My basil is turning yellow

Question

I have a basil plant, and it’s planted in a pot. I have almost tried everything except fertilizing it. I tried to give it a lot of water and I tried less water, and it keeps getting yellow, then falls off. What should I do?

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Answer 1

It looks like your basil plant has grown very large for the pot it's in and needs some pruning. Basil leaves can turn yellow when they get old, which happens when the plants aren't trimmed very often. To improve the plant's health, you could trim them back as explained in this article:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/pruning-back-basil-plants.htm

And you can use the leaves that you prune off in cooking. After pruning, give the plant less water than usual, since it will have fewer leaves to use the water. Make sure the soil gets almost dry before you water again.