Bought this basil plant from trader Joe's a few days ago. It was droopy when I got it but perked up with sunlight and water. However it has now started dropping again. Does it need more sunlight? A bigger pot?
1. Water, 2. Needs to be outside in full sun, 3. Shitty soil in the store pot, 4. Wrong time of year to buy basil as it dies at the end of summer
paradoxbomb
I regularly grow these indoors. You need lots of light (grow light or sun-facing window). They go dry very quickly and will droop, but they’ll bounce right back once watered. Finally, the soil they ship in has almost no nutrients. You can repot into better soil, but I’d just use a dilute liquid fertilizer like Maxsea at 1/4 – 1/2 strength on each watering. Don’t expect it to live forever, but you can get at least a few months and several harvests out of it.
Don’t be surprised if it sheds a lot of leaves before growing new ones, the transition from packing at the greenhouse to your house is harsh.
EmotionalGoodBoy
They are meant to die quickly due to overpopulation, you have to repot them. Just YouTube Sheffield Made Plants.
enchillita
TJ’s basil is basically 25 plants all shoved in there together to look all full and bushy, they never last long because they’re all choking each other at the root. I usually just chop and prop, but if you split it up at the root ball and put the groups in their own pots, they’ll do better. Not sure how fragile basil water roots are though so be gentle.
5 Comments
Bigger pot and more water
1. Water, 2. Needs to be outside in full sun, 3. Shitty soil in the store pot, 4. Wrong time of year to buy basil as it dies at the end of summer
I regularly grow these indoors. You need lots of light (grow light or sun-facing window). They go dry very quickly and will droop, but they’ll bounce right back once watered. Finally, the soil they ship in has almost no nutrients. You can repot into better soil, but I’d just use a dilute liquid fertilizer like Maxsea at 1/4 – 1/2 strength on each watering. Don’t expect it to live forever, but you can get at least a few months and several harvests out of it.
Don’t be surprised if it sheds a lot of leaves before growing new ones, the transition from packing at the greenhouse to your house is harsh.
They are meant to die quickly due to overpopulation, you have to repot them. Just YouTube Sheffield Made Plants.
TJ’s basil is basically 25 plants all shoved in there together to look all full and bushy, they never last long because they’re all choking each other at the root. I usually just chop and prop, but if you split it up at the root ball and put the groups in their own pots, they’ll do better. Not sure how fragile basil water roots are though so be gentle.