Basil is a fragrant seasoning that can bring magical effects to ordinary dishes and is easy to grow. Fresh basil and dried basil taste very different, almost like two completely different herbs. Of course, fresh basil is more flavorful than dried basil. Read this article to learn how to grow and harvest basil.
How to care for basil is part of a series of tutorials on growing basil. The tutorial also includes sowing seeds, caring for basil, harvesting and using basil. If you want to learn how to care for basil, follow this article from the production department Learn the illustrated tutorial on growing basil.
How to care for basil
- 1Move the pot. Once the basil has grown 1-2 mature leaves, you can move the basil to a garden or formal pot. Basil doesn't tolerate freezing, so don't move it outdoors too early. Its best to move basil to a location with plenty of sunlight and plant it in well-drained soil.
- If you want to grow basil in your garden, dig holes every 15 centimeters away, bury the roots of the basil in the holes, and fill the holes with soil up to the stems. Firm the soil slightly to remove air from the soil.
- If you want to grow basil in a container of some kind, make sure the container is large enough to accommodate all the basil you plant. Because basil can grow quite large, leave at least 15 centimeters between each plant.
- 2Keep the soil moist, but not watery. Basil grows well in soil with good drainage and cannot be soaked in water all the time. For mature basil, water should be watered once every morning to give the basil sufficient time to absorb and evaporate water and prevent the soil from drying out at night.
- 3Pinch off the flower bones. When the basil blooms, remove the flowers and the underside of the flowers. Pinch off both leaves of the basil. Flowering will cause hormonal changes in the basil, reducing the aroma of the basil and causing the basil to grow fewer leaves. This phenomenon of flowering and fruiting mostly occurs when the sun is particularly bright. If you If you don't pinch off the flower bones, you will find that the basil leaves are getting longer and thinner, and they will not be as fragrant as before.
- 4Pay attention to pests and Mold. Basil tends to attract Japanese beetles. The best way to get rid of the infestation is to pick out and catch the beetles yourself. If your basil is prone to mold infestation, it may mean that they don't get enough sunlight or are growing too thin. Too dense. Dig out the smaller basils to give the larger ones plenty of room to grow.
DIY Tips
- If your basil seedlings are skinny and spindly, they may not be getting enough sunlight.
- Basil can also be planted directly in the garden, so you don’t need to cultivate them first, so you can choose varieties that grow quickly, such as lemon basil, which is a good choice. But actually, all basils grow quickly and prolifically, and you don’t need to plant them ahead of time.
- When direct seeding in the garden, make sure the surface of the soil is moist. But there are some rules against overwatering, saying to keep the surface of the soil slightly dry. But you must pay attention to the degree of dryness. Seeds or seedlings without deep roots are very fragile and can do a lot of damage to them once the soil dries out for a few hours.
- Water basil moderately, watering the flowers with warm water twice a day until the basil grows.
- You can also cross-culture basil with other plants. Basil is said to enhance the flavor of tomatoes and peppers, and also protects against worms and aphids.
Notes
- When watering, do not get the leaves wet. Unless you are doing a foliar spray or foliar fertilization - leaves can sometimes become infected with insects.
- Don’t overlook the opportunity to grow basil. There are many unexpected varieties of basil, choose the one that is most useful and interesting to you to grow.
- When moving basil from indoors to the garden, make sure you gradually acclimate the basil to the outdoors rather than suddenly moving it outdoors, making basil unable to adapt to changes in the environment.
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