We grow basil on the windowsill: how to plant with seeds and cuttings

Now growing herbs and herbs on the windowsill is gaining widespread popularity and basil is no exception.

But in order for the end result to meet expectations, it is necessary to know in advance the rules for growing basil at home, carefully study the needs of the plant, the rules for sowing or rooting cuttings, and also familiarize yourself with further conditions for keeping and caring for a spicy green plant in an apartment.

Features of growing basil on a windowsill

Basil is an indispensable ingredient for people who care about their health and maintain their figure. At the same time, it is enough to eat only a few branches of greens a day in order to provide the body with useful vitamins and microelements.

To grow basil on a windowsill, you need to carefully prepare, as this will require:

• decide on a variety and purchase seeds or cut fresh cuttings from an adult plant;
• choose a suitable place (window sill) in the apartment;
• prepare planting containers and nutrient substrate;
• to carry out pre-sowing preparation and seed treatment;
• to study the features of watering and feeding;
• get acquainted with possible diseases and measures to combat them.

Important! Basil on the windowsill is very responsive to care and therefore requires increased attention, since it cannot stand ignoring the rules of its maintenance.

Without a doubt, basil can be successfully grown on a windowsill and enjoy its taste for a long time, only if its planting and further care are done according to the rules.

Video: how to grow basil at home

Choosing the Right Basil Varieties for Home Growing

To successfully grow basil in an apartment, it is necessary to choose the right plant variety, since not all varieties can adapt and grow on the windowsill. Optimally select small-leaved and compact species.

In addition to its excellent taste and aroma, basil attracts home gardeners with its decorative properties, therefore, by planting greens with various shades of foliage, you can create a special comfort in the house.

Thus, for growing basil on a windowsill, varieties such as Basilisk, Delight, Clove, Marquis, Dwarf, Yerevan, Orion, Lemon, Purple glitter, Thai queen, Philosopher, Green scent, Tabletop, Red Ruby and others are suitable.

The variety of plant varieties allows you to choose a variety based on your individual preferences, and the best option may be to grow several varieties of basil on the windowsill at once.

Growing basil from seeds on a windowsill: step by step instructions

Before sowing seeds, you should choose a suitable container, soil, and only if you wish, you can prepare - soak and germinate the planting material itself.

In what container to grow

For the initial sowing of basil seeds on seedlings, it is recommended to use any flat containers or bowls.

It is very convenient to grow basil seedlings in individual cassettes.

In the future, for planting seedlings, it is necessary to find already more spacious pots, at least 15 cm deep.

Do not forget about drainage: at the bottom of the planting containers there should be at least holes so that excess water is drained into the sump, and a 3 cm layer of expanded clay is poured in the permanent pots.

Required potting mix

A substrate for sowing basil seeds or rooting cuttings at home is suitable for the most ordinary - universal for growing seedlings, which you can buy at any gardening store. The main thing is that it must meet the basic requirement - to be light and loose, which means that it allows air to pass to the root system and does not retain moisture.

You can prepare the soil for growing basil in the following ways from the following components:

• humus, garden soil and peat (1: 1: 1);
• humus and coconut fibers (2: 1).

Important! Before sowing seeds or rooting cuttings, the soil should be disinfected, and any, even purchased. This can be done by steaming it in a double boiler or roasting it in the oven. In addition, it is additionally recommended to shed the soil with a pink solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin.

Seed preparation

Before sowing, it is required to prepare the planting material, which will improve germination and promote uniform seed germination.

However! It is believed that basil grows well on moist soil even without any pre-sowing preparation (soaking).

For example, you can first soak basil seeds in hot water (about 70 degrees) for 15 minutes, and then put them on a damp cloth (or cotton pads). As a rule, seeds hatch within 1-2 days.

After that, you can additionally process (disinfect) the seeds in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10-20 minutes.

Advice! The hatched seeds can be planted at some distance from each other, so that later they do not dive or thin out.

Direct sowing of seeds

The successful cultivation of basil at home largely depends on the correct sowing.

Step-by-step instructions for sowing basil seeds for further cultivation on the windowsill:

• Pour the substrate into the prepared pots (you should not fill it completely, about 2/3 will be quite enough).
• Level the ground surface and compact.
• Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
• Spread the prepared seeds evenly, slightly pressing them into the soil (no more than 0.5-1 cm).

Dry seeds are sown superficially, and already sprouted seeds can be lightly sprinkled with earth (1-1.5 cm).

• Moisten crops by spraying from a sprayer.
• Cover the container with a transparent lid or plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect.
• Place the container in a dark and warm place (optimal temperature +25 degrees) until shoots appear.

Transplanting basil from open ground to a pot

Advice! It is optimal to transplant at the end of the summer cottage season (in September), so to speak, taking the plant home for the winter.

In general, the easiest way is to dig up and transplant a young basil bush from open ground into a pot. To do this is more than easy: they dug it out with a lump of earth, put the plant in a pot, at the bottom of which there is already drainage (holes and a layer of expanded clay), poured earth on the sides, watered it and put it on a light windowsill.

By the way!In order for the bush to renew itself, after transplanting, trim its top, which you can use as a cutting.

Interesting! You can also grow basil on a windowsill (or any other greens) by simply buying greens in a pot in a supermarket, and then planting its rhizomes in the ground, first treating (sprinkling) them with one of the growth and root formation stimulants (Zircon, Epin or Kornevin).

Growing basil from cuttings on a windowsill

Cutting is perhaps the fastest way to get basil greens in just a few weeks.

Where to get cuttings? They can be cut directly from the basil bush, if you have one on the site. Or just buy packaging at the supermarket. The main thing is that the greens are not sluggish.

