Herbs and Chilli Plants
December 7, 2010 | Filed under House
As I mentioned briefly in a previous post, I purchased some plants not long ago for my balcony. Being the type of person I am, I purchased practical plants – not pretty flowers or ferns, but herbs and plants that provide edible materials. I am currently growing: Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, rosemary, sage, and six different types of chilli plants (I use chilli a lot in my cooking!).
Most of the plants are thriving, though it’ll be weeks yet before they produce enough leaves/chillies to use for my cooking. The sage seedling has sprouted a dozen more leaves, and the chilli plants are starting to produce tiny chillies. But no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get the Vietnamese mint (e.g. Vietnamese coriander) to thrive. The leaves constantly dry out and fall off. It’s supposed to grow in warm and damp conditions, which it is – the weather has been around the thirty degree mark lately, and I’ve been watering it every day. I just don’t know what to do to fix the plant. I don’t have a green thumb at all, so I’m really stumped.
7 Responses to Herbs and Chilli Plants
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Awesome! I definitely want to grow my own herbs and have my own garden at some point when I have the resources and space. I love it!
Caity on December 7, 2010 #
Try putting it into a pot by itself with different soil? Sometimes the ph in the soil doesn’t suit particular plants… and maybe don’t let it get too much sunlight. Some herbs require a ridiculous amount of water, more than one would think, and don’t do very well from being in the sun too often. I don’t know much about Vietnamese mint, but we revived some of our difficult herbs by changing soil, changing the pots position throughout the day, and extra water.
If you’re able to, you could also try get a stem with a bit of roots attached, and just keep it in a jar filled with water for a couple of weeks and get enough sun. Wait till a lot of roots grow and the roots are looking healthy, then plant it back in. Some plants don’t even need roots, we have several healthy bushes of basil and coriander now from stealing stems off other people ;)
Good on you for starting a herb garden!
(We’ve been having crazy sudden rain/sudden heat lately and our herbs are nearly dead from drowning… :( )
J on December 7, 2010 #
I think the changing soil or adding resources tip is one that might just do the trick. I don’t really have a green thumb but that’s what seemed to have worked for some of my plants too.
Chans on December 7, 2010 #
Is the mint in the same pot as something else? It could be that whatever it’s sharing a pot with is a big nutrient or water user and better at soaking everything up compared to the mint.
I have mint growing in my backyard (apple mint), the stuff grows like a weed, it’s so good at just moving out from the original plot that it was in. Plus my family just got lazy with cutting it back. Smells good though!
Michelle on December 8, 2010 #
I wish i could help you with your plant, but that’s mum’s forte, not mine. It’s really good that you’re growing practical plants though – like in our backyard we have tomatoes, mint, rosemary, blah blah etc… as opposed to buying a small packed of mint leaves for $3.50 in the supermarket, i can just head 2m out the backdoor and get fresh leaves. I look forward to when your plants grow up! :)
Amanda on December 11, 2010 #
Ooh, I want to also start an herb garden but the last time I tried it all my plants mysteriously died :( I may try again – your post has inspired me!
Becky on December 14, 2010 #
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