times to keep my supermarket bought potted-herbs alive, with mixed success. So I thought I'd ask the experts.
I re-pot the with a herb compost, and try to keep them watered, but not too wet. I've started using a liquid fertiliser.
My parsley always develops the pictured yellow leaf ends, like burn marks (whether indoors or outdoors). I'm not getting the leaves wet in any way. The photo below looks a bit like the leaves are infested, but I think this is just a camera zoom artifact (I can't see any creepy-crawlys under magnification.)
My basil (outdoors) always catches a sort of black mold, so I've given up there. Indoors, it's better, but some leaves develop the pictured leaf damage, which I pluck off. Otherwise, the plants seem healthy.
I always have problems with fungus-gnats; these are almost under control now (less watering, a chemical spray directly on the soil, and sticky cards.)
Any suggestions what I can do to keep these two healthy?
Regards,
Robin
0
Posts
What I've found tricky is getting enough bright light on them indoors. Would be hugely wasteful to start using grow lights for parsley and basil...frankly I'd rather freeze some at the end of summer or buy some pre-frozen ones. For most cooking applications there's absolutely no difference in being freshly picked or frozen.
The biggest problems from autumn and over winter, is those aforementioned light levels that are very low, but also temperatures. My house simply isn't consistently warm enough to support Mediterranean herbs, or even to get them germinated this late in the year, so freezing is ideal.
If you split the basil [basil grown from seed is also better split into smaller clumps and repotted, rather than individual seedlings] and then keep them as dry and warm as possible, they might thrive. As already said, when you buy these, they aren't single plants. I only have basil outside for a few months over summer. It would be very late to have it outside, even in a warmer drier part of the country.
The compost flies etc are always a problem though, but it's the same in summer with indoor plants. A thick layer of grit can sometimes help. I don't grow parsley, so can't judge that, but I agree that it isn't worth the expense of grow lights etc.
They don't need fancy compost - any multi purpose is fine as long as the drainage is ok.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
As others have said, most of the the "soft" herbs sold in the SM's are multi plants and need to be split and grown on to make the best of them.
Little point battling against the odds to keep some of them growing indoors thru the winter months
@SueAtoo My sticky cards are *covered* in gnats. I don't think the cards are supposed to attract the gnats, it's more just a random collision thing.
@Fairygirl Thanks for the hint about grit. I've done a search and picked up some tips.