I've got these two little Chinese basil cuttings growing in upturned 7-up bottle planters, clay pellet aggregate, passive system. I can't afford an EC meter, so I've just been mixing the nutrient solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. I had been keeping the pH between 5.5 and 7.0, though a couple of weeks ago, I read that basil likes nearly neutral conditions. Now I'm trying to keep the pH between 6.5 and 7.0. I'm glad I've managed to keep them alive, but they've been growing kind of strangely.

1. They keep trying to blossom. I pinch the buds off, and they keep growing more. Can I do anything to get them to grow more leaves instead?

2. The newer leaves at the tops are growing deep purple. The bush that I took them from is completely green.

3. In addition to going purple, the new leaves stay very small.

3. The leaves at the bottom are going yellow.

Any ideas?

My other larger basil plant is still losing lower leaves to yellowness and looking like a palm tree. The stems have gotten woody. The newer leaves are green, but some of them are curled upwards like a boat, especially near the tips. It's in a bigger pot than before, and there are masses of healthy-looking roots growing out the bottom of the pot, directly touching the nutrient solution at all times. I stir the solution every day. I don't know why the leaves aren't doing well.

It's growing extremely slowly. The weather has gotten colder, but the coldest it has gotten is around 14 degrees celsius as I am in the subtropics. Should I dilute the nutrient solution further during the winter?

When spring comes around, can I just lop the whole thing off near the base to see if it grows back?