Basil at a stand still...!

[crazii_c]

i sowed two types of basil, sweet and a red type. both types sprouted well and got about 2-3 pairs of leaves. the problem is that they've been like that for weeks now. they arent growing any bigger. they are still inside in the window ( i potted some on outside but they just wilted and died).

why are they are not growing anymore?

[Sheikh Yerboutti]

Ive been trying for years with basil. In the book it says it grows into a 3ft bush. I seldom get it look very happy. Must be one of the fussiest plants out there I recon, Ill keep trying new techniques though. Keeping top of soil dry and watering roots via a dish seems a good start.

[rustylady]

I've never had much luck with Basil, but am trying again this year.

[klf_1956]

Wilted Basil

I bought 2 very healthy Sweet Basil plants 2 weeks ago. Each was about 4" in height. I think I may have overwatered them, neither have grown, both were wilted, leaves going pale. I stopped watering them and both are showing signs of perking up. Neither is showing much sign of growth though. Sorry I'm not much help. I'll let you know if they recover

[sagegreen]

Same problem here; an early sowing brought indoors on our kitchen windowsill has grown to about 18-inches; but later sowings outside - under cover - have germinated then apparantly stopped growing! I'm thinking I might as well buy supermarket pots at .99p and save myself all the bother!!

[Helgalush]

My basil has given up. Will try to resow more.
Is it something that does better inside rather than out? It was in my blowaway but possibly didnt get enough light as it two shelves down and at the back.

[MrsC]

Don't give up with Basil, it's not too hard really. You can sow now a few seeds per pot or a few in a tray and then split. Once the plants get 3/4" I start to pinch out, don't overwater and always from the bottom. Get a supermarket plant and split it if you're having no success, pinch out the tips and pot on. I have some on the windowsill indoors and also in my greenhouse. Root the pinched out tips in water and pot them on also.

[tamsin]

Has it run out of food? Time to pot on perhaps?

[ilikesoup]

Don't give up with Basil, it's not too hard really. You can sow now a few seeds per pot or a few in a tray and then split. Once the plants get 3/4" I start to pinch out, don't overwater and always from the bottom. Get a supermarket plant and split it if you're having no success, pinch out the tips and pot on. I have some on the windowsill indoors and also in my greenhouse. Root the pinched out tips in water and pot them on also.

i agree with MrsC don't give up! now i moisten soil when planting seeds in a tray but then leave as norm its moist enough for them ( i do this with all seeds now as i got alot of dampening off), pot on @9 seedlings into 9cm square pots & pinch out and sit in a tray with perlite or gravel and only water into the tray when the top of the soil looks dry or when the leaves slightly wilt. i used to water too much which made them wilt so i watered more......= very sorry looking basil lol

[weekendwellies]

i bought a basil plant from supermarket years back and put it in a pot outside, I don't think you are meant to grow them on but I did anyway. it grew well but died off in the winter, but some must have self seeded in the cracks in the paving and pops up each summer. I leave it to its own devices, take what I need and let it get on with what it wants to do. I have just sown some purple leaved type from GYO mag, which is showing first leaves and growing well in seed tray on kitchen window sill. But I will bet it doesn't do as well as that one and its offspring in the back garden.

[mrsironside]

My thai basil seems to have stopped growing too at teh mo - it all started very well and now it is on a go slow, sweet basil and greek are looking well though. I have yet to have a 3 foot bush of the stuff though!!

[cupcake]

I find basil very slow in it's early stages, but once it gets it's roots down it romps away. I usualy give it one feed of something like miracle grow just before I pot it on. Usually make 12". But my sister just roots shoots from her supermarket plants in water.

[klf_1956]

Yeah don't give up, i can't say for sure what i did right but my 2 basil plants flourished. Maybe they don't like being repotted much. I kept them both outside next to the back of the house and away they went.