Method 1: sowing
1, choose the variety you want to grow. There are many varieties of basil, each with a different flavor. Check the relevant information and find one or more varieties you like to plant. You can buy the corresponding seeds from the flower shop. Let's take a look at our recommendation first: cinnamon basil has a sweet taste and can produce beautiful flowers with charming fragrance.
Lemon basil contains citral. Citral is the aroma component of citrus fruits, and lemon basil also smells strong lemon flavor.
Purple basil is mostly for ornamental purposes, with charming fragrance and gorgeous flowers.
Some basil are perennial and will continue to grow next year after withering. For example, African blue basil (the leaves of this basil have blue texture) and Thai basil. But most of the basil is annual, so you have to plant a new batch every year.
Greek basil and sweet-ball basil are difficult to raise, but they can grow small bundles with dense leaves, which are suitable for ornamental and gardening.
2. Sow seeds indoors. Sow indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Basil is warm and sunny, so it is safer to sow indoors, which can prevent basil from being damaged by frost. If you live in a hot area, you can also plant seeds outdoors.
If you don't know when the last frost is, you can check the perpetual calendar or ask the local gardener.
3. Prepare the container and soil for sowing. Fill a square basin or a separate container with the same amount of vermiculite, perlite and peat soil. Gently press the soil to remove air. Wet the soil with water to prepare a suitable environment for seed germination.
4. sow. Bury one or two seeds in each container and gently cover it with a layer of soil. Wrap the flowerpot with plastic film to keep the soil moist. Put the flowerpot under the window of Chaoyang, uncover the film twice a day, and sprinkle water on the soil to keep it moist.
5. Remove the plastic film after the seeds germinate. When the first tendril-like green seedlings emerged from the soil, it was time to remove the film. Water the buds twice a day, and don't let the soil completely dry up. When the plants grow to a few centimeters high and the leaves are gradually mature, you can move the basil into a large container.
Method 2: Take care of basil
1, move the basin. When the basil grows 1-2 mature leaves, you can move the basil to the garden or a formal flowerpot. Basil is not resistant to freezing, so don't move outdoors too early. It is best to move the basil to a place with sufficient light and plant it in soil with good drainage. If you want to plant basil in the garden, dig a hole every15cm, bury the root of basil in the hole, and fill the stem with soil. Compacting the soil a little bit to expel the air from the soil.
If you want to plant basil in a container, please make sure that the container is big enough to hold all the basil you planted. Because the basil will grow very big, at least15cm should be left between each basil.
2. Keep the soil moist, but don't let the soil be watery. Basil can only grow well in soil with good drainage, and it can't be soaked in water all the time. For mature basil, water should be poured once every morning to give basil enough time to absorb and evaporate water and prevent the soil from drying out at night.
3, pinch off the flower bones. When the basil blooms, pinch off the flower and the two leaves under it. Flowering will change the hormones of basil, reduce the aroma of basil and reduce the leaves of basil. This phenomenon of flowering and fruiting often occurs in the case of particularly abundant sunshine. If you don't pinch off the flowers and bones, you will find that the leaves of basil are getting thinner and longer, and it won't be so fragrant as before.
4, pay attention to pests and mold. Basil attracts Japanese beetles easily. The best way to get rid of pests is to pick out and catch beetles by hand. If your basil has a tendency to be attacked by mold, it proves that they may not have enough sunshine or grow too densely. Dig out the small basil and give the big basil plenty of room to grow.
Method 3: Harvest and use basil
1, harvesting and coring. As the plant matures, when the basil grows tall enough, take off the top two leaves. If you look carefully, you will find that there are two tender leaves at the root of each leaf. If you cut off the stem between them, these two tender leaves will grow out. When coring, cut as close as possible to the tender leaves, but be careful not to hurt these two leaves. Picking the core can make plants more energetic and promote the continued growth of strong stems and leaves. This will also make the plants grow more densely.
Don't pinch off the lower end of the stem, or the basil will grow thin and sparse. What you want is dense basil. Therefore, the heart must be picked from the top.
2. Enjoy fresh basil. After washing the basil, you can use them to make green sauce, or use tomatoes and Mashuri cheese to make tomato cheese salad.
3. Keep the basil in the refrigerator. You may get a lot of basil, and you can't eat a meal. You can plan to keep basil in the refrigerator. Wash the leaves, dry them, wrap them in paper towels, put them in a sealed fresh-keeping box and put them in the refrigerator.
4. Frozen basil. It's not a good idea to freeze the basil leaves directly. But if the basil is mashed first, it can be stored in the freezer for several months. Put the basil in a blender, add a little water, and mash it into a paste. Then put the basil paste in a fresh-keeping bag and put it in a freezer, and take it out when necessary.
Tip If the seedlings of basil are slender and delicate, it may be that there is not enough sunshine.
Basil can also be planted directly in the garden, so you don't need to cultivate them in advance, so you can choose fast-growing varieties, such as lemon basil. But in fact, all basil grows quickly and is prolific, so you don't need to plant it in advance.
When sowing directly in the garden, please make sure that the surface of the soil is wet. But there are some rules against over watering, saying that the surface of the soil should be kept slightly dry. But you must pay attention to the degree of dryness. Seeds or seedlings without deep roots are very fragile, and once the soil is dried for several hours, it will do great harm to them.
Water the basil moderately, and water the flowers with warm water twice a day until the basil grows up.
You can also cross-culture basil with other plants. It is said that basil will enrich the flavor of tomatoes and peppers and prevent worms and aphids.
Warning don't wet the leaves when watering. Unless you are spraying or fertilizing leaves-leaves can sometimes be infected with pests.
Don't ignore the opportunity to plant basil. There are many unexpected varieties of basil. Choose one that is most useful and interesting for you to plant.
When moving basil from indoors to the garden, make sure that you have gradually adapted basil to the outdoor environment, instead of suddenly moving it outdoors so that basil can't adapt to the changes in the environment.