How to grow basil at home on a windowsill from seeds
Basil is a valuable herb with a spicy taste. It is used not only as a fragrant seasoning for various dishes, but also as a medicinal plant with anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, tonic and other useful properties. The plant is thermophilic, so the period of its cultivation in the open field is only 3-4 months. To have fresh herbs on your table all year round, consider how to grow basil on your windowsill at home.
Home-grown basil varieties
For growing basil at home on a windowsill, you can choose any variety. But you need to remember that small-leaved and undersized varieties grow faster and require less labor. For Purple Basil and other tall varieties, it takes more time and careful observation of keeping conditions.
The most popular among home gardeners are the following varieties:
- Violet.
- Citric.
- Clove scent.
- Marquis.
- Dwarf.
- Yerevan.
Violet is a large-leaved variety of basil, reaches a height of 50 cm. The leaves are purple or purple in color. The plant is highly decorative and has the most pronounced aroma.
Lemon is a small-leaved tall variety. Leaves are light green in color, oblong with small villi on the surface. Has a rich lemon scent.
Clove scent is a decorative variety of green basil. The bush is spherical. The leaves have a clove scent with a touch of laurel.
Marquis is a small-leaved compact shrub of the mid-early ripening period. The leaves have a spicy scent.
Dwarf is a miniature variety, reaching a height of 10-20 cm. Sometimes it is green and purple. Possesses a spicy and pungent taste. Decorative bush, spherical.
Yerevan is a low-growing small-leaved variety of purple basil. Has a peppery taste with notes of tea.
Landing methods
There are several ways to plant a spice. The fastest and least time-consuming is to transplant a finished plant from the garden. For this, young shoots are taken and, together with a lump of earth, are placed in a pot. It should be noted that the fruiting period of such a plant is the shortest, since the flowering period will begin soon and it will have to be updated.
The method of growing basil by seeds is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming. The main advantage of this method is the longevity of the bush. Under suitable conditions and proper care, young greens can be harvested for a whole year.
Can plant basil 1-2 seeds in a large pot or sow several dozen seeds in a common shallow container. In about a month and a half, when the seedlings reach a height of 5-7 cm, they can be planted in individual pots.
Soil selection
Having decided on the method of planting, you can start preparing the soil.
The plant is distinguished by high demands on the conditions of detention, including the quality of the soil. In order for basil to feel good on the windowsill, the soil in which it will grow must be fertile, light, and allow air and moisture to pass through well. To do this, you can take in equal proportions universal soil for indoor plants and garden soil, which must be treated against pests before use. The soil from the store does not need pre-treatment, since the producers take care of this in advance.
A mixture of vermicompost with coconut substrate in a ratio of 1: 2 or with soil for domestic plants in a ratio of 1: 4 is also suitable.
It is important to remember that a drainage layer is a prerequisite for basil. To do this, a layer of expanded clay, pebbles or foam with a height of 2-3 cm must be poured onto the bottom of the container.
Basil growing tank
Before planting seeds, you need to choose the right container based on the selected planting method. If further picking of seedlings is expected, then at the initial stage any small pots and cups or a box 7-10 cm high will do.
If you plan to grow basil in a pot without transplanting, then the volume of the container should be 1.5-2 liters, and the height should be at least 15 cm. Any container for growing spicy seasoning at home should be equipped with drainage holes.
Presowing seed preparation
The process of germination of sprouts from seeds on the windowsill can take several weeks. This is due to the fact that the seeds of this spicy plant have a dense shell containing essential oils. To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, you must perform the following actions.
Before sowing, basil seeds should be soaked in warm water for 1-2 days. The water should be changed every 8-12 hours. After that, the seeds can be held for 2 hours in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate to exclude the possible development of fungal infections. After this time, the seeds are dried on a cloth or napkin and sowed.
Sowing basil seeds
When growing basil at home, you need to remember that the health of the plant, its growth and the quality of the harvest also depend on the correct planting. The seeds of this spicy plant are small, so they do not need to be deeply buried. The optimal embedding depth is 1 cm. The distance between future plants should be 10-15 cm. If seeds are sown in a common container for subsequent picking, then between them it is necessary to leave at least 2 cm of free space in a row and 5-7 cm between rows to when transplanting, do not injure young roots.
The seeds are placed in well-moistened soil. After planting, the container must be covered with cling film, glass or a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect and put away in a dark, warm place, avoiding being near open vents. The cover is removed once a day for a few minutes to prevent the development of mold. This is done before the emergence of shoots, after which the shelter is removed completely.
Conditions for germinating seeds
Basil does not tolerate low temperatures, therefore the optimal conditions for seed germination are + 25 ... + 28 ° C. It is not required to additionally moisten the soil before germination; if necessary, you can only lightly spray the surface from a spray bottle. Under the necessary conditions, young shoots of the basil will appear in 5-7 days.
After the appearance of the first shoots, the containers are transferred to a well-lit, draft-protected place. The air temperature in the room should be within + 20 ... + 25 ° С. When the temperature drops below this level, the plant begins to slow down in development and lose its aroma.
It is better to grow basil in natural light during the warm season, when the duration of daylight hours is at least 12 hours. For lighting in winter, you will need to use additional artificial sources, for example, phytolamps. They are turned on for 3-4 hours in the evening, setting at a distance of 25-30 cm from the tops of the plants. On cloudy days, these lamps can be left on throughout the day.
When the seedlings grow up to 5-7 cm, if necessary, you need to thin them out and add 2-3 cm of soil so that the sprouts stretch less and the leg becomes stronger.
Basil care rules at home
For basil to grow well, be fragrant and juicy, it needs constant moderate moisture. In hot periods, water the plant every day in the morning. You can also spray greens throughout the day with a spray bottle. It is important to remember that the soil cannot be waterlogged in order to avoid stagnant water and root rot.
In the autumn-winter period, basil is enough to water 2 times a week.
For better air permeability, the soil in containers with plants is loosened once every 2-3 days. Do this when the bush reaches a large size. For immature shoots, this procedure is not carried out in order to avoid damage to the not yet formed root system.
For good growth, it is necessary to feed the plants with organic fertilizers once every 2 weeks. A universal fertilizer based on compost or humates is well suited for this.
Harvesting
The first basil greens can be obtained 1-1.5 months after sowing the seeds. To make the plant at home on the windowsill lush and branch well, you need to regularly pinch off 1-2 side leaves. For the first time, this can be done when 4 adult leaves appear on the bush. When the plant has 6-8 leaves, pinch its top, thus ensuring the development of lateral shoots. This procedure is done every 2-3 weeks. Lateral shoots are also pinched at the point of growth behind the third pair of leaves.
At least 4 lower leaves must be left on each plant, since new shoots will subsequently form in their axils. If you cut them off, the plant will tend to grow upward, and not in breadth, and a beautiful lush bush will not work. In addition, its yield will decrease significantly.
When the first buds appear, they are immediately removed along with the two lower leaves. If this is not done, the basil will lose its taste, become tough and unsuitable for food.
Growing basil from cuttings
There is another interesting way to grow basil on windows at home. It consists in the following: from an adult bush bought in a store or growing in a garden in the open field, a lateral stalk is separated and placed in a container with water. The main thing is that the stalk is fresh and does not have time to lose its elasticity. The water needs to be changed every day. After 1-2 weeks, roots will appear and the plant will need to be planted in a pot.
This method is convenient for those who want to grow basil on the balcony without spending a lot of time and effort. The first harvest with this method of planting can be obtained in 7-10 days, but the plant will live no more than 4 months.
