Too much water, not enough light, too warm (they love the cool spring weather), damaged when brought home (leaves bent/broken) or abused in the supermarket. Any or all of the above are possible.

FataMorgana

Maybe they got into the vodka :-)

You might also check to see if they're rootbound and need to be potted up to a slightly larger container.

Ditto Eaga!

Now that you posted a picture, it's not unusual for potted chives to flop--there is no breeze to strengthen them a bit. You are probably overwatering as well. Those are quite mature potted chives, which is good (newly seeded are very fine stems). When you get a pot, the would benefit from a little more room, but don't need to go more that a couple inches (sorry I don't know conversion to metric off the top of my head) larger than the one you have, or you could divide them into two bunches.

When you harvest, it's best to cut whole stems a bit above the soil line. They'll regrow quickly--my indoor bunches tend to have many different heights depending on how much I've used. If you really need a bunch, you can also lop them all off--or if they get too raggedy looking.

This is my box--it spends some time indoors, and sometimes out depending on space. You can see they're floppy--mine also need to be repotted since it's been a couple years and they need some fresh soil.

Thanks everyone! I will try those tips. Going to trim them tonight - and have them for dinner! Creamy mushroom risotto with chives and buttery scrambled eggs with chives. :D

I might have put in too much water, it seems to flow straight out of the pot though. There doesnt seem to be any soil in it at all. Just a whole bunch of roots. Definitely root bound. They were not damaged during the transportation. The second picture was taken on the day of purchase, they looked oh-so-fine then. It should be getting enough light, Its by my sunniest window where my mint is. And I dont have a sunnier spot so if that window isnt good enough then.... oops :(

I heard vodka is good for plants, no? :P

Your chives are beautiful, Balloonflower, such a pretty planter box. I have a fan turned on and facing my plants. Mint and Chives. I cant find the soil line though. I dont see any soil. just roots sticking out of the pot... or do you mean I should cut the yellowish parts while harvesting? Its horrible that my brand new plant is mature! Why would a supermarket sell old stuff! It isnt just any supermarket, its Waitrose, a premium supermarket in the UK. I will write an email and tell them off! -but you said its a good thing, so maybe not. I also realised that there are some tiny bugs under the pot, they seem to be coming out from the draining holes, like really tiny crawling bugs.

My stem of Basil hasnt rooted, it has been four days. Do basil propagate like mint? Just in water? I might get a good plant from the store. Waiting for the supermarket to stock up.

So there's no soil at all? Well, I think that's your problem right there. Wonder where the mud came from, then.

Sorry, vodka isn't good for plants, although it might do something to discourage the little crawley bugs - hard to say. Plants are good for vodka, though: Recipe. Would go well with your scrambled eggs!

James, chives are onion family, so you're seeing the tops of the bulbs. They actually are quite shallow rooted, compared to most perennial plants. When I say cut above soil line, I would say half to one inch up from the bulb top. About the level where if you look close, you can see the outer 'leaves' start to be separate and not too far into what you're referring to as yellowish. The idea is just not to get too close to the bulb and risk injuring that, or pulling them out accidentally.

I do think it's nice that you have a more mature plant. This is mine that were just seeded a couple weeks ago--you can see the size difference. You won't get nearly the use out of the fine baby chives, as you can't harvest as much in order to let the plant thrive. You can also see where the tops can wither a bit--in a month or so I will chop these and let a second growth come in, which is generally thicker. But it will be a year before they really start to have thicker stems, and more useability. The blue pot is onion chives and the left one is garlic chives.

As for the basil, you just stuck a stem in a glass of water? It should be in a warm spot, out of direct sunlight. I keep mine on galley kitchen counter (no windows in there, but the lights are on often, and reflective light from patio door. You also need to change to water every couple days--otherwise you encourage more molds forming that can inhibit the process. Change the water, and just be patient. Basil does need a lot of light and heat to thrive and grow though--it can be tough inside.

:D :D :D There is probably some dirt in the pot, I dont know, I cant see any soil in it at all. I will take a picture in the morning when its brighter. And I will repot it tomorrow. Haha thanks for the recipe. But I like sweet cocktails... Mojito!!!

balloonflower!!! You have such pretty pots! Love the blue color and the way you paired a round and square pot... I cut off some chives for cooking earlier today, I will take a picture of it tomorrow and ask if I got the right spot. :D My mature chives were really yummy :D

I will monitor the basil development, tomorrow will be day 5, I am kinda expecting it to root by then... I will set some tap water out overnight to replace the rooting water. :D

So this funny guy decided to stand up again... He's still more limp than when I bought him though. I shall name him Clive. Clive the chive. :D

I ate part of Clive yesterday. The front bits... It seems like he is a fast grower, pretty sure I might have cut lower than what is shown in the picture. Is this the right way to harvest Clive? <3

Looks just fine. You'll get very spoiled having Clive around to add in fresh when cooking.

