Also, here's an EB with Nufar Hybrid Basil after one cutting. While it will go to seed, it does so much slower than standard types and also has the benefit of being Fusarium Wilt resistant.
Rich
Basil versus basil...
I love that dwarf basil. I just got some dwarf basil seeds and I hope it ends up looking like that. Did you by the plant or start that from seed, ritchh?
Robin, I would love one of each, if you can spare them!
Barb
I grow all my basil from seed. I have found that the normal nondescript basil sold in most garden centers either goes to seed very quickly or worse yet succumbs to Fusarium or other diseases. That's why I grow Nufar almost exclusively, which is a hybrid Genovese type. In the four years I've been growing it I've never lost a plant.
Rich
Fantastic looking plants, Rich!
Hmmm, maybe Fusarium Wilt explains why one of my Genovese basils (from traded seed) grew to 8 inches tall, then suddenly turned yellow-limp then brown-crispy. I was blaming the heat.
How does the taste of 'Summerlong' basil compare to other smaller leafed varieties like 'Spicy Globe' or 'Minette'? I'm about sold on it just looking at your picture! Did you have to pinch it much to achieve that nice compact bushy shape?
Thanks critter. That sure sounds like Fusarium Wilt to me. The plant will suddenly wilt and drop its leaves for no apparent reason. I went through that for a number of years. You can buy seed from tested lots that are Fusarium free but if it's in your soil it is almost impossible to get rid of. In all honesty I haven't tasted the Summerlong nor have I pinched it in any way. What you see is how it's grown. It looks so nice I've left it as is. The aroma however is quite strong and eventually I guess I'll have to give it a "haircut" and try to keep it as symetrical as I can.
Rich
Humph! Oddly, the plants were in a container with new Miracle Gro potting soil, so I wouldn't have expected disease problems. I'll look forward to a taste report on 'Summerlong'!
The Fusarium can also be in the seed. If you used new MG I'm sure it wasn't there. If in the seed there is really no solution. Also be aware that it IS now in your potting soil also. Many catalogs list Fusarium free seed but all that really means is that they have tested 1,000 seeds from the lot and found nothing.
Rich
What a bummer! That means my new whisky barrel container, which took about 4 cubic feet of soil to fill, is now infested, if it was indeed wilt that took out the basil. The tomato plants in the container are doing fine. Do you suppose sterilizing the potting soil would kill off the spores (or whatever)? ... or maybe I should just get rid of the soil... It's worth more than $9 to avoid getting that wilt into my garden... :-(