Basil problem: leaves are puckered, bubbly
Hi,
I'm growing basil from seeds. About 100 have grown to small seedling stage. 20 of the plants appear normal, but 80 have strange leaves. The pictures below show the problem.
In these plants, the lamina was already puckered and bubbly at the development of the first true leaves. Some of the leaves are curled in a deformed way, but many have a normal shape. Despite the puckered lamina, the 80% of plants with the odd leaves are growing just as fast as the 20% which are normal. Interestingly, the strange plants are similar to the normal plants in other ways: they're green, feel plump, and have a very normal (and delicious!) basil smell.
I've looked mornings and evenings to find bugs on the undersides of the leaves, but haven't found anything.
Growing conditions: outdoors, in small pots and a seed tray, 10 hours of direct warm summer sun, soil used is just soil from my garden + home compost. There are hundreds of other plants and trees around the basil plants (in my garden and wild), but none of them have the same problem. I've grown basil before in the same conditions and I got normal, smooth leaves on all plants.
I've looked a lot on the internet for possible causes. The grower in this post on houzz five years ago has a basil picture that looks a bit like my situation, but unfortunately there was no resolution and the plant didn't fare well. I've seen diseases like peach leaf curl (taphrina deformans) and cucumber mosaic virus which have some similar effects, but they don't look quite like the leaves of my basil; additionally, I couldn't find any examples that they affect basil at all.
So, I have no idea where to even begin to understand and help these basils. Any ideas what is going on?
Thanks! :-)
Comments (20)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years agoHappy Thyme
3 years agoRelated Discussions
sowed over 250 basil seedlings (pics)
Comments (17)This is my 3rd season for growing Basil. I have a freezer full of basil and quart jars of dried Basil. I have the Sweet Basil and that is what the photos look like to me. Basil is the easiest thing to grow, but as suggested, you have to keep it cut back. Usually by the end of the summer I am so busy with harvesting other vegetables, that I put off cutting my basil until it is almost ready to flower. Then I have to work around the bees to get it all cut. Bees love Basil, so if you have a problem getting plants pollinated, just plant some basil and you will have more bees than you know what to do with. I have never had a problem with insects or diseases with the basil that I have grown. From what I understand, Basil is in the mint family, and as a lot of gardeners know, non-beneficial insects usually can't stand the scent of mint. To put up basil, I have picked them, then washed the leaves, patted dry, and then put up in freezer bags and when needed, just broke off what I needed out of the bag and stick the bag back in the freezer. I also have a dehydrator. I wash the leaves, take a blow dryer, set it on the cool setting, blow dry the leaves and when thoroughly dry, put them in the dehydrator and dry. I have given a lot of basil to family and friends. A couple of basil bushes go a long way! Sheila...See MoreBasil Problems
Comments (4)Your plants are stressed. The bubbling could be due to a sucking pest; look under all the leaves and squash anythong you see. I think that you probably need to put them in a much bigger pot with rich fresh compost/soil with nutrients. And water them carefully. Mid day is best. Never overwater. Try not to get the base of the plant wet. Your plants may be past it, so start afresh if you think so. You should see the plant improve after one week....See MorePlanting Basil w/ Tomatoes....is there a benefit?
Comments (16)"basil can become bitter ..." Not my experience. I keep basil cut back to keep it from flowering so it will produce for longer period of time. As basil matures, the leaves will become less tender, which is perfectly good IMO for making pesto, or for putting in the freezer for winter. I also plant new basil every few weeks through summer so we will have the tender leaves for chopping when fresh basil is called for, like in tomato salads. Later in the summer, I let some of the basil plants bloom. Bees love it, and so do hummingbirds. Then it produces seeds which can be saved for the next season. I have never known basil to become bitter, but mature coarse leaves can have a slightly peppery taste which I do not find offensive....See MoreUses for Fresh Basil
Comments (37)Hooray! Our tomatoes are producing well now and pinching the blooms has kept our basil going. I made the gratin of zucchini and tomatoes - except with crook neck squash instead of zucchini - yummy and it reheats nicely. I used (walnut whole wheat for the bread crumbs and the nuttiness goes well. Also ann_T's quick pasta sauce, the Mediterranean salad (subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth) that Sally posted, Booberry's dinosaur tomato and cucumber salad. All very good. I made Maryanne's tian of basil too but we felt the basil was too strong. I think I misinterpreted the instructions and measured the basil after chopping instead of before, but even the other way, I think 4 cups loosely packed is probably too much for us. I may make it again but I'll back off on the amount of basil. Since we do like pasta, before the tomatoes came in I made pesto and sundried tomato pesto from New Joy of Cooking recipes. Do you remember the Roasted Tomato Soup recipe that someone posted last year? My DIL asked me to make it again tonight but since we are getting overwhelmed with crookneck squash, I added some of them to roast with the vegetables. It gave the soup a mellower slightly sweat flavor. Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe from Tyler Florence 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes) (I added 1 1/2 pounds crookneck squash cut into chunks and roasted with the tomatoes, garlic and onions) 6 cloves garlic, peeled 2 small yellow onions, sliced Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 quart chicken stock (I used vegetable broth) 2 bay leaves 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional (not optional in my book, if one didn't have basil, perhaps some thyme or oregano but I think this soup needs a bit of herb flavor) 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional (I omitted) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third. Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream....See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years agoHappy Thyme
3 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
CA Kate z9
3 years agoHappy Thyme
3 years agoCA Kate z9
3 years agoI took this photo just now. This Basil is called Presto Pesto. It has just recently gotten out of the bubble-look and the leaves are finally growing a bit larger and flatter. As you can see, the leaves are very dense. I've had my plant since May and it is just now starting to grow more normal. Sorry I don't have an earlier photo when the leaves were very bubbled and small.
CA Kate z9
3 years agoHappy Thyme
3 years agoCA Kate z9
3 years agoHappy Times, it took 3 months for my plant to be as it is.... 7" tall and still tightly formed. The other, after one month is 14" tall and loosely leaved. This is a new photo of the top of the plant.... very densely leaved. Best Basil I'v ever grown.
Also, have you tried givng it a wee bit of fertilizer?
Adrian Sclafani
3 years agoAdrian Sclafani
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCA Kate z9
3 years agoJust reporting in:
I am still thrilled with this Basil plant.... Presto Pesto. It got a case of 'the worms' that I didn't catch fast enough and they just about decimated the poor thing. It has been in a bright window all winter and is, once again, growing great with that wonderful flavor. And, is still all puckery. 🤗
(The Begonia from Christmas 2019 is doing really well too.) 😄
Best wishes... and be safe!CA Kate 😷
HU-450388433
2 years agoHi CA Kate, wondering if anyone responded to your delima of basil plant size when you go to harvest are you just cutting which ever Individual leaf looks good? If so it could answer why its just growing back if you trim the top 1 - 2 nodes (think its called that) then your plant will grow faster. If you look at a main/larger stem you see a new tiny leaf coming out on 2 sides, that new growth is where it will spread if there is nothing above it. My outdoor plant is in a large grow bag with more room and new stems are coming out without me doing anything. And did you know harvesting the biggest leaves and leaving the new growth on the plant they may not grow healthy and harder Those large leaves are like the solar panels of the new guys…
CA Kate z9
2 years ago
Jaay Jaaay
3 months ago
jnkml
last monthMike Oxibstro
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CA Kate z9