Help with Basil plant

Here's how my normal basil looks like..


Here's how my other basil plants look like. I am pretty sure they are the same seeds but these looks wilty and yellowish compared to the other ones. Also the aroma isn't as strong compared to the healthier looking ones.

What's the nitrogen in the soil like? You could try watering with diluted urine (~9:1).

chip sanft wrote:What's the nitrogen in the soil like? You could try watering with diluted urine (~9:1).

Hi Chip thanks for the reply. I am not sure how to measure nitrogen levels on the soil. I use a local liquid organic fertiliser and I do not add anything else.

Also is there another natural alternative aside from urine? I mean, sure it's as natural as it gets but I'm not quite comfortable using urine on my plants.

Thanks!

Pee was my first thought too. Brings a lot of ailing yellow plants around, and easy to get.

Albert McKinley wrote:

chip sanft wrote:What's the nitrogen in the soil like? You could try watering with diluted urine (~9:1).

Hi Chip thanks for the reply. I am not sure how to measure nitrogen levels on the soil. I use a local liquid organic fertiliser and I do not add anything else.

Also is there another natural alternative aside from urine? I mean, sure it's as natural as it gets but I'm not quite comfortable using urine on my plants.

Thanks!

There are lots of natural nitrogen sources -- manures of different sorts, etc., as I'm sure you know. But I've read that the nutrients in dilute urine are particularly available to plants, making it a good choice.

FWIW, my wife was also hesitant (putting it mildly) about using urine on basil. But the results of a container with urine vs. those without convinced her: the growth and aroma were obviously superior. You could think about maybe using a narrow-necked bottle that would allow you to pour directly on the soil and not on the plants. If it's your own stuff, it doesn't seem much nastier than using cow or chicken manure, which most organic growers wouldn't worry at all about using.

diluted pee would be good ... how much would be an overdose? ... better start with small amounts every few days.

repotting into new soil (with compost, coffeegrounds or organic fertilizer) might help, also