Suddenly wilting basil

Talon

Hi

When you say keeling over, is it a sharp bend like a break or a gentle droop?

A sharp bend could be mechanical damage; such as a bird breaking a branch or a bug eating one side away.

A gentle bend would make me suspect a water issue.  Too much water and the roots rot to the point that the plant might not be able to keep all it's parts.

Or parts of the soil aren't absorbing water at all, and the roots die back.  This happens to me a lot in hot weather.  The soil shrinks and the water doesn't soak in.  I usually have to submerge the pot for a 15 minute soak to get it back in shape.

I suppose there's a possibility it might be a disease issue but I've never seen basil affected.  If there isn't mechanical damage and the water is ok, I would probably cut away the affected parts to prevent any spreading.

Jimerson Adkins

Is the planter indoors or outside?

Cherlynn

I bring some of my herbs in during the winter but as soon as I can I transplant them right back out side and they thrive out there.  I have trouble keeping basil going during the winter months but it always bounces back when summer comes and its outside again.

H_D

if its not an over watering, physical break or the plant being root bound in its container google Fusarium Wilt, see if thats a match this is usually the culprit of wilting basil.

-Heather

 

 

Talon

Hi everbody, sorry, I didn't get email notification that this thread had been responded to, so it's taken me a little while to make it back, obviously.

These plants are in a planter outdoors.

It's possible it's water issues, yeah. I've felt down into the soil and it does seem water logged. But I also called the local nursery, before realizing all these responses were here, and was encouraged to trim away all but one or two of the "vines" on each plant. When I got the starts, they both consisted of something like 5 or 6 stems each. And apparently those stems don't like competition?? So...??

Thanks for all the input!

Talon

P.S. Not a sharp bend, it was a gentle droop. And the more I think about it, the more I would assume that if it actually was water logging, wouldn't the entire plant respond accordingly? But it was just one stem on each...So, I'm thinking it maybe was the "competition" issue...

[shrug]

Talon

UGH...Update. Light green.whitish streaks forming now on the remaining stems....Looks like it might be Fusarium after all. For which, apparently, there is no cure??

*thumbs down*