Hi there,

I've noticed that my basil plant seems to be dropping small green dots around it on the windowsill. I can clean them up pretty easily, but I've never seen this before. The leaves of the plant seem mostly ok - there is some discoloration but I assumed that was a response to uneven watering while I was traveling a lot last month. But now I'm wondering if they are symptoms of a larger problem.

Thank you for your help!

Emclap
Unfortunately, you've got an infestation of something, evidenced by the leaves which are not "mostly ok" I'm afraid. I'm guessing aphids, possibly spider mites, but focused closeups of both sides of afflicted leaves will help determine that and what you should do next. Is the counter below also sticky?

A couple of cultural tips: You're trying to grow six normally multi-foot plants in a tiny space. Either remove all but one or two or move to a larger pot. Your soil is too wet and possibly too water retentive. Letting the pot sit in water like that is an invitation to rot and disease. Last, if possible, give them more sunlight. South facing window is best.

Thank you so much for your help NMoasis! Definitely not the news I was hoping for, but I'm very glad I asked. The counter is not sticky, which I'm hoping is good.

Your pointers about the soil and water are very helpful. Fortunately this window does typically get a lot of light (it's south west-facing) it's just a very cloudy day here so that's not as obvious. As you can probably guess, I'm new to growing herbs indoors (my only outdoor area is too shaded for a lot of the plants I have) so this is a whole new skill set for me to build. I'm attaching a close-up of the tops of a few leaves and I will update again in a second with a photo of the bottom.

Here's the underside. Any suggestions about best next steps are very much appreciated!

Apologies, Emclap, could you give us a couple more undersides, in focus, not backlit? Just pluck off a couple of leaves with damage like this


Put them in bright light and tap your screen to focus right into the underside center. We're looking for very tiny webbing. Or something else.

@Murky
@lucy68 I think you're both online, any thoughts?

Apologies for the poor quality of the last photos! But WOW I am so glad you asked me to do that because I ended up seeing two tiiiiny green bugs on the paper I used for a backdrop (you may even be able to see one in the left leaf). I think those are aphids, right?

I'm guessing I should dispose of the basil, but is there anything I should do to check the health/infestation status of the other plants in the room? None are touching this one, but there's are others spread out on this same sill.

Great! (Well, not that you have aphids, but...).

I would have expected to see more, but at least you found something. In the absence of sticky honeydew, I still suspect a second culprit. You can try rinsing off the aphids with water. Outside unless it's freezing, or maybe over the kitchen sink. Basil leaves are so delicate that sometimes a strong spray bruises them. Insecticidal soap is another option. Or a new plant if you're not passionately bonded to these.

As for your other plants, careful inspection is the best plan. Good luck

Thank you so much for your help and all the tips @NMoasis! I sincerely appreciate it! This is absolutely the place to come while I muddle through learning indoor gardening!

You're welcome!
In my opinion, growing hot-weather herbs indoors in winter isn't as easy-peasy as many websites suggest. Many of our members rely on grow lights.

I encourage you to ask questions...we have people here who can offer all sorts of gardening advice!

I mostly grow houseplant types and annual flowers, so I've never grown basil. But I agree that the leaves don't look healthy at all... the edges on most of them look like they're about to turn crinkly and pretty sure that's not just from insect damage. It also looks like it's not getting enough light, it seems pretty stretched out, unless that's just from the amount of leaves that have dropped.

If it's close to the window, is it too cold for basil? I know they don't like changes in temps much, nor do they like being wet. I've seen pots of them with multiple stems like that, but it definitely needs better draining soil and less watering. I'm not sure struggling with this one is worth it, you might save it, but it might be better to start with a new plant with better soil and conditions from the start.

And check other houseplants for signs of insects to get rid of them before they do any damage.

I'm not sure about insects but green dots does sound suspicious. Mostly what I see it overwatering - that would account for drooping, water logged then drying leaf edges and misshapen leaves.

The pot is way too small and the soil is way too wet.

Thank you all so much! This is really helpful. I'm starting to realize how much I took my old sunny balcony (with good drainage) for granted. I will definitely be doing more research into appropriate watering practices for indoor herbs so I can do better when I try again. I also won't put off repotting next time!

The basil and I have parted ways - it was a recent addition, so not worth saving. I'll be keeping a close eye on the other plants to make sure the aphids didn't get to them, as well. Fortunately the two closest to it (an extremely prolific spider plant and a little succulent) are both looking healthy.

I really appreciate everyone's help and insights!