I live in the high-heat, high-humidity conditions of the subtropics, and the only times that basil will wilt is when it's thirsty, and when it has just been transplanted. Much like humans, really! Keep tiny babies protected from harsh extremes by providing a wind barrier and a little shade in the worst part of the day until they harden up a bit. A large pot with a large plant in it will provide that.

Basil of most types like plenty of sun. Wilt, as mentioned, is a watering issue. Maybe setting down a drip hose, or some black plastic fabric mulch to help hold moisture in the soil. I use both, and nothing in my garden wilts, including the very thirsty cucumbers.

Hey,

Thanks for the comments. I did get the caution about wilt from a "Seeds of Change" rep. Maybe i'm suffering from the caution of inexperience, but I can correct that. I'll report back if I get more detail or when the summer progresses.

By the way, its great to hear from such diverse areas. I'm enjoying this already.

Hi there. I think the wilt that the Seeds of Change rep was referring to was a soilborne disease, bacterial wilt. Not just ordinary wilting due to lack of water.

Bacterial wilt is caused by different bacteria including Verticilium and Fusarium. It's a common problem in soils of warm, humid areas such as Florida, Hawaii, & other Southern USA states. It has even recently made it as far as NC, thanks partly to global warming and spread of infected basil seeds.

The bacterial wilt most threatening to basils is Fusarium. Fusarium wilt causes the plant tissues, usually stems, to turn brown and shrivel, killing the plant. For more info and pictures of the symptoms, see:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/fusariumbasil.html

I live in Hawaii and my sweet basils do not thrive unless in pots, thanks to the soilborne bacterial wilt diseases. I had the same problem when I lived in Zone9 California, and have heard of Floridians having this same problem too.

The Univ. of Hawaii sells a variety of sweet basil seed that is Fusarium wilt resistant, but I have to grow all my plants in pots regardless due to my only gardening space being a paved patio. I just use regular basil seeds which I saved from my last year's plants, to save some money. They do great in the pots, unless soil splashes up into the pots during very heavy rains, and then they die of Fusarium wilt. So I move the basil pots under my porch roof when the rains get heavy.

In my experience, purple basil, Thai basil and cinnamon basil have some resistance to Fusarium wilt. They still suffer symptoms but might survive the infection, resulting in small plants instead of dead ones. But lettuce leaf basil is actually a fancy variety of sweet basil and is just as susceptible to Fusarium as sweet basil is.

Perhaps you could try planting one sweet basil in a pot and one in the ground as an experiment, to see whether or not your soil is infected with soilborne wilt bacteria.

I'm new to herb gardening. We bought a basil plant a couple of weeks ago & planted it in a pot on our patio last Sat. It had begun to wilt some from lack of water when I transplanted it, but seemed to perk up after watering. Now, one week after planting, it is pretty wilted. It has none of the symptoms mentioned in the article nor does it look like the diseased plants in the photo. There are a few leaves that are a little yellow. The plant overall looks healthy & green. The leaves have good color & aren't falling off, they're just "droopy". I planted this in a pot in potting soil that hadn't been used before. Any ideas? Thanks.

Transplanting herbs into different growing soids and give them 'transplant shock'. It may be that your seeing this condition. I grow several varieties of basil and dont usually have any problems if planted in high quality seed starting mixes. Give the plants a few weeks to get used to their new surroundings. Started some basil seeds the beginning of April, and they are now 2-3 inches high or more. Next to them are some grape tomato plants started the same time, and they are over 7 inches tall now.

Hey Grovespirit,

Yes! I think you're right. We have the same problem with the toms here too. Too bad I got "lettuce leaf" as a different variety to try. I'm sure it will wilt too. I have tried toms in the ground, but replaced the soil with compost and treated with diluted Hydrogen Peroxide. Maybe I'll keep the 30 lettuce leaf and sweet basils in pots since i'm anxious to use them with the tomatoes.

Thanks, I think you hit that one solid.

The only thing I can think of to add is that if you are growing basil in pots you might consider adding the "water retaining granules," or using the potting soil that comes with them already mixed in. For plants like basil that like to be in the sun but will droop when they're thirsty this can make the difference between watering a pot twice a day and watering it twice a week. My only caveat is that when you first water when using the granules you water enough to make sure that the granules are fully hydrated. You'll think that you're overwatering, but if you let the pots sit in a saucer for an hour or two after they've "piddled" you'll be surprised at how much more water they'll take up.