why did my herbs die

mickman

Hello everyone

Total newbie to all this stuff but i had 3 herbs in a window box (mint / rosemary and basil)

They were blooming great and providing lovely herbs for me until all of a sudden they started to wilt - i went on holidays and came back and they were totally dead

Watered them every day or second day - what is the most common reason for them to fail in this manner ?

looksee

Sounds like overwatering!

Mint and rosemary would be happier outside, basil is ok outside in the summer but is tender. However if water had built up in the window box - was there any drainage hole? Was it blocked? Was there a layer of gravel or similar to allow the water to drain out? If you just put compost into a box it acts like a cork and bungs up the drainage hole.

However, if you just use peat based compost and it dries out once, no matter how many times you water it the water will tend to just flow out round the edges and the compost does not get wetted.

Were they in a very sunny spot? While they like the sun, a box up against a house on a southfacing wall will dry out very fast, and the compost go solid.

I think it is most likely that the roots rotted from over-watering, but mint is a very hard plant to kill, even when you want to!

Other possibility is vine weevil, a beetle that eats plant roots. Carefully pull up the plants and see if there are any roots, if there are not it is most likely to be vine weevil. In this case do not plant anything else in the box, tip the contents into a plastic bag and dispose in the household rubbish. Clean the box.

mickman

they were in a window box facing south. There was a hole underneath but i suppose as the base was on the window sill then the hole was basically blocked. I didnt have any layer of gravel - i went to a garden centre and the guy just filled it with compost and didnt mention anything about gravel

I do recall seeing the compost hardened at one stage so maybe thats it too - should they be watered every single day ?

As they are now basically dead, is there any way to save them or will they have to be thrown out ?

looksee

If they are dead, they are dead.

On a south facing windowledge with drainage they probably would need to be watered every sunny day, but days that are wet or even overcast possibly not.

If you try again use John Innes compost - this has some soil in it and keeps better condition than just compost. You can also get gel beads to hold water in the compost, but I think the John Innes is a better solution.

lottpaul

Sorry that this happened, but the compost mix and location were not your friends. I also think the combination of mint, rosemary and basil wasn't ideal - plant wise. Mint and rosemary are happier outside, basil inside. Rosemary is basically a shrub, doesn't like to be overwatered and prefers a gritty compost. Mint and basil need better compost and regular watering. If you're trying again next year maybe try to match herbs that like similar growing conditions. But it is worth it - you can't beat your own fresh herbs.

mickman

lottpaul wrote: »

Sorry that this happened, but the compost mix and location were not your friends. I also think the combination of mint, rosemary and basil wasn't ideal - plant wise. Mint and rosemary are happier outside, basil inside. Rosemary is basically a shrub, doesn't like to be overwatered and prefers a gritty compost. Mint and basil need better compost and regular watering. If you're trying again next year maybe try to match herbs that like similar growing conditions. But it is worth it - you can't beat your own fresh herbs.

yes i really enjoyed the mint tea

so can mint and rosemary be in the one pot if they require different levels of compost ?

lottpaul

mickman wrote: »

so can mint and rosemary be in the one pot if they require different levels of compost ?

Ideally not - plus mint is very aggressive and invasive and would eventually crowd out any neighbour. If you can I'd plant mint with other mints (there are lots of varieties, esp if you're making mint tea) and leave the rosemary on its own, or grow it with something like lavender - great for scent from flowers and leaves.

Skrynesaver

Rosemary requires a fairly big pot as it gets to a decent size and ideally should be planted in the ground.

Mint is a thug that will attempt to take over the garden, (slashing it back and holding a Mojito party has become an bi-annual event), if planting in the ground put it in a plastic container to prevent it spreading unless you've plenty of space.

Neither are fussy about compost but both cope well well-drained/gritty compost.

For a window box I'd be inclined to recommend tarragon, oregano, chives or even basil rather than the more thugish mint and rosemary.

mickman

thanks for the tips guys.

will try again next year