RIP, My Sweet Basil

My basil has sadly left us after being with us for less than six months. I repotted the basil after it outgrew its planter, and it had been on a growth spurt ever since. More than a month after, I noticed that the bottom leaves were yellowing. I thought perhaps they weren't getting as much sun as the top leaves.

The basil grew so tall that I had to wrap a rope around it to support the plant. It had started to flower, so I clipped them off, as I learned that it could affect the basil's flavor.


Then I noticed something that looked like root rot and some gray & silver colored spots on the leaves. Its symptoms are some what similar to that of fusarium wilt, which is prevalent in basils after they reach six to twelve inches tall.


I consulted my sister, the avid gardener (aka my plant doctor), who suggested that I cut off the infected leaves. It couldn't be saved. The disease quickly reached the top of the plant afterwards. Prior to its end, the leaves were covered with large brown spots. It happened quite fast.


I miss my basil...it spoiled me, really. I made my roasted tomato pasta recently, and felt it was missing the extra flavor from fresh basil. Well, at least it served its purpose while it was with us in the past few months.