How to Successfully Grow Basil Indoors
Growing basil indoors is a simple and obvious way to enjoy basil all year round. But even though basil remains one of the easier herbs, others are not so successful. And if you’re one of them, here are some common growing mistakes that could be the reason why your plant is not thriving as it should be.
1. A windowsill might be the perfect place to grow it indoors. But many tend to overlook that cold drafts come from the window especially during cool season. Basil is very sensitive to cold.
Solution: Move basil to a warmer place in the room during evenings, when cold drafts are likely to come.
2. Stale air or thick air, which is prevalent in enclosed areas, is also not good for growing basil. It needs light, circulating air.
Solution: Provide good ventilation by running a slow-moving fan where you place your basil.
3. Basil enjoys lots of light, six to eight hours a day. Again, windowsill is the obvious place to get lots of light inside the house. However, the direction in which the window is facing dictates how much light is available. South-facing windows receive the highest amount of sunlight, East and West, moderate sun and North, low sun.
4. There is also such a thing as exposing your basil to too much sun. This happens when you left your basil baking under the sun for more than eight hours a day.
Solution: Avoid this by placing basil in a partly shaded area after it has been exposed to the sun for six hours.
5. A well-draining soil is just as important as a rich soil.
Solution: Add a layer of gravel to the bottom of your growing pot to ensure proper soil drainage. This is of course, after you’ve made sure that you have adequate drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
6. Like with the sun, there is also such a thing as over-watering. And this is the most common crime committed against herbs like basil.
Solution: Water only when the soil feels dry to the touch. The best way to water is by immersing it in a tub full of water, up to the brim of the pot. If pot is too big, just pour water at the base of the plant. Avoid sprinkling water over the plant.
7. Flowers are supposed to be good right? Well, not exactly for your basil. Once they bloom, they will begin to seed and seeding is fulfilling it’s life ultimate purpose. After that, it will stop growing leaves and will eventually die. Also, once basil starts to bloom, its flavor weakens.
Solution: This isn’t really a problem if you’re goal is to produce basil seeds. But if you hadn’t have enough of your basil and still wants to enjoy using the herb, pinch off all its flowers. This will trick the plants that it’s job is not yet done and will keep on growing leaves. On some instances, you may have to wait for a week before its flavor returns. Pruning leaves while deadheading will be help encourage it to grow more leaves and develop a strong flavor faster.
If you have more than basil leaves that you need, you can store them for future use. Check this post on how to harvest and preserve herbs for some tips on how you can store your basil herbs. Or check out this link if you want more in-depth information on how you can grow basically any herbs.
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