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My basil kept wilting until I tried a simple water trick
I had this pot of sweet basil on my kitchen windowsill that would droop every afternoon, even with daily watering. After reading a gardening blog from someone in Florida, I tried giving it a deep soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes instead of just pouring water on top. The leaves perked up in under an hour and have stayed that way for a week now. Has anyone else found that bottom watering works better for certain herbs?
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hugos465mo ago
Bottom watering seems like extra work for no real gain. My neighbor has grown basil on his porch for years with just a regular watering can. He never soaks the pots and his plants are huge. That Florida blog might work for them but not for everyone's setup. I saw what @charlesn42 said about weekly soaks, but letting roots sit in water sounds like a good way to cause rot later on. Sometimes a plant droops because it needs a bigger pot, not a different watering method.
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gavin3654mo ago
My own basil plant went full drama queen on me last month, drooping like it was about to give up on life. I tried the saucer trick for 20 minutes like anna491 and it perked up within a few hours. Three plants in my kitchen window and they all seem to prefer that method, your mileage may vary of course.
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anna4915mo ago
My rosemary was always crispy at the tips no matter what I did. I was sure it just needed more sun. After reading a tip like yours, I tried letting it drink from a saucer for twenty minutes. The whole plant just looked greener and happier in a day. I guess some herbs really hate getting their leaves wet.
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