Distorted basil leaves

Trying my hand at growing Opal basil this year. Although something doesnt look quite right here. two of the plants look just fine, but the other three have leaves that have grown in all distorted. They are still continuing to grow, but the new leaves just end up looking the same. (i also find it interesting that cup that has the one normal looking plant and the one distorted one despite being in the same cup, thus being treated equally as the distorted plant)

What do you guys think? Too much water, or not enough fertilizing, or a specific nutrient deficiency?

a couple more shots. you can even see some branching out at the stem nodes starting to happen, but those leaves are just all rolled / curled up, more so than what a basil should be when i compare online photos of opal basil.

It has been a while since I grew this one. I do not remember such curled leaves.

Often a plant will grow with curled, distorted leaves because a pest has been sucking the juice when the leave was still in the bud, or just starting to open. The piercing mouth part has done some damage, and as the leaf starts to unfold the damaged parts cannot stretch and grow like the rest of it.

There might be other reasons, but I would look first for pests.

definitely no creepy crawlies on them, i hover over these plants so much that if they had the means to do it, they would issue a restraining order on me, LOL!

One of my other friends says that temperatures that are too chilly can also do it, what do you think?

It could be the temps but the plants will also do that if their roots are too wet.

i typically wait until i feel the top of the mix drying out, but with my room always being susceptible to chilly nights, i suppose they are even more sensitive than usual. (my room is always the chilliest in winter, and the hottest in summer, insufficient insulation im thinking). But, my room is the only room in the house with a southern window, so this is my best light source. *sigh*

Im also thinking i might have started the seed too soon (they will eventually be planted outside)

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 12:11 PM

What type of pot? The top of the soil can be dry and the roots can still be wet

they are actually in foam cups with holes poked in the bottom of them. Just until they go into the ground outside in a month or so

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 3:15 PM

Sounds good.

You can poke more holes in the foam cups.

To keep them warm you could look into heating mats. They are sold especially for this purpose: get warm climate plants off to an early start.

thanks, i will definitely look into that.

Invest in a soil moisture meter. You only need to water when it says it's dry. Makes it pretty easy.

Needs deeper taproot room. Also get them into something other than solo cups for breathing of the soil and moisture... needs room...

This message was edited Mar 12, 2015 11:55 AM

sorry, i forgot to update this post.

It looks like it was temperature related after all, because since we have moved into this warm spell here, they have been making a come back.

Also following Diana's advice, i make 4 extra drainage holes in the bottom. And i took a thumb tack and went to town on the sides of the cups, to help with aeration

Very successful!

Agreed!

Too much fertilizers can cause the leaves to curl as well.

Excellent idea with the thumbtack for aeration!

yeah, the idea hit me after i read a "clay pots Vs plastic pots" article online, about how clay pots are porous and that lets air through and into the potting medium for the roots

Clay pots also wick moisture from the soil really heavily. Thumb tack idea was genius, chuckl.