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Question about Basil.

16 years ago

This is my first year growing Basil from seed. I bought seeds from OSH, called Italian Sweet. My question is: how do I keep these seedlings green and healthy. They are starting to devolop some yellowish light green spots on the young leaves. Right now I have them indoors under lights 16 hours a day. Any ideas?

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Comments (4)

herbalbetty
16 years ago
It might be you are getting the leaves wet when you are watering. It's not a big deal when they are in the garden, but indoors, sometimes creates spots. How big are your seedlings?
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ksrogers
16 years ago
Too much water will give yellow leaves. The lights are important too, and should be a good plant growing type bulb that offers a broad light spectrum. If the lights are just plain flouresent, they would need about 20 hours per day. If the soil is not airy and draining well, the plants can develop yellow leaves due to a lack of iron, and a problem called Chlorosis. It all comes down to overwatering, one of the biggest seedling plant killers there are, next to damping off.
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Hi There`s a few things at work here, all fixable. Soil roots need time to convert to hydro. The roots shouldnt be completely submerged as they will suffocate. Emily`s garden incorporates capillary wicks to bring water/nutes up to the plant which is usually started off in some kind of medium (jiffy plug,,rockwool cube etc). The capillary wicks keep the medium moist until the roots can grow down into the water. The plant will have roots above and below the water line so it wont struggle to breathe. Transitioning plants from soil to hydro can take a week or more depending on the hydro method used. For example, the transition from soil to flood and drain is less stressful on the plant than soil to dwc.
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sprtsguy76
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everybody. I think I've been overwatering a little too much lately and yes some of the water/diluted fertilizer has been getting on the leaves. They are still pretty small, I'd say about three inches. I'll lay off the watering and probably move them out in the garden soon.
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marlingardener
16 years ago
When you move them into the garden, make sure the plants are hardened off. Taking a plant from indoors and sticking it into a garden site is quite a shock! First put the seedlings into dappled shade, protected from wind; after a couple of days move the seedlings to a sunnier spot with a little more wind exposure; after about a week of acclimating to wind/sun the plants should be able to withstand transplanting to your garden. Basil, especially sweet basil, is a wonderful herb that you will enjoy in many dishes. Try the Recipe forum for ideas on how to preserve and use your crop.
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