Home Gardening gurus... weird yellowish stuff around my basil?

[musey]

Anyone know what's up here? I'm EXTREMELY green (hardy har har) when it comes to gardening, I know no lingo or terminology.

I started using diluted fish emulsion and organic pest deterrent about two weeks ago, and this stuff has shown up since then. This basil is growing in essentially a window box on our patio, and we bought the plant full-grown (if that makes any difference).

The stalks are also very sad looking

they've been like that since we transplanted them, I think it was the day after when that brown tinge showed up. I thought I was doing all the right things, got a lot of advice on youtube and at the gardening center before starting this garden business. The upper of the plants looks great, and it's growing very quickly.

Heeelp!

 

[musey]

another pic... sorry for the crappy quality, all I had available was my iphone and it always seems to focus on the wrong things!!

 

[musey]

Last one!! If anyone has any ideas, I''d greatly appreciate it!

 

[Mara]

musey are you talking about the stuff around the base of the plant aka in the soil/tanbark? it is hard to see...or on the plant itself?

if it's what appears to be in the soil/bark of the plant, that almost looks like the soil is too wet..and some type of mold or something is growing. how much sun does the basil get? mine gets 4-5 hours a day and it LOVES it. but you have to keep it watered in heavy sun. however, if this is not in a sunny area, you may be overwatering and/or it may not be getting enough sun...that soil looks mighty wet. you should wait for it to mostly dry out before watering again.

 

[musey]

Thanks Mara!

That may well be it. I'm talking about the soil around the base of the stalk, yes. It gets REALLY good sun, probably at least 5 hours of direct sunlight, so I may be too overzealous with my watering!

The box is self-watering (keeps water in a trough below the soil, and soaks upward) so maybe I should stop watering the actual soil and just fill the trough...?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/14/2009 4:30:29 PM
Author: musey
Thanks Mara!


That may well be it. I''m talking about the soil around the base of the stalk, yes. It gets REALLY good sun, probably at least 5 hours of direct sunlight, so I may be too overzealous with my watering!


The box is self-watering (keeps water in a trough below the soil, and soaks upward) so maybe I should stop watering the actual soil and just fill the trough...?

You want to wait until the soil is really dry before watering. So water (either way-trough or on top) and then let it get dry. You don''t want it bone dry but you want it dry enough that when you stick your finger into it it feels dry. Then water again and repeat!

 

[musey]

Thanks, neatfreak! I'll let it dry out. I was planning to grow mint in the other side of the same box (it's really wide), but now I'm wondering if the watering needs are too different? Or is that a general gardening rule, letting it dry out before watering again?

 

[House Cat]

Hi Musey,

Yes, you're overwatering. The yellow stuff is probably stained vermiculite or perlite that was in the soil mix and has risen to the top during watering. The green algae is a sign of too much water.

Mint is almost impossible to kill. Water it the same way you would the basil. Expect the mint to take over the entire box though. As a matter of fact, maybe you should get the mint its own pot.

ETA: Yes, it's a general rule to allow things to dry out a little before watering. Roots like air as much as they like water. Very few plants can survive being water logged.

 

[Camille]

Date: 8/14/2009 5:45:28 PM
Author: musey
Thanks, neatfreak! I''ll let it dry out. I was planning to grow mint in the other side of the same box (it''s really wide), but now I''m wondering if the watering needs are too different? Or is that a general gardening rule, letting it dry out before watering again?

I''d say NAY, please don''t........ mint takes over when happy [just like berries]. It needs to be contained, I stopped planting it on the grund for the same reason. As for your basil, I''d stop watering, scrape off anything goooey [mold] and discard, fish-e is strong stuff, I usually dig up a hole 5" away from stems and about 2" deep to feed. You could lightly spray water on the leaves while the soil evaporates a little.
When the stems look happier it might be a good idea to pinch off a few tops to produce more leaves.
Best of Luck.

 

[musey]

Thanks so much for the gardening tips, everyone!!

I guess I need to get a separate pot, or maybe install a separator, for the mint. The basil''s only taking up 1/3 of the box so I need something to fill it out, so hopefully I can figure out the separator thing.