Community

Posted 2d ago by @mwmoxie

Stems turning brown?

I recently noticed the bottoms of the stems on my basil turning light brown, as well as the tips of a few of the leaves near the bottom. Is this something to be concerned about, and if so, what should I do?
(picture ft. my trusty assistant gardener) #SweetBasil
Juno
Juno
Sweet Basil
1ft to light, indirect
6” pot with drainage
Last watered 5 days ago
Best Answer
@stephonicle
Stephanie
9312 XP
1d ago
@stephonicle
As basil grows and ages the stems will turn woody starting at the bottom, it's completely normal. The leaves near the bottom of the plant are the oldest, so they eventually die and fall off. The good basil for harvesting is always near the top anyway 😉
@stephonicle
Stephanie
9312 XP
1d ago
@stephonicle
If the photo on your plant info card is current, I'd recommend pruning it to encourage bushier growth. Cut off a section with at least 3-4 sets of leaves, making the cut just above a leaf node. Then remove all but the top 1-2 sets of leaves and you can propagate it! Basil is super easy to propagate in water, just put it in a window that gets lots of bright light and you'll see new roots start growing within 1-2 weeks.