Another shop bought herb bites the dust

[Marb67]

Why oh why oh why do I end up with a dead shop bought potted herb despite doing all the right things to nurture it ? I had a very healthy flat leaf parsley from Tesco. Didn't pick it much, potted on in good compost and in kitchen window (with other plants) that has been newly double glazed. Didn't over water but got white mold growing at base of plant. Cleared dead foliage and mold, sprinkled with cinnamon powder (which apparently stops fungus growth) and sure enough it goes limp, thin and whispy and pathetic

[Nicos]

Sorry to hear this Marb.
Long and whispy usually indicates not enough light and/or too much warmth.
How long have you had it for?
I'm just wondering too if maybe the chill at night temperatures from the window was too much following warm daytime temperatures?

I grow flat leaved parsley every year...self seeded and it does die back in the autumn.
Perhaps try again in late spring?

[Thelma Sanders]

Those potted herbs have been grown too close together in the pot, under heat and light, just so they grow in a pot and survive just a bit longer than cut herbs you buy in a packet.
They just don't live long once you've bought them, no matter how you treat them!

Just accept that and don't beat yourself up about it, wait for better weather and grow them from seed, outside in the fresh air.

[veggiechicken]

Marb, its as Thelma says, these herbs are not meant to keep growing. They are usable over a longer period than a cut bunch of parsley, but that's it.
Some potted herbs are tougher than others - like chives and mint, but the softer leaves like parsley, basil and coriander are more fickle.
If you buy any more, try splitting it just after purchase, and potting up small sections in several pots. Spacing out these seedlings will give them more chance of a life but its not 100% guaranteed.
I sowed parsley seeds yesterday!

[Scarlet]

I never buy those from supermarkets unless they are 10p! As the others have said. They are for use over a couple of weeks while cooking.
Best get some seeds and sow in a couple of very large pots.

[toomanytommytoes]

A few months ago we got a tiny (not even 9 cm) pot of basil from the supermarket that had about 25 plants in. Got one measly picking before they all conked out. They sow them stupidly densely since they sell the plants when they're so young, the harvest would be pathetic if you only had one in there and didn't have the light to grow it on for a few months. Basil plants get pretty big if you just harvest behind the growing tips...ours were about 1 ft high at the end of summer and we were getting about 50g of leaves (no stem!) per week from 3 pots.

What's daft is that these pots are grown in the UK, presumably under lights, but the packets of fresh basil are from Ethiopia or Costa Rica. Hopefully LED lights are advancing fast enough that it becomes cost effective for these businesses to grow fresh herbs here all year round.

[Marb67]

For basil that has worked for me is to buy shop bought and cut the tops off to sprout in water. They have always been successful. Much better than sowing from seed even.

The parsley was one of the many bargains at a supermarket reduced to 10p but in good condition at the time.

[veggiechicken]

Ah, it was a 10p bargain!! I don't feel quite so sorry for you now, Marb.
The "rot" may have set in before you bought it ?over or underwatered, light, temperature fluctuations? Who knows.
I always buy 10p plants 'cos I feel sorry for them. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they curl up their toes, but I don't mind a 10p gamble.

[Thelma Sanders]

At 10p, even if you only used a few leaves before it died - then you had your moneysworth, plus a pot to use again

[SarrissUK]

I think supermarket herbs are definitely worth buying when they grow in pots, but they do need to be bought at peak health and split up immediately, I find, if you want them to live long term. they're so densely packed in those pots, it's no wonder they die.

I have zero luck with germinating parsley, flatleaved or otherwise, so supermarket herbs have saved the day. I still have two healthy specimen of curly parsley outside.

And I really don't think parsley likes light. The one plant in almost constant shade is doing much better than the other, that gets sun part of the day.

[annie8]

I have struggled to grow herbs from seed apart from Basil. I don’t buy herbs from supermarkets but I have had success with buying herb plants from garden centres, keeping them in the greenhouse then putting them in the ground when it is warm enough. This has worked with parsley, sage, mint and rosemary. All are still in the ground and doing fine although sage has died back a bit. Might be worth trying to grow with a better quality plant rather than supermarket ones.

[Babru]

For basil that has worked for me is to buy shop bought and cut the tops off to sprout in water. They have always been successful. Much better than sowing from seed even.

The parsley was one of the many bargains at a supermarket reduced to 10p but in good condition at the time.

I saw this suggested on a thread last year. Very successful, got some decent plants. I find basil doesn't do well for me inside, but my new wee plants grew well all summer in my cold frame. I had an invasion of giant green slugs in the cold frame but they never touched them.

[Babru]

I have struggled to grow herbs from seed apart from Basil. I don’t buy herbs from supermarkets but I have had success with buying herb plants from garden centres, keeping them in the greenhouse then putting them in the ground when it is warm enough. This has worked with parsley, sage, mint and rosemary. All are still in the ground and doing fine although sage has died back a bit. Might be worth trying to grow with a better quality plant rather than supermarket ones.

I grow my mint in pots as it is a huge thug in the ground. My mum was a very keen gardener, and told me she rued the day she planted out her mint as it ran through every other plant ever after. I love mint, so a big pot in a sunny spot next to a seat gives a lovely scent, especially spearmint. Nice to eat too of course!

[annie8]

Yes mint can be a thug. Great for mohitos though. I plant in the ground but keep in it’s pot. That way it doesn’t take over.

[DannyK]

The remains look as if the plants should have been thinned out a lot.

I take mine out of pot, give them a good soak to soften rootball, tease individual plants out and pot them up in 9mm pots and eventually plant out. Parsley is hardy. More than enough to cover a good row and have lots left over.

If you've a street market keep an eye open. At times 9mm pots of herbs like sage,various mint etc for �1.50. Lot cheaper than garden centre.