I wrote a brief note about basil blight last year, secure in the knowledge that it had not spread to Virginia.
But is has. To my house.
Basil blight is a fungal disease that will kill your basil plants and spread to other basil plants through fungal spores released into the air. I like to sow basil seeds several times a season to keep a good supply of fresh, young leaves on hand. I ran out of seed and recently purchased new seed from a large, commercial seed house. The plants looked great at first, then more and more sickly: pasty yellow and brown leaves.
I wondered if it could be blight. When I turned over the leaves, this is what I saw:
See the gray patches on the backs of the leaves? This is the grayish fungus called basil blight. The remedy? Bag up and throw out the plants, soil and pots. I feel lucky I don't have this in the garden (I hope I caught it early enough before it spread).
If your basil gets puny looking, checks carefully for a gray, sooty fungal growth on the backs of the leaves and toss it out ASAP! I wrote to the seed house, we'll see what response I get,
Happy gardening! May your basil stay healthy!
A non-commercial guide to organic gardening in the mid-Atlantic states, with some specifics to central Virginia..and some information applicable across the country! Or to other time zones! Across the seas! Who knew? "No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." Thomas Jefferson
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