Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:57 pm
In the cultivation of herb plants in the hobby garden basil takes a special place. If you want to successfully grow the king herb yourself, you should take the following aspects to heart. We bring all the important factors around the perfect planting to the point.
Contents
How is basil grown professionally?
If you would like to grow this heat-loving herb yourself, you can do so indoors from the end of March/beginning of April. This is how you proceed:
- Fill a seed tray with peat sand, coconut fiber or seed soil.
- sow the seeds without covering them with substrate
- moisten with a fine spray
- wait for germination in a half-shaded window place at 20-25 degrees Celsius
From a growth height of 5 centimeters prick the seedlings to keep them constantly moist until planting in the open ground.
What site conditions should be considered?
To be able to grow basil profitably, a sunny location is primarily important. In addition, a location protected from rain and drafts is advantageous. In the bed, choose a planting site where no king weed has been cultivated in the past 2 years, as a precaution against fungal spores lurking there. On the windowsill, in addition to plenty of sun, good air circulation is important.
In what soil basil grows optimally?
It is one of the unexpected attributes of this herb plant that basil is a heavy grower. Thus, the composition of the soil depends on these factors:
- nutrient-rich, humus-rich, deep soil
- loose, fresh-moist and slightly sandy
- an ideal pH value of 6.5 to 7.5
- Thus, if you are planting mullein in a pot, lean herbal soil is unsuitable. Instead, use compost-based potting soil optimized with sand, perlite or expanded clay.
When is planting time for mullein?
The Mediterranean herb does not tolerate temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius. For outdoor cultivation, therefore, the second half of May is primarily suitable, when there is no longer any fear of late frosts in the soil. If you grow basil on the balcony, place the tub outside during the day from April. From mid-May, the plant will also stay outdoors at night.
How to plant in the bed and tub?
If you grow basil in the garden, carefully weed the soil at the chosen location. Then rake the soil well and remove roots or stones. Then continue in this way:
- Dig a planting pit with twice the volume of the root ball.
- enrich the excavation with sieved compost, granulated cattle manure or humus
- at the bottom create a 3-4 cm high drainage of grit, expanded clay or clay shards
- fill in a handful of substrate and plant the potted basil in it
After planting the seedling should not be deeper than previously in the seed pot. Last but not least, water generously. Proceed similarly when planting in a pot, using the recommended substrate. Then give the young basil plants a few days to get used to the full sun. Put the pot in partial shade for 3-4 days and shade bedding plants with a parasol.
What are the methods of propagation?
Apart from sowing, basil is waiting with the uncomplicated propagation by means of cuttings. To do this, cut from a vital mother plant 10-15 cm long shoot tips, which are defoliated in the lower part. In a glass of water, the cuttings will root within a few days. Now you can plant them in a potting soil-sand mixture, so that the cuttings quickly develop into a vigorous young plant here.
How to harvest basil?
In growing basil, 6 to 8 weeks usually pass between sowing and a first harvest. Do not pluck off individual leaves, but harvest whole shoots at a length of 5-7 centimeters. Cut off the tips of shoots continuously, this measure at the same time stop flowering. Once mullein flowers, the leaves take on a bitter taste and the plant dies.
How to harvest the seeds?
Provided that you want to obtain the seeds for propagation by yourself, mullein should first be allowed to bloom. While the pretty flowers slowly withered, the small seed stalks develop underneath. Pick off the withered leaflets. To harvest the seeds, proceed as follows:
- cut off the withered flower stalks
- over a bowl, wipe off the fruits and flowers with your fingers
- grind the flower-seed mixture between the palms of your hands.
- Sift this mixture until the black seeds remain. These dry in the air for a few more days and then store them in a dark container in a cool cellar.
Tips & Tricks
Basil is an immensely useful planting partner in the bed. In community with tomatoes, vines, peppers, beans, kohlrabi, corn and onions, the aromatic herb plant drives away annoying pests and sneaky fungal spores. Only with conspecifics, such as dill, lemon balm, savory or thyme, the royal herb does not get along.