The stalk should be 5 centimeters long. All the extra lower leaves should be cut off from him, and you can additionally cut off the upper leaves by half.

The very rooting of basil cuttings is carried out in the standard way: put the cuttings in water, and the container itself in a bright place, for example, on the same windowsill.

Advice! The water in the tank should be changed as often as possible, optimally every day.

After 7-10 days, you will already notice small roots on the cuttings, and as soon as they reach a length of 3-4 cm, the sprouted basil cuttings can be transplanted into a pot with soil.

Further cultivation of basil is carried out in the same way as planted with seeds.

Or you can act differently: first, as usual, cut the cuttings, cut off the excess leaves. Then immediately plant them in containers with earth (humus) and cover them with something from above, for example, a plastic bag or a plastic lid to create a greenhouse effect.

Video: how to grow basil at home by planting cuttings directly into the ground

Taking care of basil on the windowsill

When friendly shoots appear (with the method of growing from seeds)the container should be placed in a bright place (window) and the temperature should be reduced to +20 degrees, which will prevent the plants from stretching.

Also, if you wish, you can begin to adapt seedlings to environmental conditions. To do this, you need to start gradually removing the cover from the container (first for 30 minutes a day, then for an hour), which will allow the seedlings to gradually get used to the new conditions. After 7-10 days, the shelter must be completely removed.

By the way! Many do not carry out any adaptation, and the shelter is removed immediately after germination.

By the way! When the basil grows a little (up to 5-7 in height), pour 2-3 cm of earth under the elongated sprouts.

Picking or thinning

As soon as the seedlings get stronger, they will significantly increase in growth, and they will have 1-2 real leaves, you can spend pick plants in separate, more spacious containers, if initially you planted in a common and shallow one.

Video: sowing basil and picking seedlings

By the way! Otherwise, if you sowed immediately into a permanent container of the optimal size, you can simply thin out the seedlings, leaving the strongest ones so that there is a sufficient distance between them (5-10 cm).

Choosing a suitable place and conditions of detention: lighting, temperature

Basil prefers to grow naturally in open areas and at elevated temperatures, in other words, the place should be warm and sunny. Therefore, in order to grow basil at home, on a windowsill, it is imperative to take these preferences into account and choose a place that is as close as possible to the natural growing conditions of aromatic greens.

Best for growing basil at home south window sill, but, in principle, you can place greenery on the east or west window. In a sense, this is an even more profitable place, because during the period of excessively active sun in spring and on hot summer days, if the plant is located on the south window, you will be extremely necessary to shade the basil to avoid burning the foliage.

Important! This tropical greenery does not tolerate drafts very well. Therefore, be sure to seal the cracks in the window frames for the winter.

Since the plant loves warmth, the air temperature should not fall below + 18-20 degrees, otherwise it will slow down its growth and stop developing. It is optimal for the temperature to be kept within + 22-25 degrees.

By the way! When it gets warm enough outside, the basil pots can be taken out onto the balcony or loggia.

For the full growth of the basil at home on the windowsill daylight hours are required at least 12 hours, and preferably 14-16 hours, therefore, during the period of short days (especially in late autumn, winter and early spring), it is recommended to provide the plant with additional lighting, illuminating it with the help of special phytolamps or full-spectrum LED lamps.

Important! In winter, in the morning and evening hours, as well as when it is cloudy, it is worth turning on the phytolamps so that the daylight hours are at least 12 hours.

Watering

Watering is carried out as needed, avoiding drying out and excessive moisture of the earthen coma.

Watering itself should be carried out with settled water at room temperature.

The regularity of moistening the soil in the pot directly depends on the temperature regime: the higher the temperature, the more often you water.

In winter, if you have a special cool place for greenery, watering should be significantly reduced.

Also, basil grown at home needs high air humidity, therefore, if the room is dry, then the foliage of the plant must be sprayed additionally. This is especially true in the cold period of time, when central heating batteries are "fried".

On particularly hot days, a pot of basil can be placed in a container of expanded clay filled with water. This will increase the evaporation of moisture and thereby increase the air humidity.

By the way! If you notice that after watering, due to excessively dry air, a crust forms on the surface of the soil, then you should carry out loosening.

Top dressing

After transplanting basil seedlings into a permanent pot, it is worth starting to carry out regular feeding, using any universal fertilizer for this. Will do: "Barrel", "Agricola", "Energen".

Pinching

In order for the plant to bush better when the basil is still small (1-1.5 months after sowing, when it has 4-6 true leaves), its top should be pinched, so that the plant grows not only upward, but also gives side shoots.

Important! When peduncles appear on the plant, they must be promptly cut off with scissors, since after flowering, the greens of the basil become tough and lose their aroma.

When to Harvest Homemade Basil

Basil leaves can be used for food when the plant reaches 15 cm. At this stage, as a rule, the formation of the main stem of the plant is completed, so the loss of leaves will not affect the development of the basil.

Note! However, you cannot break off the stems, otherwise the plant will dry out. You can only collect the leaves (side), and it is the top ones. It is better to cut them off with scissors, and not open them, because this can damage the stem.

Naturally, when growing basil from seeds, ripening and harvesting will occur much later than when planting by cuttings:

• when grown from cuttings - 3-4 weeks after rooting;
• from seeds - after 3-4 months.

By the way! You can also grow on the windowsill other types of herbs and herbs (dill, parsley, green onions, spinach, rosemary, mint), as well as vegetables (cucumbers, tomato, spicy pepper, radish) and even berry bushes (strawberries).

Having mastered the technique of growing basil on the windowsill, you can provide yourself and your family with fresh greens all year round, including in winter. And then the cooked dishes will have a special taste and aroma no matter what time of year it is outside the window.

Video: growing basil on a windowsill