Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
dirk2009

purple basil turning green

dirk2009
14 years ago

hy....I'm in Arkansas and its hot and humid....i have about 30 purple basil plants and they are losing their color.....they are fading from purple to green.....the taste is fine, the plants are full and flush and very minimal bug kill....they are planted in 4" pots and I'm wondering if it could be a root bound problem...but if it were not for the discoloration i wouldn't think there was any thing wrong.....I'm using a rich but broken down compost from a friends horse farm but its just rich topsoil and nothing else looks bad soil wise either.....any ideas on which way to look? thanks

Comments (9)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    14 years ago

    Gosh, I agree that a 4" pot is awfully small for basil. Compost and top soil doesn't a make very good long-term container medium, either. Maybe for the short term. 'Broken down' is NOT what you aim for in a container soil. Plant roots prefer a very porous, coarse-textured mix.

    Are your plants getting enough sunlight? Often, foliage with colors other than green require ample sunlight in order to support the non-green cells. Variegated plants may begin to revert to green, and those with a purple cast might lose that coloration.

  • opal52
    14 years ago

    The purple basils I have grown would fade toward green when they didn't get enough direct sun light. I found it was necessary to plant them in the brightest garden spots that get six or more hours of direct sun for them to retain their deep purple color.

  • sylviatexas1
    14 years ago

    seems like my purple basil turns greener when it has less light, too.

  • francescod
    14 years ago

    There are many purple basils-some hold their purple color better that others. Some revert more readily that others as well. And I agree that more sun means better purple coloration.

    F. DeBaggio

  • cyrus_gardner
    14 years ago

    Definitely, lack of sun is responsible for any purple plant to turn greenish. I have planted Thai basils (from rooting/cuts store-bought basil). The stems that I planted were dark purple but mine are now mostly green because they do not get a lot of sun. SO is the story with my purple shiso.

  • dirk2009
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    thank you one and all....many great words of advice and wisdom.....ok....sunlight is not the problem....if anything they are getting alllllll they need and very intense light these days....they are out under the arkansas sun which is blazing right now....i believe im leaning on your concern for the small pots....they just feel too small for the plants size now....im working on a larger bed to transfer them too....i did not know that some species will revert back to green...i thought purple was purple....my bad....

    any other advice is more then appreciated...

    thanks
    dirk

  • jbRambler83_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    i have 3 dark opal basil plants that i seeded. i have found that they wilt if i leave them out in the sun all day. partial shade in the after noon helps. all the mature leaves on my plants have reverted to green but the new grow is always purple and the flowers scent is not off anymore than the flavor. if the color is a bug maybe, use more basil

  • biscgolf
    12 years ago

    dark opal seemed to "go green" moreso than some of the others i have grown... i'm on my second year of red rubin without any problems...

Sponsored
Hoppy Design & Build
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Northern VA Award-Winning Deck ,Patio, & Landscape Design Build Firm