Question
Basil Leaf
I've had a basil plant for almost 6 months, and just recently purchased a cilantro plant from our local farmer's market. I'm not sure if this is related, but after transplanting the cilantro plant, it has since died. Shortly afterwards, we noticed that there were white/pale yellow spots on the underside of the leaves, which could be easily picked off with a fingernail. The basil plant now has many paler leaves, and the edges have started to dry up and turn brown.
I also noticed that there were little white bugs crawling around the plant. Personally, I believe the smell has changed, but I seem to be the only one to smell the difference.
Is there anything we can do to save our plant?
AnswerDear Samantha, I think your basil plant has white flies. Not to worry, you can spray the plant with NEEM, an organic product that will kill insects, mites, and fungus, and the plant will be safe to eat in two days. Spray the entire plant, especially the bottom of leaves. You will probably need to spray two or three times, but it should take care of the problem. In addition, be sure to throw out any dead leaves as the bugs can hide in leaf litter. Incidentally, you are probably right about the smell, I often notice that plants smell different when they are sick, and some bugs give off a smell to me. Now as for the cilantro, that has more to do with the nature of cilantro. These herbs are annuals, meaning they need to be planted every year. You can get them to last longer by pinching off the flowers as they come out, but after a while the plant will be done growing and will need to be replaced. This is true of basil also. When an annual blooms and goes to seed, it has done its job. Now cilantro, when it goes to seed becomes another herb, coriander, which is the seed of the cilantro plant. Unfortunately, with cilantro you can pinch off the flowers at the beginning, but the rise in temperature will cause the plant to go to seed, so they just don't last long. That doesn't mean you didn't grow it right, it just finished its job as a plant. I hope this information helps. Good luck, Melissa
