Question about purple herb with some green on leaves

Katmary · June 16, 2010

Hi everyone!

I have a bunch of basils I started earlier this year under lights and managed to mix up my cinnamon basil with a different one. It isn't dark opal, but I don't know which it is! Up until that point I had lemon basils, lime, Genovese, and Sweet basil. It didn't dawn on me until I smelled it that it should have green leaves- I fell in love with it the first year I grew and grow it each year, and while purple flowers and stems are normal on it, the leaves aren't! They're purple/green, and I KNOW another of the purple varieties is likely what I mixed up which would have to be Cinnamon which should be green leaves, or a mixed pack and it should be a variety of colors, not just purple spotted green leaves. I have some mixture kits of basil where it's a packet with 6 kinds each, and bought two with different basils in each and can normally tell them part by scent and look, but this has thrown me for a loop!

Is it possible the seedlings came it purple instead? IF so, I may have mis-labeled, but I could have sworn that 9 cell was half Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil and Cinnamon basil. I bought a small Cinnamon basil plant from a nursery and while the leaves are the same shape, I can't see the purple ones being cinnamon, and if I accidentally planted a mixed pack, there would be green plants mixed in since out of 6-7 varieties, only 1-2 are different colors than green. SO, any chance Cinn. came in purple and will lighten up??? And which basil is it that comes in with green and purple on the leaves? I know that's in one mixed basils pack of mine, but not sure if it's Red Rubin, Purple Petra, or possibly the Dark Opal I planted later on and possibly mixed up somehow. Thanks for any help, I know this is confusing!!!

If cinnamon CAN come in purple and green, then it makes sense, but I suspect either the wrong seeds are in my pack or I accidentally swapped things around! If anything, I suspect the packet was mis-labeled as it doesn't smell like my cinnamon basil I grow each year.

Kat

RinTinTin · September 11, 2010

Therein lies the problem of buying "mixed packs" or "assortment packs". You end up with one you love (or hate), and sadly, don't know what it is..."if I only knew, I'd buy a whole pack of 'em next year". One option is to buy a pack of EACH that was included with the mix, label carefully what you sow next year, and select the one you love. The others won't go to waste...there is always a sister/neighbor/whoever who would gladly take excess plants every spring. One man's trash is another man's treasure...I am looking at properties in SW TN, and if stinging nettles are not native, I will actually BUY a packet of seed to intentionally grow them in my garden...most people consider them weeds, I consider them essential allies to tomatoes and several herbs.

franzb69 · September 11, 2010

Well you can always clone the ones you like. Basils are easy to clone. Cut a stem and stick it in the ground and hope it sticks. Most of the time it does.

Katmary · September 12, 2010

The sad thing about this is I "thought" I planted them from the Cinnamon basil seed packet. I DO have two seed packets of mixed and had one out, so most likely I grabbed the wrong one, but despite being purple and green, it still smells like regular sweet basil. I've been growing basil for five years and was thrown off when the leaves turned purple, since normally cinnamon basil has purple stems and smaller leaves than sweet basil, but these are about the same, just different colors.

Franzb, I keep trying to clone basils that way, but seem to have more luck if I put them in a cup of water so they grow some roots first. It IS a great way to go since you can get so many plants from one! It may be since the weather gets so warm in this area. I ended up buying my cinnamon basil from the nursery after I accidentally didn't grow it and one's an amazingly large, tasty basil so if nothing else, I definitely will be saving seeds from that wonderful plant. I have the tops of flowers in water in the hopes the seeds will finish ripening so I can save them for next year (yep, they are growing roots too!). I figure since I never did get my opal basil out there, I'll probably make infused oil with this one since it'll have that pretty purple-reddish color. I make lots of basil and olive oil cubes to freeze for winter for my family members, and even received Olive Oil from my brother and SIL and parents as they use it more often than I think I do!

RinTinTin, if it wasn't for the crazy amount of weeds in summer that end up dying out, I wouldn't have the amount of good bugs on my plants in Spring! Nor the aphids, but I've learned to wait a bit longer for the weeds to die down (backyard goes into a greenbelt) so I have less bad guys to deal with. Even after the time I've been here, it's impossible to grow dill with the amount of aphids, I think one year I need to buy some lady bugs or a praying mantis egg to even my chances.

franzb69 · September 12, 2010

for the most part I only get 50% success rate with clones. which is pretty good for something you just stick in the ground and just water. i've also done your way of cloning with tarragon and it seems to work best. i just don't really have much time to do so lately with culinary school and trainings. tomorrow's my first day of rest in 2 weeks straight working and school.

looking forward to have some more time in my garden. gonna stick a bunch of peppers and tomatoes in the ground tomorrow. and maybe i'll do some clones on my basil in containers and stick some in the ground with the maters and peppers to help "compliment" each other. =D

i need a source for ladybugs and other predatory insects in my country. =( sucks but can't find them anymore. there used to be a place that sells ladybugs back in the day. but that was like 15 years ago, when we just moved to the house we live in now. =(

RinTinTin · September 12, 2010

"Weeds" are merely plants for which mankind hasn't yet figured a use for. There is an old saying from the high plains: "If the sagebrush doesn't grow waist high, the land ain't worth plowing."

