Basil Leaves Folding Up (not curling)

[Ten20Thirty40]

I woke up yesterday morning to my basil leaves stretching upwards..kind of folding up but not curling up...does anyone know what causes this? First only one the small ones to the right were doing this, but all were Fertilized yesterday and all are now doing this. I can't find anything on Google that offers any insight!

https://imgur.com/a/63VlUz3

The small ones were planted as seeds 12/2 The ones in back are from supermarket, pruned and replanted 12/10. Temp: 79% Humidity: 61% Fertilized every 2 weeks with a diluted 20-20-20. Fertilized, watered, and light pruning yesterday. 16 hours of light daily under 150w

This morning some are folding even more! Almost like they are gonna fold shut!

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

Though I do see a few withered leaves most of your basil (Ocimum basilcium) plants look healthy, but perhaps one moment in time is not showing the changes that you see. Basil leaves will often cup and pucker when growing normally

You seem to be growing your plants under artificial lights, perhaps in some type of growth chamber. Is this just for Winter or doyou grow them like this all the time? Tell us more about your growing conditions (light, water, air circulation, etc.)

 

[Ten20Thirty40]

Thanks for replying
And it is an indoor grow box I built myself. I live in an apartment and we have no personal outside space. I am also quite a novice. I have been wanting to try gardening and just thought I'd give it a go.

The box is a closed system with small openings for ventilation. It's kept between 68-82° and 40-60% Humidity always.
I have no exact routine for watering. I just water when I see the soil start drying. I also use kebab stick before watering to aerate and move the soil. Everything is lightly fertilized every 2 weeks with watering and foliage spray.
I just notice that some of the basil leaves like to fold upwards sometime and not sure what causes this?
Every 2x2 Sq ft of space is lit by 150w of full spectrum light 16 hours a day which has so far proved enough to bloom and fruit a tomato plant, and bloom a basil and bring to seed so I don't think light is an issue.
Alot of the leaves have started falling back down to place except for the one that started the folding up first..like she's growing against gravity

 

[Marck]

I see what you mean by the leaves folding. Some of them are growing at an atypical angle.
This is an interesting observation, but I don't think it forebodes any ill health for your plant.
Many plant can change the angle of their leaves' repose in order to optimize light exposure.
Why one plant is doing it more than others may be due to a minute difference in environment or genetics.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

They do look pretty healthy, the only thing I have had with basil curling is an infestation of tiny aphids inside the curl when I have opened it up, but I don't think yours look as pronounced as that

 

[Ten20Thirty40]

They do look pretty healthy, the only thing I have had with basil curling is an infestation of tiny aphids inside the curl when I have opened it up, but I don't think yours look as pronounced as that

I have a few different plants, but it's my basil that gets the most love and attention. They're by far the favorite kids, so they get obsessively checked for aphids at least 4 times weekly lol!
But I actually neglected checking my other little ones.. and one day I went to admire my mint and it was completely infested!! It was so crazy because I had saved it from a supermarket death and it was looking so beautiful, green, and lush! There were 0 signs of the critters, yet there they were! Thousands feasting. So I sprayed it with alcohol, removed it from soil, rinsed and replanted it and 4 days later it was dead. Tear*
So now I'm even more obsessed with finding those life ruiners *shakes fist*

 

[Marck]

....removed it from soil, rinsed and replanted it and 4 days later it was dead...

Removing all soil might have more to do with the plant's demise than the 'critters'.
That treatment wouldn't help with an aphid infestation.
It is true that a healthy Mint (Mentha sp.) would usually generate new roots easily, but perhaps a small, stressed plant would not.

 

[MariGolding]

I've only grown them once but I can say from my experience they are supposed to fold like that. The only plant that looks suss is the top middle one on the rack. Looks like its starting to yellow and wilt.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Spraying with alcohol is something I have never heard of, it must be very dilute. I attack them with soft soap and a shaving brush. I think it breaks their legs and blocks up their breathing holes, same for blackfly on my beans.

 

[Marck]

Ethanol, Isopropyl, doubtlessly other alcohols, can be used in a way similar to insecticidal soap. I've used it at various concentrations but it should be at least 70%. I have found it to be effective.
I particularly choose to use it on succulents such as Echeveria that often get aphids in the Spring.
Unlike soaps or oils, the alcohol spray will not remove the glaucous wax from the leaves which gives such plants their beautiful blue and silvery tones. .

 

[lpfaff]

I woke up yesterday morning to my basil leaves stretching upwards..kind of folding up but not curling up...does anyone know what causes this? First only one the small ones to the right were doing this, but all were Fertilized yesterday and all are now doing this. I can't find anything on Google that offers any insight!

https://imgur.com/a/63VlUz3

The small ones were planted as seeds 12/2 The ones in back are from supermarket, pruned and replanted 12/10. Temp: 79% Humidity: 61% Fertilized every 2 weeks with a diluted 20-20-20. Fertilized, watered, and light pruning yesterday. 16 hours of light daily under 150w

This morning some are folding even more! Almost like they are gonna fold shut!

Is your plant getting enough water? Stick your finger in the dirt and see if it is moist. If not moist, water. I hope this solves your problem.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Ethanol, Isopropyl, doubtlessly other alcohols, can be used in a way similar to insecticidal soap. I've used it at various concentrations but it should be at least 70%. I have found it to be effective.
I particularly choose to use it on succulents such as Echeveria that often get aphids in the Spring.
Unlike soaps or oils, the alcohol spray will not remove the glaucous wax from the leaves which gives such plants their beautiful blue and silvery tones. .

70% proof I take it, that still sounds strong enough to make me keel over When the doctor prescribed the drug I am on at present he asked if I drank, I told him 'A glass of wine with Sunday dinner'. He said 'Stick to that or you will get liver failure. Not what I want, so I make that occasionally a glass of wine on a Sunday. At 7% proof that leaves me feeling it all afternoon 70% ethanol, what are you giving them? Whiskey or vodka?

 

[Marck]

70% would be 140 proof, so not for drinking, even if it I did use unadulterated ethanol, and often I use isopropyl or denatured ethanol.
Most wine is between 10% to 16%, which would translate to 20-32 proof.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You got me checking the wine bottle, you are right 11% by volume, not proof. Could have sworn I read 7, must have had an extra half glass that day.

 

[Ten20Thirty40]

I've only grown them once but I can say from my experience they are supposed to fold like that. The only plant that looks suss is the top middle one on the rack. Looks like its starting to yellow and wilt.

Yeah, a group of my young tomato plants got a pretty ugly fertilizer burn, so in that picture it was on the mend and now they are all *almost* fully healed and moving forward

I am pretty new to this so it's a lot of trial and error!