Just realized my basil was crying for help for weeks before I noticed

I was watering my patio herbs last Thursday and saw tiny white specks under the basil leaves. Took me like 3 minutes with a magnifying glass to find spider mites all over the undersides. I had been wondering why the leaves looked dusty and pale for almost 2 weeks but just figured it needed more sun. Has anyone else missed obvious pest signs because you blamed the wrong thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_murphy169d ago

Oh man, this is so me. That exact thing happened with my tomatoes last summer. I kept thinking they were just sad from too much heat, spraying them with water every morning for like two weeks. Turns out it was aphids. They were basically throwing a party under those leaves and I was just watering them. Now I flip every leaf over once a week, even the ones that look fine. You'd think I would have learned from the first time.

evan_harris149d ago

Started spraying mine with a mix of water and a tiny bit of dish soap, then rinsing after an hour. It knocked the aphids right off without hurting the plants. Had to do it every few days for like a week but it finally cleared them out. Also stuck some marigolds nearby, heard they help keep bugs away. Ever try anything like that with yours?