When plants wilt, it's evidence the plant can't move enough water from roots to shoots to satisfy the top of the plant's need for water ....... which is usually a sign that something is wrong in the rhizosphere (root zone). Compacted soils and soils with excessive water retention are almost always to blame. Your plants need a well-aerated soil in order for roots to function normally, so that's where you should start your search. Sometimes, just a lighter hand on the watering can can make the difference, but in any case, you should be using a soil that allows you to flush the soil at will w/o the need for worry that the soil will remain soggy so long it affects root health/function. A healthy root system is e prerequisite to a healthy plant.

Let me know if you want more info on soils or a link to a thread that will help you avoid some of the ill effects of a soil that wants to remain soggy too long.

Al

Hello! Could you please send me that link for soil information? Also, what potting soil mix would you recommend? Thank you!

I have made all of my own media for plants in containers for more than 25 years. I think you can increase your container gardening proficiency by increasing your knowledge of how water behaves in container media. Just follow the embedded link. You'll also find some basic recipes there that will help you avoid most of the pitfalls commonly visited upon growers who use commercially prepared media based on all or nearly all fine materials, like peat, compost, coir, composted forest products, sand, .....

This embedded link will help you learn how to deal with soils you already know retain too much water. Dealing with the ill effects isn't as plant-friendly as avoiding them altogether, but it's still much better than having to suffer the full brunt of the limitations.

Al

What's been said here is certainly very important. I have noticed certain herbs like my basil (tomatoes too, but I know that's not an herb :) become very droopy suddenly but it's always when my container feels very light. I'm not a rocket surgeon but in that instance I imagine a better root structure wouldn't help because it appears the water is gone.

Am I wrong?

I imagine a better root structure wouldn't help because it appears the water is gone.
Am I wrong?

No you're right on! Often the soils recommended here cause the exact same problems one wants to fix, droopy plants. In this case due to soils that drain too well. It's a balancing act.
I myself think it ill advised to recommend fast draining soils when the problem is a watering problem, not a soil problem.
In general you want a soil that retains water. Why so many new potting soils come with water retention products. Dry soils is a much bigger problem than overwatering.

It's a huge leap to assume overwatering is the problem, if it's under watering and the soils are changed to a mix that dries even faster, the plants will most certainly die.

First let's find out, is the soil lightweight, is it dry to the touch? Plants will droop from hot sun wet or dry and recover later. That is somewhat normal. The drooping is caused because the plant cannot uptake as much water as is evaporating from heat. It's a physics problem, and has nothing to do with over or under watering. So we have three possibilities as to what is causing the problem.
Over watering, under watering or transpiration rate.
If the latter as long as your plant recovers by morning it should be OK. Shading the plant could help, but sometimes the plant needs the sun, and so this is an acceptable occurrence as long as the plant recovers.
I see this often with my blueberry plants. They like to be very moist, roots are near the surface and get plenty of oxygen so can take being moister than most plants. One needs to consider plant type. I'm not that familiar with basil, but the mint should not be drooping. It can take a lot of sun and not droop. It's hard to damage roots since they are rhizomes that interconnect. I suspect it needs more water.
Based on that I would say that rashomon nailed the problem as under watering. Observe the plants, and try to determine of the three possibilities, which is the problem.
We are all guessing based on our knowledge base, but you have the plants right there, be more observant of soil moisture and figure it out.
So if you change the soil to an even faster draining one the problem very well could get worse.

Most of the problems people come here seeking remediation for are related to poor root health, which in a very high % of cases is caused by excess water retention. It should be pretty safe to assume a grower isn't asking why his plants are wilting in a dry soil, and if we can't make that assumption, the advice given probably isn't going to make a lot of difference.

Any plant will wilt in any soil that you forget to water. That's so basic it hardly needs mentioning. When plants wilt will the soil is moist or damp, it's almost always due to excess water retention. Ideally, we would use a soil in which excess water retention is not an issue. Our watering obligation to our plants in fast draining soils is the same as in excessively water-retentive soils when it comes to the need to water before drought stress is a factor. You simply need to remember to water more often. The trade off for the inconvenience of having to water more frequently is a significant decrease in the effects of excessive amounts of perched water, which we absolutely know is limiting. IOW, better opportunity for the plant to realize its genetic potential.

