Although basil requires a sunny and warm location, it can suffer damage from the sun. We explain what causes sunburn on basil and how you can avoid it.
What does sunburn look like on basil?
Sunburn on basil can be recognized by the fact that the aromatic leaves suddenly havebrown spotsor turnyellow. The spots are burns caused by excessive exposure to sunlight.
What are the causes of sunburn on basil?
If basil has suffered sunburn, there can be various reasons:
- The herbs are in thebright midday sun.
- Basil from the supermarket wasnot slowly acclimated to the sun, but placed directly in a sunny location.
- When watering, the leaves gotwet and therefore burned.
- A variety cultivated for partial shade has grownsunny.
How much sun can basil tolerate?
Basil loves the sun and requires temperatures of at least 15 °C. However, the plant can suffer from sunburn. If the royal herb is permanently in theblazing sun, that's bad because the leaves burn little by little until the whole plant finally dries up. Too much sunmust beavoided, but in a sunny to partially shaded location, basil can grow outdoors all summer long and tolerates gooddaily six hours of sunshine
How to avoid sunburn on basil?
In order to protect basil from sunburn and yellowing, the possible causes must be consistently ruled out. Consider the following advice:
- Basilnever place it in the blazing midday sun. If you don't have a bed that is partially shaded, it is a good idea to cultivate basil in pots. These can be placed in more shade on hot days.
- Bought basil over several daysslowly get used to the sun.
- Basil alwayswater from below so that the leaves don't get wet.
Can sunburned basil still be saved?
If basil has suffered severe sunburn, it isunsalvageable and should no longer be consumed. Even a radical cut would not lead to the desired result. Only if only individual leaves are burned can you cut them off along with the relevant shoots and dispose of them.
Are there less endangered basil varieties?
The basil varieties that are less susceptible to sunburn include theperennial shrub basiland the variety“Green Pepper” Both can be used all summer long stand easily in a sunny garden bed. As a rule of thumb, the thicker and stronger the leaves, the more sun the basil can tolerate. If the leaves appear parchment-like, the variety is not suitable for strong sunlight.
Tip
Dispose of burnt basil
Plants destroyed by sunburn should be disposed of immediately with household waste. Because they are very weak, it is possible that they attract pests, which can then spread to he althy plants.
