Alchemy Garden Journal Entry 7: Trying to Cure My Plants

I stopped at my garden center again to pick up some things to help me save my herbs and flowers.

I don’t know exactly what the problems are, but based on some of the photos I took, I’m going to guess fungal infections and possibly problem insects.

I think the basil might have had Leaf Spot. I snipped off the infected looking leaves (being careful not to touch other plants), pruned back the top stem, and looked for pests under the leaves. I did see a few small flies, but nothing I could recognize yet. I do admit crowding the basil, marigold, and oregano fairly close when I planted them, so I pruned back some of the marigold leaves to allow for some more airflow.

I’m also guilty of watering the leaves of the basil (UGH!), which I later found out is what can cause Leaf Spot in the first place (DUH!). I know better next time not to tamper with basil leaves. I might need to water them using my teapot instead of my watering can. After watering the plants with a mixture of water and neem oil, I used copper fungicide by Bonide to spray all of the leaves, top and bottom. For extra insurance, I hesitantly sprayed insecticide from Espona on some of the leaves. Hopefully it isn’t overkill!

I cut off the infected leaves of the blue artist flossflower as well, and sprayed the bay laurel and banana peppers with the copper fungicide. In an effort to make sure they get plenty of nutrients, I rearranged the pots from my patio to the side of my front door to make sure they get plenty of sun. Hopefully the sun will perk them up and dry up any excess water.