Basil is a plant that is ideal for growing at home. The culture grows at any time of the year and does not differ in whimsicality. Therefore, even a beginner will cope with its cultivation. In our article we want to talk about how to grow basil on the windowsill.
What is basil?
Basil is an indispensable spice used by people since ancient times. The plant is rich in essential oils, therefore, in addition to cooking, it is also used in natural cosmetics. In good conditions, it grows in greenhouses, in vegetable gardens, so you should not even doubt whether it is possible to grow basil on the windowsill.
The culture came from India. Presumably, the name of the plant dates back to the Greek basileus , which means king or king. There are two different versions regarding the origin of the culture. According to one of them, the basil was found next to the place where Tsarina Elena once discovered the True Cross. According to another version, the plant was used to treat persons of the royal families.
Basil has long been used for religious rituals in Orthodoxy (in the Balkans and Greece) and Hinduism. Ayurveda appreciates the culture not only for its cosmetic, but also for its healing properties. There are many varieties of basil. In cooking, fragrant varieties are more often used. All of them differ not only in appearance, but also in smell and taste.
Which grade to prefer?
Basil attracts not only as a culinary supplement, but also as a medicinal plant. At home, it can be used as an interior decoration. Recently, the popularity of plants is increasing. Therefore, thinking about how to grow basil on the windowsill, it is worth deciding which variety you prefer to see on your balcony. We have already said that the plant is unpretentious. However, it is worthwhile to understand that not every variety is suitable for growing at home. The most acceptable options may be the following types: spoon-shaped, Yerevan, Baku, marquise, clove aroma. These varieties are small-leaved, and therefore easier to cultivate at home. Large-leafed ones need a sufficiently large number of trace elements that must be brought into the ground. Only experienced gardeners can handle this care. Therefore, novice housewives should pay attention to small-leaved varieties.
When the gardener already has experience in caring for simpler species, and understands how to grow basil on the windowsill, you can move on to other varieties.
Cultivation Methods
How to grow basil on a windowsill? There are three ways:
- An adult plant can be transplanted from the soil into a pot. So do summer residents, who in the summer grow culture on personal plots. Young bushes that have not yet bloomed can be transplanted with an earthen lump into a pot. However, the vegetation period of the plant is short, so it will soon bloom. And then you have to cut the shoots for planting young plants.
- Growing plants from cuttings. To do this, the tops or side shoots are cut off and put in water. This is necessary so that they start the roots. Then the basil is transplanted into a pot, the first greens can be cut in two to three weeks. Such bushes can last you about three to four months, after which again you need to update the plant.
- Growing basil from seeds is the longest way. Good greens will not be able to get soon. If you need a faster result, then it is better to use the second method.
The best time to grow basil
How to grow basil on a windowsill in winter? In principle, basil can be grown at any time of the year, including in the winter. However, it should be understood that the plant belongs to the photophilous and heat-loving crops, and therefore in cold periods it will take more effort to maintain.
In the winter, some housewives wrap pots with basil in polyethylene to protect them from drafts and increase the temperature regime. In addition, from October to March, in the conditions of our climate, the basilica does not have enough sunlight, so the plants will have to be highlighted. This will help increase daylight hours artificially. To simplify the care of the plant, many housewives prefer to sow the seeds in February, then the main period of active growth of the crop will be just for the period with a sufficient length of daylight. And in the summer, the basil will feel great on the window in the apartment.
How to grow basil on the windowsill from the seeds?
Before embarking, it is necessary to prepare the ground. You can take good soil from a summer cottage, or you can buy a ready-made substrate. A little peat can be added to the soil from the garden to make it easier.
Sometimes basil is planted in a mixture of peat and humus (humus can be replaced with coconut fiber) in a ratio of 2: 1. Before sowing, the seeds should be held in a raspberry-colored potassium permanganate solution for a couple of hours.
Conducting a conversation on how to grow basil on the windowsill in the apartment, it is worth remembering that for plants it is necessary to pick up pots for planting. There are two options. You can sow seeds in small containers (200 g), and later transplant the plants into larger pots. But in general, you can immediately use large boxes, this will save you from unnecessary trouble. Expanded clay should be put on the bottom of the vessels as drainage. Seeds are sown in moist soil to a depth of not more than one centimeter at a distance of 7-10 centimeters from each other. After this, the pots should be tightened with cling film and do not remove it until shoots appear. Further, in order to quickly grow the basil at home on the windowsill, optimal conditions should be created. At a temperature of + 22-28 degrees, the first sprouts will appear in five to eight days.
Young seedling care
As soon as young shoots appear, it is immediately necessary to rearrange the pots in a well-lit and warm place. Plants should be watered regularly. You need to do this once a day, on the hottest summer days you can moisten the soil in the morning and evening with room temperature water. Periodically, basil can be sprayed with water, especially useful in summer.
To understand how to grow basil in a pot on the windowsill, you need to know that the subtropics are the birthplace of the plant. That is why culture needs an abundance of heat and light. In order for the plant to develop well and grow quickly on the windowsill, the air temperature should be at least +20 degrees, but better +25 degrees, and the sun should shine for at least 4 hours a day.
Basil is very afraid of drafts. Adult bushes can be loosened once every three days. If the soil in the pots is not very fertile, then periodically (not more than once a month) it should be fertilized. Any universal fertilizer based on gummat or organic compost is suitable as a top dressing.
The first leaves can be cut off from the plant after 1.5 months. In the future, cutting the greens, you need to leave at least three leaves on the stems. This is necessary so that new branches begin to form in the sinuses. When the basil has grown, it will be possible to pinch the top of it, then the bush will grow in breadth.
How to grow basil at home on the windowsill in the winter?
If you decide to sow seeds in the winter, then you will need more thorough care in order to grow a good plant. On the one hand, the culture needs good watering, and on the other hand, excessive waterlogging can lead to diseases. Therefore, you need to be careful with water.
The most comfortable temperature for basil is + 20-25 degrees. In winter, the plant daylight hours are not long enough for normal development, so it must be additionally highlighted. To do this, in the evening, you can turn on the lamp for 3-4 hours. Basil does not tolerate temperature extremes and drafts.
Given these points, the culture can be grown at home and in the winter cold.
Diseases to which the plant is exposed
Basil, like many other crops, is susceptible to various diseases. Of course, home plants are less sick than street ones, but still it is worth protecting yourself. The most common diseases that affect basil are fusarium and gray mold. In order for your bushes not to be affected by such ailments, overflow should be avoided, since excessive humidity provokes an ailment. If the plant is still sick, then it is necessary to remove the affected stems in a timely manner so that they do not infect healthy shoots.
How to harvest?
In order for the plant to grow well and continue to develop further, you need to be able to properly harvest. You can never pinch off the basil at the root itself, this can harm the plant. In order to increase the life of the plant, it is necessary to remove the peduncles immediately when they appear. Basil can not be plucked at the root, this can ruin the whole plant. In general, leaves can be removed, but 4-5 leaves should be left, in the future, new branches will begin to appear from their sinuses.
In order to less injure the bushes it is better not to pinch off the foliage, but cut off with scissors. They can easily remove greens, but the stems are not injured.
Knowing all the wisdom of the process, growing basil at home on the windowsill is quite easy. Therefore, every housewife can try her hand.