Basil in the pot: care from A-Z

Many households keep basil in pots. Often the plants are taken with you when you go shopping and then completely consumed or die due to lack of care. It is quite easy to cultivate the royal herb even in smaller vessels. If the location is also right, a copy can even be kept for several years and used permanently in the kitchen or otherwise.

Characteristics

Genus: Basil (Ocimum)
Family: Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Common names: royal herb, basil, basil herb
upright herb, annual or perennial depending on how it is kept
Height: 20 - 60 cm
Leaves: elongated leaves with serrated or smooth edges, colored differently depending on the species
Blossom: zygomorphic pseudo whorls in annual inflorescences, colored differently depending on the species, mostly white
Flowering period: beginning of June to mid-September
Origin: northwestern India (not confirmed for sure)
Due to the ingredients it is used as a culinary herb

Buy preferred potted plants

The necessary care measures when keeping the royal herb are much more difficult if you have acquired a weakened specimen. Typically, the spice is bought in the supermarket. However, these specimens are only bred for rapid consumption. If you want to enjoy your basilia for longer, you should purchase plants from a nursery or specialist retailer if possible. Weekly markets are just as suitable. Pay attention to the following points when choosing:

dried up substrate
Stems and leaves light green
weak aroma
Pest infestation
Leaf discoloration
Putrefactive odor

basil If it is all about a dry substrate, weak aromas or light green plant material, you can safely purchase the plant and spice it up again. There are seven species and subspecies to choose from:

Basil (bot. Ocimum basilicum)
Bush basil (bot. Ocimum minimum)
Tulsi (bot. Ocimum sanctum)
Horapa (bot. Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora)
Lemon basil (bot. Ocimum citriodorum)
Tree basil (bot. Ocimum gratissimum)
African basil (bot. Ocimum kilimanjaricum)

Take your time when choosing, because each of the types has different properties and aromas. The lemon basil inspires with a fresh citrus aroma, while the Horapa is reminiscent of aniseed or liquorice.

Location

An important point for the successful cultivation of Basilia in the pot is the location. Since the basil is a genus from the tropics, it is important to adapt the location to the requirements of the

Krauts adapt. This is the only way to ensure good growth and strong aroma development. The royal herb cookie should have the following properties regardless of each species:

Light requirement: sunny
Partial shade tolerated for short periods of time
warm
Minimum temperature: 12 ° C
protected

When keeping it, it is important not to leave the plant standing behind the glass all the time. Basilia likes a place in the fresh air and especially enjoys the summer outdoors. If you can make this possible, you will enjoy a rich harvest and fragrant herbs on the balcony, terrace or in the garden. If you have just bought and repotted your plant, you shouldn't place it in the sun too much for the first week, but get used to it slowly. This will prevent the leaves from drying out, as well as possible sunburn. The plant must first adjust to the increased amount of light.

Substrate

It's not just the location that is essential for keeping and cultivating basil in pots. In order to provide the mint with sufficient moisture, nutrients and a good stand, the substrate is just as important. The herb requires a special substrate composition in order to be able to establish itself in it, which increases vitality and makes overwintering easier. Design the substrate as follows:

relaxed
permeable
nutritious
humus
pH value: 6.5 - 7.2
of high quality

As you can see, basil must be planted in soil that primarily protects against waterlogging, as the plant is very sensitive to this. A combination of humus herbal soil, which you enrich with sufficient compost, is well suited for an ideal structure and supply. Herbal soil has the advantage that it is not too firm and therefore ensures an effective fit and good permeability. This is exactly what the basil wants.

Repot

As mentioned above, repotting is an important step in caring for the basil and is not only necessary for newly acquired specimens. While repotting should be done immediately after purchase, it is important that you move the plant into a larger pot whenever the old one is too small. This should also be the case with compacted or too old substrate that has problems storing nutrients. If you want to repot in spring, you should do so in May. It is important to have a new planter that is larger than the old one and has drainage holes. When moving the plant to fresh substrate, proceed as follows:

Apply drainage
Drainage material: gravel
Fill in a little substrate
Detach basilia from the old earth
Gently shake off the earth
Check the root
Remove dried, dead or rotten roots
Put carefully in a new pot
fill up with substrate
press gently
moisten well

Basil in the pot If you have a very large plant, it is best to divide it up. More than ten main stems in a container are not recommended due to the lack of space, unless you have plenty of space in the container. If you divide the crop, you don't necessarily need larger pots, just fresh substrate.

care

A great advantage of cultivating royal herb is that it is easy to care for. Although it needs a lot of care because it is a tropical plant, once the rhythm sets in, care is much easier. You have to pay particular attention to adding water and wintering. If the crop is not cared for as much as necessary, the royal herb quickly suffers from diseases and pests. But these can also be combated.

to water

Basil is a tropical plant and is highly dependent on sufficient moisture. For this reason, you need to water them regularly to guarantee the supply of moisture. Besides, you have to be careful not to let the plant drown. Waterlogging quickly leads to a number of problems with basil, especially in pots. The following points will help you when pouring:

Water more often when there is a lot of sun
pour when the substrate surface has dried on
Use finger test
give small amounts of water

The water should never stand still in the coaster. It is best to pour this off after a few minutes so that the moisture does not collect too much and rotten roots develop in the end, which can rape the whole plant. It is best to use water with little lime for watering, as basil can only withstand small amounts of lime. The following are well suited for this:

stale tap water
Filter water
Rainwater

When watering, you should never pour directly onto the royal herb. This increases the risk of fungal infections and, in strong sunshine, of burning the leaves. Only the substrate is poured so that this risk can be contained.

