# Save Basil! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615 "2011-04-16T16:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/1 "2011-04-16T16:05:14Z")
I looked out the window this morning, and the basil I planted in a pot a couple of weeks ago is looking pretty withered. The weather was nice and Spring-y, but the last few days low temperatures have dropped to near freezing. Can these plants be saved? How? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/2 "2011-04-16T16:16:46Z")
basil is susceptible to frost. put some new seeds in the pots along side what you have to replace what you have dies. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/3 "2011-04-16T16:18:31Z")
The plants are on what I assume used to be used as a patio bar. The patio roof is clear corrugated plastic, so they’re getting light. I think they do not get frost on them. Maybe I should move them inside? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/4 "2011-04-16T16:19:04Z")
They can probably make it. You should bring the pot out of the cold at night. Basil seed is fast sprouting anyway and cheap, so plant some new stuff now if this is severely damaged. The new seedlings could easily outgrow the damaged plants. Many plants do not have to get as cold as 32F to die from the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/5 "2011-04-16T16:19:39Z")
I planted seedlings. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/6 "2011-04-16T16:45:09Z")
It sounds like your basil is faulty. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/7 "2011-04-16T16:49:06Z")
Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/8 "2011-04-16T17:29:15Z")
Ouch. Bring them inside! If they don’t make it, I recommend starting from existing stalks. Go to a Thai restaurant and they will give you great armfuls of basil stalks that have been stripped of their leaves. I did that four weeks ago and [I already have leaves](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4N4WBxUFaZxpCaQ5lNwByB9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink). By June or July I expect it to [look like this](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a5_j81McVU2im2Ec1Q7P1R9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink) (taken last year). ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/9 "2011-04-16T17:36:08Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Ouch. Bring them inside! If they don’t make it, I recommend starting from existing stalks. Go to a Thai restaurant and they will give you great armfuls of basil stalks that have been stripped of their leaves. I did that four weeks ago and [I already have leaves](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4N4WBxUFaZxpCaQ5lNwByB9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink). By June or July I expect it to [look like this](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a5_j81McVU2im2Ec1Q7P1R9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink) (taken last year). How do you get them to sprout from stalks? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/10 "2011-04-16T17:39:22Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Ouch. Bring them inside! If they don’t make it, I recommend starting from existing stalks. Go to a Thai restaurant and they will give you great armfuls of basil stalks that have been stripped of their leaves. I did that four weeks ago and [I already have leaves](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4N4WBxUFaZxpCaQ5lNwByB9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink). By June or July I expect it to [look like this](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a5_j81McVU2im2Ec1Q7P1R9_W7LR9McpimLWzOMniNc?feat=directlink) (taken last year). I am totally going to try this next time I get pho. It looks like you just stick the stalk in dirt is that the deal? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/11 "2011-04-16T17:43:36Z")
You have to start them in a glass of water for a couple of weeks, until you see little white roots start to grow from the bottom of the stalks. [Here’s a pic](http://www.flushedwithrosycolour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/basil-roots-in-water.jpg). I don’t wait for mine to get anywhere near that long, you just need [a few hairlike roots about a half cm long](http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/basil-rooted-cuttings.jpg), then you can move them to soil, taking care not to break the roots because they are brittle. Keep the soil moist until you can see which stalks are going to take and which won’t. Out of about three dozen stalks, I usually get 50-70% of them to take to the soil. Keep them warm and in full sun. You can do the same thing with scallions and lemon grass. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/12 "2011-04-16T17:51:30Z")
Keeping them warm is a problem outside. It’s 46ºF right now. Inside, sunlight is an issue. ---
**Author:** ![mundylion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundylion/32/3604_2.png) [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/13 "2011-04-16T21:19:08Z")
Basil is a very tender plant. It cannot survive temps even in the low 40’s. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/14 "2011-04-16T21:32:24Z")
> [@mundylion](#): > > Basil is a very tender plant. It cannot survive temps even in the low 40’s. Mature plants in the ground or pots can tolerate these temps. Seedlings are more susceptible to cold, and temps near freezing combined with wind and bright sun might do them in (this depends also on whether they were properly hardened off before being sold). If the seedlings look really bad, I’d toss them and start over when it’s warmer. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/15 "2011-04-18T16:09:27Z")
Yeah, I’d plant new seeds, too - in a while, when it’s staying at least in the 50s at night. The new seedlings will most likely be far more robust than your current plants, which will sulk at the cold and most likely always be disappointing. On the flip side, your current weather is perfect for cool-weather greens like spinach, lettuce, and chard! ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/16 "2011-04-18T16:14:25Z")
But I already put [Basil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_the_Rat) in the ratatouille. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/17 "2011-04-19T02:13:19Z")
I think the cold got them. I’ll try again when it warms up a little. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-basil/578615/18 "2011-04-19T03:52:07Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > But I already put [Basil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_the_Rat) in the ratatouille. :eek: Would you care for a rat? 😃