---
title: "What’s going on with my basil plant? Is it root rot? The roots don’t…"
description: "What’s going on with my basil plant? Is it root rot? The roots don’t smell though.. what can I do? The leaves have been yellowing and drooping for weeks…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/W6IpYaOcLKepuJLYwJWioC"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Kay"
published: "2025-12-02T22:08:39.717679Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/mzILz6xR24-qFRKc3FZ3mKr-mCzE7Kjd9hYjTL0qQA4/_RL8md8WSuyql75qjy9Mug.webp?size=large"
---

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# What’s going on with my basil plant? Is it root rot? The roots don’t…

_Posted by Kay on 2025-12-02_

What’s going on with my basil plant? Is it root rot? The roots don’t smell though.. what can I do? The leaves have been yellowing and drooping for weeks seemingly regardless of watering

![Attachment 1 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/mzILz6xR24-qFRKc3FZ3mKr-mCzE7Kjd9hYjTL0qQA4/_RL8md8WSuyql75qjy9Mug.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/mzILz6xR24-qFRKc3FZ3mKr-mCzE7Kjd9hYjTL0qQA4/cMpO2WyoRZCmRDV-hI4YPQ.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 3 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/mzILz6xR24-qFRKc3FZ3mKr-mCzE7Kjd9hYjTL0qQA4/-2JrSuKYT42ipX1m7XAvog.webp?size=large)

## 4 comments

### Julios discovery commented on 2025-12-02

Looks like the soil is dry and it probably needs a bigger pot

### Waspinator commented on 2025-12-02

Basil is a shortlived plant and usually dies after a year no matter what you do. If you keep it indoors and prevent it from bolting, you can get up to four years out of it, but most people just start with a new plant each year. Yours looks dehydrated, and it can stay in the same pot. If you want to keep this specific plant going, restarting it from a cutting could work

### fuey commented on 2025-12-03

I agree that it looks dehydrated/underwatered.

When watering make sure to be thorough. I don’t have a basil but a coleus has a similar leaf thickness. I make sure to let him sit in water for about an hour every watering session, then take him out and drain in the original pot. There are tons of videos and examples of this, typically called “bottom watering”.

### 🌺 Thai Jade 🌺 commented on 2025-12-03

You have exceeded a capacity of the current soil. In other words, there are more roots than soil and the plant cannot take up enough water to stay hydrated. You can trim back the roots and put it into a larger pot and see if it recovers. I recommend giving it a good soaking in a bowl of water before doing so.

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