I divided mine into four plants using a serrated knife.

I repotted my Chives today and it was just totally root bound. barely any soil in the pot at all. I tried to divide them but couldnt separate the roots...

i also bought a basil plant and repotted it... hope it does well...

They cut apart real easy with a serrated knife.

wouldnt that damage the roots?

I'm sure it does, but they get over it. I've been doing that for over 35 years. I learned it in the first garden center I worked in. We used to cut spider plants apart. I haven't killed a plant yet doing that.

You might damage a few plants. Chives are a bunch of individual plants grown in a clump. When you divide, you're almost always going to lose a few edge ones, but it won't affect the health of the clump as a whole.

oh thats great! should i dig them out of the new pot and "repot" them again? or should i give them awhile to get over transplant shock?

my friend was helping me repot my basil and he ripped the supermarket plant apart :( but he says the plant has to be spaced out... but i think he damaged some of the roots, and also, a lot lot of the stem and leaves broke off. I dont think he knows what hes talking about. what might happen of my basil? :(

how do chives spread? if they are individual plants, would they spread their growth outwards? or are they just going to be as dense as they already are?

Chives grow in a clump. Yes, they spread outwards. I'd have to see your basil plants roots. I never had one I had to do anything with the roots when I repotted. Sorry to hear about our friend hurting it. Your basil should grow, once it gets over the shock of being poorly handled and transplanted.

Either give them a break, or do it right away since it's been a day. Chives are pretty tough. They, like other bulbs reproduce and just stay clumped. They do need to be divided every couple years or so.

Ripped basil apart? Need more description. Most supermarket plants have way too many stems. Unlike chives, with basil each stem is a plant and needs it's own space. However, because seed is small, plentiful, and cheap, it's usually sown in clumps. You should then thin them depending on their final placement. In ground garden, I occasionally grow in pairs or trios depending on location. In a pot, I do two in a 12". More isn't necessarily better--they won't get as much airflow or sun, and fight for nutrients, leaving them more susceptible to disease. So, if he was simply trying to separate stems, it's easily done when plants are little. Once they grow and really intertwine, it's more difficult and you probably will damage at least one. Sounds like he had the right idea, but was too rough. IME, when the roots are already clumped, you're better off just cutting the extra stems for use or rooting.

I didnt want to do anything to the roots upon repotting. I turned my head for a couple of seconds and my basil was ripped apart! and my friend was like "oh you have to split the plant, ive done this before many times. blah". I was so upset... i saw a lump of roots not attached to any plant... and then there were so many broken stems and he was like "it will be fine, its just transplant shock". today the leaves attached to the broken stems have dried up. :(

I will give all my plants a break, let them hopefully get past transplant shock. and since it is my exam period, I probably wouldnt split my chives, if they need more soil, grow downwards! and also, I just came across some google stuff that talked about watering plants from the bottom - like watering the saucer that the pot is placed in, so the plant can absorb water when it so desires :D i was thinking that if this would work for herbs like Basil, Mint and Chives, it would also solve the issue of black flies. :D

Has anyone tried watering from the bottom? Any recommendations?

Take a pic of the bottom of your pot. It works well if the pot is the right type for it.

James - any herbs you buy in Waitrose, or any other supermarket, are intended for short lives as growing cookery ingredients, rather than as long term pot plants. They are a grocery store, not a garden centre and as such sell to eat, not to grow. Their herbs are forced along in warm, light greenhouses specifically to look good in the veg section. They even skew the lighting in that section to emphasise the greenness of the produce. Your chives actually look very good for plants from a supermarket and there are no grounds for complaint to Waitrose. They do need repotting if you want them to last as growing plants. If they don't survive I'd buy a new potful from a garden centre.

BTW Basil from the supermarket veg section is going to be a clump of seedlings, not an individual plant. Splitting the clump will not hurt it as long as each section has roots. Basil is also incredibly easy to grow from seed so you could sow some right now indoors.

Watering from the bottom is a cinch. Get something deeper than a saucer for each plant. e.g yoghurt/marge/corttage cheese tub. Put the plant pot into it and fill the tub with water. Leave about 15 minutes. Pour out any excess water from the tub. Then leave your plants in peace.

Help my garlic chives have no roots but plants are green r they dead

Start a new post and describe your problem more clearly. Show photos if possible.