Growing basil: 7 tip to ensure it flourishes
Basil is a great in the kitchen and on our summer balconies. With its scent and aromatic flavor, basil is indispensable in sweet and savory dishes. For this reason, many of us have basil growing in pots at home. Unfortunately, basil withers and dies relatively quickly, and we constantly find ourselves replacing dead basil plants with new ones.
However, there are tips to make basil flourish and make it last well beyond its normal season. From the right positioning to the management of its flowering, through fertilizing and the quality of the soil, we list below 7 tips to keep your basil at its best.
Netha Hussein/Wikimedia Commons
1. Let's start with positioning: basil loves very bright places, therefore, outdoors, place it in a very sunny spot; indoors, place it near a window, preferably facing south.
2. The pot the basil is in must be spacious enough; it is therefore advisable to divide up any newly purchased seedlings, so that they have more space to grow and are not over-crowded.
3. As far as watering is concerned, make sure that the soil always remains moist (but not soaking). Wet only the soil, keeping the leaves dry; in this way you will avoid fungus from taking hold.
4. Regular soil is fine for the plant, but make sure it is well-draining; for example, you can spread a layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the vase.
5. To stimulate growth, you can fertilize twice a month, using a biological liquid fertilizer to be added to the irrigation water.
6. When harvesting basil for your favorite recipes, strip off entire stems instead of scattered leaves from multiple branches; to dry them out for the winter, collect leaves in July-August (when they have the maximum fragrance), especially if picked early in the morning.
7. Finally, a tip on flowering management: if you want to ensure a bountiful harvest of very fragrant leaves, make sure you remove the tops of the stems before they flower. If, on the other hand, it should happen that one of the branches of your plants starts to bloom, cut it off as soon as you discover it. If you allow the flowering to finish, the plant will reach the end of its crop cycle.
By following these tips, your basil plants will flourish for longer. Finally, remember that the leaves, to best release their aroma, should not be cut with a knife or scissors but broken up with your fingers.
Are you ready to buy your next batch of basil seedlings?
