15
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Should I trim off flower buds on basil?
If I get your question right, should you pinch the buds of the basil plant before they flower in order to maximize leaf production?
Answer yes. If you don't trim the buds off, then they will flower, ...
- 3,639
13
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Is it safe to hard prune my basil plant?
I would suggest a slightly different approach:
Make cuttings from the top(s), that way you will get smaller and compact plants (that you can then prune before they get long and leggy) and with a bit ...
- 15.5k
11
votes
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"Softening" plants before they go inside?
I've never heard of the need. The issue with hardening is that you're taking a plant in a largely controlled environment with low light levels, and a steady temperature, no wind, to a highly varied ...
- 22.9k
11
votes
A dark blight is eating my Basil. What to do?
That might well be slug or snail damage - given there's lots of leaf litter laying around your plant, you've created a perfect environment for slugs to hide beneath during the day, and then appear at ...
- 128k
10
votes
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How do I grow a basil plant tall?
If all you want is a tall plant, and it doesn't matter whether its bushy, well grown and attractive, put it in low light levels - it'll suffer what's known as etiolation, meaning the stems gets longer ...
- 128k
9
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My basil is "rotting", here's all the clues I have gathered
Looks like a heavy whitefly aphid infestation - they're usually underneath the leaves and suck the sap within, causing the leaf to shrivel and die. You can't treat with pesticide because it's an ...
- 128k
8
votes
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Should I let lemon basil flower?
I'm not sure how it will taste, but letting it flower is a disaster for other reasons - this plant is a half hardy annual, which means its main purpose is to flower, set seed and die - flowering means ...
- 128k
8
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Why are my basil seeds instantly covered with a white goo after planting?
The seed coat is hydrating. Perfectly normal, just not usually seen when germinating in soil. having played with "germinate on a wet paper towel and carefully plant with toothpick" method, I've seen ...
- 18.1k
7
votes
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Will my basil plant regrow without leaves?
Unlikely to recover - not impossible, but unlikely, and waiting to see if there's any regrowth will take some time. Given you might want some basil between now and Christmas, its probably best to get ...
- 128k
7
votes
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Should I let my basil leaves age?
The larger leaves don't necessarily have poor flavor. It's more about age than size. Old leaves don't taste as good as new ones. That's why a good harvesting system is key.
Most people try to do this ...
- 51.5k
7
votes
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Can I save this basil?
Does the basil on the left side have any chances of survival? It doesn't seem likely, but there is still some green on the leaves.
The plant on the left side is too far gone. It will never fully ...
- 51.5k
7
votes
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Can annuals work like perennials if you keep using cuttings?
Well, yes and no, or maybe. Annual plants have one purpose - to grow, flower, be pollinated and fertilized, set seed and die, all in a year. Then there's biennials - these form, usually, a basal clump ...
- 128k
7
votes
"Softening" plants before they go inside?
Some plants are sensitive to light changes (such as Shark Fin Melon). I think this is partially because Shark Fin Melon is supposed to rely on light changes to know when to set fruit, but even though ...
- 16.8k
7
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Basil: Are these aphids, whiteflies or something else?
It's nice to see a post about potential infestation and being able to calm the poster:
These are adventitious root stubs, or in other words, tiny roots starting to form. There are a number of reasons ...
- 15.5k
7
votes
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How should I "free" these trapped sprouts?
Leave them be.
They will either pop open by themselves, or die.
If you try to help (well, when I used to try to help) the overall success of the operation tends to be less than just letting them be, ...
- 18.1k
7
votes
Should I try planting my plant in soil?
I've grown basil hydroponically using aquarium water for the nutrients and it looked a lot better than yours which needs a lot more sunlight. In fact most of the basil I see in the supermarket seems ...
- 22.9k
7
votes
Planting too many seeds in small pot
Your plants will have to compete with each other for light, and root space. Because they are so packed and crowded, none of the plants will grow optimal this way. If you just want basil cress, you can ...
- 12.8k
7
votes
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Is my basil plant dead
Major bummer. Your car got too hot, too much light. Over 85 degrees F the plants 'turn off'...above 90 and they start dying. Your basil is toast, literally.
Take those leaves, lay them out on a ...
- 39.8k
6
votes
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What is this pest on my hydroponic basil and how can I remove it?
Most likely a form of red spider mite, although these prefer hot, dry conditions, and you say you're growing hydroponically; this often means moist air, although not necessarily. Assuming it is spider ...
- 128k
6
votes
Accepted
Keeping basil fresh as long as possible....should I remove the plastic?
The basil sold in these pots are in fact a dozen or so little seedlings grown just long enough to develop a few leaves. The plastic sleeve serves two purposes: Coralling the small plants which would ...
- 15.5k
6
votes
My basil stems are cracking and turning brown
It appears to be normal. In climates (or in your case, artificial climates) where basil is allowed to grow for more than three months or so it begins to turn into a small woody shrub. I think that is ...
- 5,839
6
votes
What is eating our Basil plants
I have had slugs do damage like that. The best thing I ever did was get some Diatomaceous earth, sprinkle it around the base of the plants, the slug won't go near it. Apparently the earth scratches ...
- 720
6
votes
Why is my basil doing poorly after I split it a month ago?
You can't actually "split" a basil plant as they grow from one stem. What you probably had is a pot of seedlings / small plants like they are sold in grocery stores or garden centers for cooking. ...
- 15.5k
6
votes
Why are the leaves of my basil yellowing and falling off?
Basil is an annual even in the tropics. Since its flowering it wants to go to seed. Let it, then collect the seeds for the next crop of basil.
If you plant basil in a large enough pot so that plenty ...
- 6,316
6
votes
Accepted
Can I revive my basil that wasn't watered for a week?
"Worth it" is often personal taste. Of these plants (in those store-bought pots are many young plants, not one), the smaller ones with the large leaves on top will probably bounce back and grow a bit ...
- 15.5k
6
votes
How close to space sweet basil?
6" tall and droopy sounds like insufficient light...
Spacing depends on your intended use/harvest strategy, IME.
Last year I did mine 9"x9" (23cm) with intention to harvest them younger than my ...
- 18.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Why is my basil plant oozing brown sap?
It looks like a scale infestation. Unfortunately, Basil, being an edible plant, isn't that easy to treat because you can't use heavy duty insecticides, so its probably best to dip a cotton bud or ...
- 128k
6
votes
Can I use ladybug larvae to get rid of aphids?
The Planet Natural's website has good information about the problem. here is some information they have on the subject.
The common ladybug or lady beetle — every school kid’s favorite insect
— ...
- 327
5
votes
Will my basil plant regrow without leaves?
If you happen to have some really bright fluorescent lights, or else less bright ones surrounded by mylar, you might try what worked for my leafless Georgescu Chocolate pepper plant and later my ...
- 16.8k
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