Having odd problem with basil plants.

7 years ago

I have seen this symptom on some of my outdoor potted basil plants—where new leaves should be sprouting, instead there is something that looks like a green but shriveled or tightly balled-up leaf. Before I got a chance to ask here about it, the basil downy mildew became a more serious problem. When I posted about that, u/wormsplitter mentioned that he was now growing basil indoors with an AeroGarden, which I thought would be the perfect workaround , so I had my husband gift one to me as my birthday present.

It arrived and I was thrilled with how quickly the plants sprouted and grew. However, all of a sudden the healthy leaves stopped appearing and instead were these same green shriveled or tightly balled-up leaves. What's worse is that there are the tiniest of bugs on those "leaves," which fortunately I can take out of the planter and rinse them off under the faucet (how do pests like that get in the house?). I can find nothing online that talks about this symptom, and tho' I've contacted the AeroGarden manufacturer about it, I don't have much hope of getting a speedy reply. Anyone experienced this, or knows what causes it?

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Comments (5)

Patty Bee Port St. Lucie Zone 10A
Original Author
7 years ago
Here's a photo of the suffering plants:
sharon2079
7 years ago
IT looks like chili thrip damage. I have roses, basil, hibiscus, peppers, and a bunch of other plants. This looks like the damage I get on those plants when the chili thrips are out. Why you would get in your house I don't know, except maybe they came in on your clothes or something. You can control them with spinosad. When it cools down they will slow way down and not be much of a nuisance. Left alone they will kill your plants, so you will need to spray.... sorry. I have a couple of the the aerogarden. I bought one and a friend gave me hers because she decided she didn't like the gurgling noise. To me it is better than a white noise. I have started lots of things with it. I just planted my tomatoes that I started in July. And I have some hollyhocks started too. Good luck with yours.
Patty Bee Port St. Lucie Zone 10A thanked sharon2079
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Patty Bee Port St. Lucie Zone 10A
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for your reply and good wishes. I actually heard back from the Aerogarden people, and they say the pests are aphids...as far as I know, the critters are far too small to be aphids. Anyway, they are sending me 6 new starter pods and told me to clean and sanitize the garden before I replant. On take two I am going to set the Aerogarden in a different area of the house and hope for better results. And I thought the Aerogarden was going to be the answer to my basil problem!
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
7 years ago
FWIW, aphids start out very, very small, just like most offspring. They can also bear live young, as well as reproducing asexually.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/aphid/green_peach_aphid.htm

My first thought was aphids as well, they look like that and do exactly that kind of damage when feeding on new growing tips of plants.

Insecticidal soap spray can take care of them, I believe.

I often just pinch off the infested parts and dispose of, which encourages branching.
Patty Bee Port St. Lucie Zone 10A thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
Florida_Joe's_Z10a
7 years ago
I've seen this on several plants around my yard lately especially pentas. I thought maybe it was due to soil moisture being so uneven because I checked the soil around the plants and they all seemed to have in common really dry soil around the center of the plant and moist soil further away from the center.