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Basil plants turning yellow...

791 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  geezerbiker 
#1 ·
I bought 4 basil plants and put them in planters inside on my sun porch. The were growing fine until it seemed like they were outgrowing the pots. So I trimmed them back and made some really good pesto with the idea I would transplant them later.


I only had enough stuff to deer net one planter so I transplanted 2 of them... The ones transplanted are turning yellow and look rather sickly. I was right about them outgrowing the pots they were in as they were seriously root bound. I would have transplanted the other 2 by now but I want to figure out this problem first.


I'm giving them all the same fertilizer and the transplanted ones are getting way more sun so they should be growing better in my line of thinking. Any ideas?


Tony
 
#3 ·
Transplanted to what?
Did you trim the roots?
What type of soil?

Planting Basil
Basil should be grown in a pot that’s at least four inches deep. Of course, the deeper the pot, the more the plant will fill in, so keep that in mind when choosing. Fill the pot with potting soil so it’s flush with the top — do not leave any space, as that would create a small shadow, blocking growing plants from sun.

Basil can be sown (planted!) from seed or purchased as a transplant (a plant that’s already been started for you!). You can find sweet basil starter plants at the grocery store, but if you want to grow a less common type, you might have to look for seeds.

If transplanting, the only real rule is to provide enough space for the plant to grow. Loosen up the transplants and be sure to separate out individual basil plants, allowing them room to come to full maturity. Trim any very long root systems to about three inches long and plant them into the potting soil, making sure you don’t cover too much of the stem. Basil stems are delicate and will rot if planted too deeply.
 
#4 ·
the plants are most likely reacting to the additional sun light burning the leaves, should not kill the plant just burn the leaves, mine usually react the same when I prune something that was shading them oops..
 
#5 ·
I transplanted them to the planters I used to grow strawberries in until the deer killed them off. They're plastic planters I got from Costco and I think they're around 35 to 40 gallon capacity. They originally didn't have any holes in the bottom and I drilled about 10 each 1/2" holes. When I was digging out the weeds I noticed some earthworms in the soil and I've always been told that's a good sign...



The bottom 1/4 to 1/3rd is peat-moss and the rest is 50/50 potting soil and composted BS. I've pulled the planter back closer to the house and it seems to be getting greener but I also added some fertilizer since I first noticed the problem.


I plan to pull the planter closer to the house tomorrow to get more shade and I bought a soil test kit that I really need to try... I swear that I must be the worst gardener. So far only weeds and garlic grow well in my yard...


Tony
 
#6 ·
I got around to doing the soil testing today. The planter that I transplanted the 2 basil plants to. The soil shows good on nitrogen, potash and potassium but it's slightly acidic but I don't think it's enough to be a problem. I fertilized this soil with some stuff I bought at Wallyworld a few weeks ago and it seems to have helped. I fertilized this planter about a week after transplanting when I first noticed the plants looking sickly.



Another planter I'm planning to transplant my other basil plants to is showing barely sufficient potash and potassium but is completely nitrogen depleted. The soil should be the same as my other planters and I've not added anything to it this season. This is another reason I think the cheap Wallyworld fertilizer is working.


So I'm thinking the problem I'm having now is too much sun. I've moved the planter back further into the shade and I'll move it a bit more in the next few days. Hopefully I'll have enough basil to make some pesto pretty soon...


Tony
 
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