June 16, 2010	#1
Katmary Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orangevale/CA Posts: 31	Question about purple herb with some green on leaves Hi everyone! I have a bunch of basils I started earlier this year under lights and managed to mix up my cinnamon basil with a different one. It isn't dark opal, but I don't know which it is! Up until that point I had lemon basils, lime, Genovese, and Sweet basil. It didn't dawn on me until I smelled it that it should have green leaves- I fell in love with it the first year I grew and grow it each year, and while purple flowers and stems are normal on it, the leaves aren't! They're purple/green, and I KNOW another of the purple varieties is likely what I mixed up which would have to be Cinnamon which should be green leaves, or a mixed pack and it should be a variety of colors, not just purple spotted green leaves. I have some mixture kits of basil where it's a packet with 6 kinds each, and bought two with different basils in each and can normally tell them part by scent and look, but this has thrown me for a loop! Is it possible the seedlings came it purple instead? IF so, I may have mis-labeled, but I could have sworn that 9 cell was half Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil and Cinnamon basil. I bought a small Cinnamon basil plant from a nursery and while the leaves are the same shape, I can't see the purple ones being cinnamon, and if I accidentally planted a mixed pack, there would be green plants mixed in since out of 6-7 varieties, only 1-2 are different colors than green. SO, any chance Cinn. came in purple and will lighten up??? And which basil is it that comes in with green and purple on the leaves? I know that's in one mixed basils pack of mine, but not sure if it's Red Rubin, Purple Petra, or possibly the Dark Opal I planted later on and possibly mixed up somehow. Thanks for any help, I know this is confusing!!! If cinnamon CAN come in purple and green, then it makes sense, but I suspect either the wrong seeds are in my pack or I accidentally swapped things around! If anything, I suspect the packet was mis-labeled as it doesn't smell like my cinnamon basil I grow each year. Kat

September 11, 2010	#2
RinTinTin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 581	Therein lies the problem of buying "mixed packs" or "assortment packs". You end up with one you love (or hate), and sadly, don't know what it is..."if I only knew, I'd buy a whole pack of 'em next year". One option is to buy a pack of EACH that was included with the mix, label carefully what you sow next year, and select the one you love. The others won't go to waste...there is always a sister/neighbor/whoever who would gladly take excess plants every spring. One man's trash is another man's treasure...I am looking at properties in SW TN, and if stinging nettles are not native, I will actually BUY a packet of seed to intentionally grow them in my garden...most people consider them weeds, I consider them essential allies to tomatoes and several herbs.

September 11, 2010	#3
franzb69 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Philippines Posts: 210	Well you can always clone the ones you like. Basils are easy to clone. Cut a stem and stick it in the ground and hope it sticks. Most of the time it does.

September 12, 2010	#4
Katmary Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orangevale/CA Posts: 31	The sad thing about this is I "thought" I planted them from the Cinnamon basil seed packet. I DO have two seed packets of mixed and had one out, so most likely I grabbed the wrong one, but despite being purple and green, it still smells like regular sweet basil. I've been growing basil for five years and was thrown off when the leaves turned purple, since normally cinnamon basil has purple stems and smaller leaves than sweet basil, but these are about the same, just different colors. Franzb, I keep trying to clone basils that way, but seem to have more luck if I put them in a cup of water so they grow some roots first. It IS a great way to go since you can get so many plants from one! It may be since the weather gets so warm in this area. I ended up buying my cinnamon basil from the nursery after I accidentally didn't grow it and one's an amazingly large, tasty basil so if nothing else, I definitely will be saving seeds from that wonderful plant. I have the tops of flowers in water in the hopes the seeds will finish ripening so I can save them for next year (yep, they are growing roots too!). I figure since I never did get my opal basil out there, I'll probably make infused oil with this one since it'll have that pretty purple-reddish color. I make lots of basil and olive oil cubes to freeze for winter for my family members, and even received Olive Oil from my brother and SIL and parents as they use it more often than I think I do! RinTinTin, if it wasn't for the crazy amount of weeds in summer that end up dying out, I wouldn't have the amount of good bugs on my plants in Spring! Nor the aphids, but I've learned to wait a bit longer for the weeds to die down (backyard goes into a greenbelt) so I have less bad guys to deal with. Even after the time I've been here, it's impossible to grow dill with the amount of aphids, I think one year I need to buy some lady bugs or a praying mantis egg to even my chances.