I bought this basil plant from Walmart thinking I could save it, but I’m realizing that I truly know nothing about gardening. I know that it is thirsty (it got watered right after this picture was taken) but what is the black stuff creeping up the stems? Does I remove any stems that are turning black? I live in a southwest facing apartment so instead of sunlight I have to use a grow light.
by pablomcbadburger
6 Comments
For context: I’ve had this plant for about 2 weeks now, I’ve watered it every ~3 days and only from the bottom. I try to give it 6-8 hours of sunlight per day because I know basil is a full sun plant, but occasionally forget to turn the light on.
Crowded. The pot is not large enough for one plant, and there are several. Keep the strongest plant and snip the rest. Transplant the keeper into a larger pot.
Need to repot it yesterday. Some may/should survive if you don’t wait.
Have you pulled the soil out to checkout the roots? After watering that entire plug of soil will likely slide out as one unit.
Sorry, but I don’t believe you can save it. Once basil gets funky, it’s pretty much a goner.
Southwest facing has enough sunlight for basil to grow well. My basil thrives at a west facing border. Just cut off the dead stems and repot the rest to a larger container. Water thoroughly each time and don’t water again until surface soil feels dry to touch. It will be fine.