Cultivation of Basil
The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post: The Ultimate Guide to Basil. For additional information about Basil such as its description, medicinal and culinary uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post. Other individual sections are listed below:
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| Classic Basil |
Basil actually is very simple to grow. It grows from seeds easily. Seeds should be planted about 1/8 inch deep when the soil has warmed to about 50 degrees F and the danger of frost has certainly passed. When seedlings appear, thin plants to leave about 1 foot of space between them.
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| Young Basil in a Pot |
Basil seeds can be started indoors and then transplanted outside after the final frost of the year. The seeds germinate readily in a moist medium when soil temperatures are between 75 and 85 degrees. About a week after germination, seedlings can be transplanted into 2-inch pots or flats. When the weather warms up, plant them outside. You can also propagate basil reliably from softwood cuttings. Suspend the stems of short cuttings in water for about two weeks or so until roots develop. Once these roots have developed, plant into small pots or flats. When new growth appears on top, then new plants are ready to be moved outside, as long as the danger of frost has passed.
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| Basil Rooted in Water |
Basil likes well-drained to dry rich soil with a soil pH between 5 - 8. It does best if well-rotted manure or manure compost is mixed with the soil before planting. Mulching the area after the seedlings have shot up helps to keep the ground moist and warm and discourages weeds. Just don't mulch until the soil has warmed up. Basil roots need heat.
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| My Sweet Basil Plant |
Plant basil in full sun, but protect it from wind, frost and from scorching midday sun. Avoid overwatering seedlings as they are prone to "damping off", a fungal root disease. Unlike many herbs, basil likes to be watered at midday instead of in the morning or evening. Cooler evening temperatures can retain too much moisture and contribute to damping off and other root diseases. Spray or mist leaves in hot weather.
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| Basil After Misting |
The most important consideration when growing basil is remembering to prune it frequently. To encourage a bushy plant, keep pruning basil. Before it flowers, cut the main stem from the top, leaving at least one node with two young shoots. Thereafter, cut the branches every two weeks or so. Basil tends to go to seed quickly if not pruned this often. I usually prune mine about every week while I water. If you keep an eye on basil, you should have several harvests of fresh leaves.
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| My Fresh Cut Sweet Basil |
Pinching out the growing tips of basil encourages bushiness (more harvests) and delays flowering. This is key as once a stem produces flowers, foliage production stops on that stem. The stem becomes woody and essential oil production declines. To prevent this, pinch off any flower stems before they fully mature. Only the blooming stem is affected this way, so some stems can be pinched to encourage leaf production, while others are left to bloom for decoration or seeds.
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| Basil Seed Pods |
Once the plant is allowed to flower, it may produce seed pods containing the small black seeds. These can be saved for planting the following year. Picking the leaves off the plant helps promote growth, largely because the plant responds by converting pairs of leaflets next to the topmost leaves into new stems. When I prune my basil back each week--that is how often it produces new flowers--I make sure to cut back to the first node that has two leaves growing from it. The new growth starts from these points with a branch sprouting on either side of the place where I pruned it back.
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| My Purple Basil Flowers and Leaves |
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| Aphid |
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| Asparagus Beetles |
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| Spider Mite |
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| Tomato Hornworm |
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| Milkweed Bug |
Although basil is generally grown in herb gardens, it can also be grown as an ornamental plant in flower gardens. The bright green foliage is gorgeous against brightly colored flowers and the fragrance is lovely. Plant opal basil with marigolds for a striking contrast. Grow sweet basil and opal basil together in a window box. Both are excellent for growing in pots indoors, too. Try the varieties "Green Ruffles" or "Purple Ruffles" for their beautiful ruffly textures. Regardless of the look you are after for your garden, there is a basil cultivar that will help you to achieve those goals.
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| "Green Ruffles" Basil |
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| "Purple Ruffles" Basil |
I hope this helps you to get some basil growing in your garden! Please leave any comments or questions in the area below!
Peace and Love Always,
Sources:
Photo Credits:
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| Field of Basil |
Sources:
"Basil". En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Photo Credits:
Cultivation of Basil Header Image: Photo Credit: Compost with plants and trowel by lukesw
Classic Basil:
Photo credit: aldenchadwick via VisualHunt.com / CC BY
Young Basil in a Pot: Photo Credit: Basil growing in a pot by tenkende
Basil Rooted in Water: Photo credit: lorigami via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
My Sweet Basil Plant: Photo Credit: Angela Fox-Thompson
Basil after Misting: Photo Credit: Photo via Visualhunt.com
My Fresh Cut Sweet Basil: Photo Credit: Angela Fox-Thompson
Basil Seed Pods: Photo Credit: http://www.thedirtwitchchronicles.com/plants-and-herbs/basil-ocimum-of-the-family-of-plants-lamiaceae/basil-seed-pods/
My Purple Basil--Flowers and Leaves: Photo Credit: Angela Fox-Thompson
Aphid:
Photo credit: Mick E. Talbot via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA
Asparagus Beetles: Photo Credit: David Coppert, Michigan State University, http://www.ipmimages.org
Spider Mite: Photo Credit: http://www.snakesandspiders.com/spider-mite-control/
Tomato Hornworm: Photo Credit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/shining-light-on-the-tomato-hornworm/2013/08/06/de1168d8-f7e8-11e2-a954-358d90d5d72d_story.html?utm_term=.2fe031dcefef
Milkweed Bug: Photo Credit: https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/tag/milkweed-bugs/
Green Ruffles Basil: Photo Credit: http://www.pennywoodward.com.au/fragrant-basil/
Purple Ruffles Basil: Photo Credit: http://www.pennywoodward.com.au/fragrant-basil/
Field of Basil: Photo Credit: Green vegetable plot and life by chokniti
Cultivation of Basil Header Image: Photo Credit: Compost with plants and trowel by lukesw
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