Note: Never put your basil pot in the rain. In most cases, this leads to waterlogging and can severely damage the plant, which makes rain protection very important in summer.

Fertilize

Like many other plants from the tropical regions of the world, it is important for royal herb to provide it with the right fertilizer at the necessary times with nutrients. Regular fertilization throughout the year is necessary so that the basil can develop its intense aroma and maintain its vitality at the same time. Even in winter there is fertilization because the crop does not really take a winter break, especially not when you harvest it. The fertilization works as follows:

Frequency: 2-4 weeks
use high quality herbal liquid fertilizers
Administer via irrigation water
ideally fertilize in the morning

The liquid fertilizer is much better suited for fertilizing, as it can be administered more easily with the irrigation water and is distributed more quickly in the substrate. You should fertilize in the morning so that the midday sun does not let the fertilizer burn into the substrate. When you fertilize, like the irrigation water, the fertilizer is not given over the leaves.

Note: If you want to harvest your Ocimum specimens regularly and cultivate them over a period of several years, you should only fertilize with organic-based products. This will prevent ingesting chemicals that could negatively affect your health.

Cut

In addition to fertilizing and watering, pruning the basil is another essential maintenance step. The main thing is to prevent the basil from blooming, otherwise the aroma of the leaves will noticeably decrease. They even take on a strongly bitter aroma during flowering. Depending on your preference, it is cut all year round, and more often over the summer. Only cut off the shoot tips and never into the woody part of the perennial basil. Always leave the lowest pair of leaves on each shoot to encourage new growth. This is also how you keep the basil in

Chess when it grows too fast for you.

Tip: If you want to use the basil in the garden as an insect pasture, save yourself the pruning in spring and wait for it to bloom. Just before the end of flowering, simply cut the royal herb and use the flowers to make vinegar or as part of a salad, as they are edible.

Overwinter

Hibernating protects Ocimum from the low temperatures that prevail in Central Europe over winter. Proceed as follows:

transport inside at below 15 ° C
Winter roost temperature: 15 ° C - 20 ° C
bright
protected from drafts
do not place over radiators

Sufficient humidity is very important during this period, as the royal herb will otherwise suffer from drought. Use a spray bottle or an automatic humidifier for this. If you have problems with enough light, it is best to use grow lights until spring has arrived.

Multiply

Yes, basil plants can be propagated by sowing or cuttings in addition to dividing them. If you plan to sow, you will either need to let the plant bloom or purchase seeds:

Time of sowing: April
Substrate: 2 parts potting soil, 1 part sand
moisten
Fill into the cultivation container
Max. twelve seeds per vessel
place on earth
Lightly press
Cover the cultivation vessel
use cling film for this
alternatively mini greenhouse
Temperature: 20 ° C - 25 ° C
Location: bright
ventilate daily
Keep the substrate moist
Seeds germinate quite quickly

basil The seedlings are then selected and placed in their own pots with a suitable substrate. The cuttings, on the other hand, can be used for propagation all year round. These should be ten centimeters tall and have one or two pairs of leaves. After two to three weeks in the water glass, roots should have developed, which enables planting in a pot (a maximum of ten cuttings per container).

Pests and diseases

Despite its origin, basil is quite resistant, but it can quickly suffer from fungal or viral diseases. If the herb suffers from one of the following fungal diseases, you must remove the affected parts of the plant immediately and dispose of them in the general waste. Chemical agents are not applicable as Ocimum is used for consumption.

Stem rot

Is caused by waterlogging and can destroy the entire plant as the roots rot and an unpleasant smell can be heard. The stems can also take on a different color. Unfortunately, in this case you have to destroy the entire plant so that the fungus does not spread any further.

Leaf spot disease

Yellow or brownish red spots are caused by moisture on the leaves. The basil will quickly recover from this when the leaves are removed. The individual spots can run into one another, which weakens the plant very much.

Lucerne mosaic virus

If you can see yellowed leaves and stains in the pattern of a mosaic, then you are dealing with this viral infection. Aphids can also be seen and leaves with deformations or compressions. If the infestation is severe, destroy all of the herb. Otherwise, fight aphids and remove infected areas.

Fusarium wilt

This serious fungal disease with fatal outcome for the plant can be recognized by the yellowing of the leaves, mainly the older ones. In addition, the plant weakens severely. Over time, the herb will simply die and there is no countermeasure.

Pest infestations are also recorded when keeping them in the garden. These include above all snails and the caterpillars of the dock bark owl (Acronicta rumicis), which like to enjoy the leaves. You can keep snails away with a snail guard while the moth caterpillars are collected and infected parts are disposed of.

Tip: Don't worry, a lignified stem is not a sign of disease or pest infestation if the leaf and stem color is preserved. All types of basil are woody plants that, with years of good care, grow very quickly grow robustly and thus the lignification represents a positive aspect when it is the plant in the pot goes well.