Basil is a crop that requires special attention, but many people know that it can be grown all year round in a regular flower pot at home. True, not everyone has the patience and skill.
This culture loves warmth and light. She needs a constant temperature in the range of 20-25 degrees and continuous lighting. Basil should have good quality soil, as well as a daily "shower" and always watering.
3 ways to grow basil in pots
Transplanting an adult plant into a pot
This method is suitable for those who grow basil in a vegetable garden or on a personal plot. Young bushes that have not yet bloomed are carefully dug out together with a small earthen clod and placed in a flower pot. After a short growing season, the basil begins to bloom. The flowers will have to be cut off, and the young shoots are cut, they will be useful for propagation by cuttings. This method can be called "transfer from open ground".
Growing by cuttings
The method of growing by cuttings is not difficult. Young shoots or tops of an adult plant can become cuttings. They must be placed in any container with water for about ten days. As soon as the roots appear, the plant can be planted in a pot. It will only take a couple of weeks and you can try the first greens. This plant will be useful in the house for 3-4 months.
Growing from seeds
The way to grow basil from seed has its pros and cons. The downside is that the bush will grow much longer than when propagated by cuttings. You will be able to taste the first greens not earlier than after 8-12 months. And the plus is that such a bush will last much longer.
Growing basil from seeds: basic steps
The basil family has several types and varieties. For planting in pots, you need to choose seeds of undersized and bunch-like varieties. Initially, seeds are planted in small plastic containers or small pots. As the plant grows, after the appearance of 2-3 full-fledged leaves, you will have to move it to a container of larger volume. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the fragile young roots. You can shorten this process by planting the seeds directly into a large pot (about 1 liter capacity).
Before filling the pot with soil, do not forget to put any drainage at least two centimeters high on the bottom. The soil must be specially prepared from several important components: one part of humus and two parts of coconut fiber (or peat). Be sure to pour the entire mixture with liquid mineral fertilizers. Basil soil requires fertile and easily absorbing water.
Selected basil seeds must go through a disinfection period, being in a solution of potassium permanganate for two hours. Only then can they be planted in soil that has been watered abundantly beforehand. Each seed is planted at a shallow depth (no more than 1 centimeter), every 10 centimeters.Then the surface is completely covered with a transparent film and is not removed until the first shoots appear.
If a constant temperature (from +20 to +25 degrees) is maintained in the room where the seeds germinate, then very soon (after about 10 days) the first shoots will sprout.
As soon as young shoots have appeared, the pots are immediately transferred to a room, where it is always warm and well-lit. The Basilica really likes "water treatments". It must be watered regularly at the same time, once a day. On hot summer days, this procedure can be repeated in the morning and evening. Spraying with water at room temperature will not be superfluous.
Basil is a subtropical plant that should be exposed to sunlight for as long as possible. Solar lighting and heating is simply vital for a plant to grow and develop normally. Under favorable conditions, the culture will bush and branch very quickly. The main thing is that the air temperature does not fall below 20 degrees Celsius, and there are no drafts.
The soil under adult basil needs to be enriched with oxygen. This is done every 3 days by loosening. And it is also desirable to feed poor soil with organic or universal fertilizers.
The first spicy greens can be tasted in about a month and a half. It is necessary to carefully cut off mature leaves and be sure to leave at least three leaves on the bush. In order for the basil bush to grow in breadth, and not in height, you need to pinch the topmost leaves.
Best time to grow basil in pots
Basil can be grown in pots throughout the year. True, at a certain time he will need more attention, patience and additional strength. This plant is native to the subtropics, therefore, throughout the year, it needs to create special conditions for full growth and development.
He is very sensitive to drafts and reacts very negatively to them. He constantly needs sunlight and warmth. Therefore, in the cold autumn-winter period, you will have to work hard to preserve the plant. The basil pots may need to be wrapped in plastic on the coldest days. During short light days or in cloudy weather, the plant will need additional lighting.
In this regard, basil is recommended to be planted in early March, when daylight hours are already increasing and the sun's heat becomes more noticeable. Such natural conditions help the plant in the active phase of development. And in the summer, the strengthened basilica is not afraid of anything.
