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problem with basil

lou707lou707 Posts: 1
in Problem solving

hi everyone,

all of a sudden my basil (sweet basil) plants suddenly wilt and shrivel. starting from the top. no bugs anywhere, at least not on leaves. soil is fresh from large bags. problem is only in one container. i grow the basil on the roof in NYC and gets good sun, water.
had just put in agri-fos, a safe fungicide, never had trouble before. other pots have same mulch, soil, water, agr-fos, etc but are healthy.

normally fungus would take a while to kill from what Ive seen. stem turns brown and plant slowly dies. this is first time the plant quickly wilted without brown or spots, etc.                         wilting starts at upper leaves and droop over. stem curves down. bottom leaves healthy but soon wilt. only one section of one pot has trouble so far. all other plants are fine.

would anyone know what the problem is? i gave all the plants another agri-fos spray. the 1st spray i gave when there was no problem so that should have prevented any fungus. so this is a mystery.

when i pulled a wilting plant up the main root was nice and long. didnt see any bugs.

thanks

louis

Posts

  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150

    Hi Lou, in the UK here so have no idea what agri-fos product is.

    Your description of wilting/mould makes me think over watering may be the cause of the problem. If there is a white fuzzy mould growing around the base of the plants on the stem or soil I would remove the affected parts before it spreads. Maybe let them dry out a little and see if it improves.

    Sometimes you may think a droopy plant needs a drink when in fact you are drowning it. Best way to check is to stick a finger in the compost, it may still be damp under the top layer.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I think wind exposure could be more of a problem than water. image

    It's a plant which requires warmth, and shelter from the worst of the elements.

    I water basil regularly. Mine in pots indoors as we don't have enough warmth here in Scotland for it to thrive outside. It dries out quickly therefore, and gets watered almost every day which keeps it growing well. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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