If the fungal or bacterial infection is severe, you will need to remove the infected plant or plants to prevent its spread to other crops basil or otherwise.
Plants should be burnt or thrown away, not put on the compost pile where spores will survive and spread around the garden. Aphids, thrips, and spider mites can all be treated with neem oil, an organic pesticide that is naturally derived as opposed to synthetic pesticides which can be destructive to other insects and your soil from the neem tree. Heavily damaged leaves should be removed, and potted basil plants should be repotted with fresh soil to prevent any eggs from surviving underground.
If you believe your basil is developing black or brown spotting from a nutrient deficiency, the best way to treat it and simultaneously confirm this is the cause is to adjust your fertilizing schedule. Vice versa, if you have been fertilizing heavily give your plant a break for a month and see if it makes a recovery.
As with the other causes, prune away affected leaves. Prevention is the most effective way to keep your plants healthy, as once diseases or pests have entered your garden it is much trickier to get rid of them than to keep them out in the first place. To ensure your basil plants stay healthy and resilient to threats the most important thing to keep in mind is creating its optimal growing environment. Heat, sunlight, good air circulation, adequate nutrition, and semi-dry conditions are key for basil to thrive.
Updated on June 21, by Amber Noyes. Amber Noyes born and raised in a suburb Nebraska town, San Mateo. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers markets, and potted plants she understands what makes plants thrive and how can we better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Space your plants at least one foot apart from each other to create sufficient air circulation, and keep them out of humid environments. Although basil grown in greenhouses does benefit from the additional warmth, it can be more susceptible to fungal diseases due to the humidity inside of them.
Similarly, plants that are planted too close together outside will make it more difficult for lower leaves to dry out in the sun and create damp conditions that both bacterial and fungal diseases use to multiply. Water your basil plants in the morning and directly at the base of the plant , as wet leaves are a primary pathway for bacterial leaf infections to develop. Basil does not like soggy soil but should be watered a few times a week in the heat of summer.
In order to tell the difference between too much water and plant disease, you will have to look more closely at the leaves and pay attention to the pattern of color change. If the entirety of the leaf is turning brown, this indicates that there is something going on with the amount of water the plant is able to absorb, with it most commonly meaning that you are either over- or under-watering the plant.
If the areas of browning or yellowing on the leaves are dry and almost withered to the touch, it can be an indication of a condition known as sunscald. Sunscald can be thought of as similar to a sunburn on a person and means that the basil plant is either getting too much sunlight or that the sunlight is too intense for the plant to be able to handle.
If the leaves are spotted and streaking either brown or yellow while also dropping or wilting, then this is a good indication that your basil plant has contracted a type of fungal disease and you need to either try to salvage the plant or figure out what caused the fungus to go after your basil plant.
If the leaves of the basil plant are a blend of yellow and brown and ranging into black streaks on the leaves, then this is an indication of bacterial leaf spot. If the yellowing of the leaves is only present between the veins or along the major veins of the leaves, this is commonly an indication that there is a potassium deficiency and that you need to add some potassium to the soil of the basil plant so that it can get back to full health.
In some cases, it can also be the earlier stages of downy mildew before it progresses into greyish, powdery growths on the basil leaves. And finally, if the leaves are yellowing, becoming twisted, and are stunted in growth, this is a sign that your basil plant has a case of nematode worms. In some cases, especially with basil plants, readjusting how you water the plant is going to be the best solution, as the most common reason for basil leaves to change color is improper watering both too much and too little.
On average, basil plants need about one and a half inches of water each week to keep them healthy, and watering them from above or with the use of sprinklers can increase the chances of discolored leaves.
Adjusting your watering habits to better reflect this has a good chance of helping to restore your basil plant.
If your basil is in a pot, you will want to try to check and see if they are rootbound at all, as this can affect how much water the plant is able to absorb even if you are watering it properly. This promotes root growth and will help you avoid basil leaves that turn brown.
Basil plants prefer to be in an environment that is between 77 and 85 degrees F. If your basil plant is left in a place that is under degrees F, after a few days the leaves will start to discolor. Consider using heat mats to keep your basil plant in a good temperature range. This was a game changer for me and allowed me to grow my veggies from seeds in about half the time they did otherwise. Having the proper temperature is a very important factor for growing healthy, green basil plants.
Aphids, mealy bugs, scales, and spider mites are three common pests you might find on your basil leaves. Aphids are frequently found in the garden, and can be a pain to get rid of. I call them the glitter of gardening, because they multiply like crazy. You might have 4 one day, and then next see Aphids look like tiny specs on the bottom of your leaves, and can be almost any color of the rainbow.
There are some companion plants for basil you can plant nearby to deter aphids and other pests. You may even see some holes where a pest took a bit out of the basil plant.
My favorite way to fix a pest issue is by using diatomaceous earth. Another method you can use is to spray insecticides organic and natural of course!
While they are typically strong plants, basil can suffer from quite a few diseases and fungi. Here are some common ones you might experience when growing basil:. Check for brown streaks and spots along the stems. This one is a doozy, and requires you to get rid of the entire plant.
It kind of looks like a moldy cobweb. Usually presents itself as brown spots with white or gray in the middle. If your plant appears to be rotting from the stem upward, it could be this soil borne fungal disease. Keeping the soil for future use will almost ensure these problems will happen again. While some of these problems are not generally the gardeners fault, a great way to avoid disease on your plants is to avoid watering them too much or watering them at night.
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