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I grew basil in 2 different containers. I had a huge spider mite problem after I purched Miracle Gro soil in one container. Earlier this year, I harvested all the leaves off completely and leaves grew back. The spider mite problem somehow transferred to the other pot and I did the same, harvested all the leaves and that worked fine but it's been really cold lately in TX, I am not sure if it is bc the basil has flowered before but it's turned woody, completely, as stated in the title. I'm not sure if it's diseased and if I should get start a new batch of seeds now or if there's an oz of home for these growing twigs? It sucks because it was my favorite container of basil too. They were extremely bushy.

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On the assumption you were growing outdoors, Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is only perennial in very warm regions; it's a tender annual plant in colder areas. Now that it's cold, it's unlikely to grow again. You've not said precisely which USDA zone you're in, but if you expect even colder weather during winter, then its definitely not going to grow again, so you might as well dispose of the woody brown one. You've not said what condition the other basil plant is in, in the other container, but if your temperatures are either 60 deg F or likely to get lower, then you will lose that one as well.

You can grow it from seed indoors, but as it grows, it will require as much sun as you can give it, see here for more information on Basil growing generally https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-basil-plants-1402624

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  • Austin, TX. The other basils are fine. They're in large laundry container with a tomato that I started this summer. I've had to bring the plants in from the cold. This sucks, I'll have to wait til spring to start some seeds up again.
    – Lydia
    Commented Dec 22, 2017 at 0:01
  • You're lucky you rescued the other basils in time - your usda zone is 8b, which means temperatures down to 15-20 deg F
    – Bamboo
    Commented Dec 22, 2017 at 0:05
  • I'm inspecting the other ones now and parts of them are trying to turn woody, yay, But thank you for clarifying! I've had this issue another year and I kept watering those stems for no reason before I gave up. Thought I'd ask before I kept watering them again hahaha.
    – Lydia
    Commented Dec 22, 2017 at 0:09
  • If you can keep it alive inside until the weather warms up, it might spring back to life. The trouble is keeping on top of mites while it's inside.
    – Graham Chiu
    Commented Dec 22, 2017 at 20:29

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