It's NOT normal for plants to droop from hot sun and recover later. It indicates a root system that is functioning inadequately. It's NOT ok (from the plant's perspective) to allow plants to regularly suffer drought stress, whether it's from too much or too little water. Disruption of the nutrient stream causes a number of problems other than just the symptom of wilting.

Any one that wants to can stick with water-retentive soils and no one cares. But when it's suggested that water-retentive soils are a better choice, from the plant's perspective, it's going to be very difficult to support the contention. If your your plants are wilting during periods of high transpiration while the soil is still damp, and recovering as the dark cycle begins - there are limitations in play caused by soil choice.

Al

I know this discussion started years ago. But I am finally able to live in a home where I can garden :)

on this topic, I just planted already grown herbs (basil, parsley and rosemary) in one pot. now they my parsley is drooping especially and slightly my basil, slightly. I have read all the discussions, and I believe it is the soil possibly, but now maybe leaning towards the roots not being able to "grow".

what soil do you recommend for herbs???? I am having an issue as well with drooping

In my experience herbs are water hogs, I water daily. If watering is eliminated as a problem, look at the soil. Herbs should grow in just about anything. My rosemary and thyme are 3 years old. I just use a altered 5-1-1 to make it more water retentive. I use a 3-1-1 ratio sort of. I don't use perlite, I use DE. It seems to work the best for me.

I just harvested my rosemary today

I still need to harvest the thyme.

I also grow a hybrid basil that never dies. Mine is new, African Blue Basil. It flowers constantly, I use them in dishes too.

If your plants are drooping, there's a reason related to either root health, root function, or lack of water. If they wilt while the soil is still moist, look to root health or function, both of which are almost always brought on by soil choice (excess water retention) and watering habits, with heavy emphasis on soil choice. I had rosemary plants (all 4 died last winter when the garage door was left open all night at -12* f) and still have a Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton) more than 15 years old and going strong. Herbs simply love gritty soils like you'd find in Mediterranean locals. They thrive on sharp drainage and media that don't hold excess water. Reducing the amount of bark to a 3:1:1 ratio is exactly opposite of the way I would go. All of mine are in the gritty mix because it doesn't support perched water (or supports an insignificant amount when ingredients are screened), which seems to be just the ticket.

I really should start some more rosemary plants, but I'm still smarting from the loss of the (bonsai) specimens I'd poured so much care into ..... and I'm trying to reduce the number of plants I have to care for.

Al

Im dyin' here, Al. It's 4 a.m. so I can't go out and take pictures, but I have about 30 mostly herb gardens out there in containers because there was supposed to be this big fundraiser back in June that ended up being canceled. So I made up a bunch of these little fragrance gardens (some flowers and herbs) spaghetti gardens (tomato and some herbs), and a few with no particular gimmick that are mixed veggies, or herbs and strawberries, etc. All this happened before I started reading these forums and found out about the 511 and gritty. Well, this big sale never did get rescheduled, and I actually had leftover starts that hadn't yet been potted, along with a great excess of cuttings I started for the pots back in April and May, mostly grape and blackberry and creeping vinca. Long story short, I'm old and tired and busy enough already with my in-ground gardens and other obligations, and now I've got a bunch of high-maintenance container gardens NOT potted in 511 that I've been nursing along for a couple months, and all these poor babies, and I've run out of people to give them away to. And since they're not in optimal soil, I feel kinda bad foisting them off on anyone anyhow. Now I'm going back to Florida for three weeks come Aug. 30, and I can't see when I'm gonna be able to repot anything before then, so I'm kinda planning on rigging up some kind of slow soaker hose arrangement in the mostly shady part of the yard and putting deer net over it and crossing my fingers. I expect to lose most of the ground garden to the deer, but I feel a particularly keen kind of responsibility to these containerized plants (again, mostly herbs), and I wondered if you had any suggestions I could apply that might increase their odds. FWIW, I live outside of town near Grants Pass, OR, and don't know anyone, really, so it's unlikely I could get anyone out here to water. :-(