Basil - growing from seeds, creating favorable conditions

Fragrant greens are popular in cooking, and yet it has a number of useful properties. If you want to collect basil on your own, growing from seeds can be done on the windowsill, in the greenhouse and in the open ground. There are a number of rules and features for conducting the procedure.

Varieties of basil for growing

There is a huge amount of both standard and hybrid varieties that can be grown on site and at home. Among the most popular one can distinguish such types:

  1. Yerevan . This is an early ripening variety, the height of which varies from 40 to 60 cm. The color of large leaves is violet. After cutting off the shoots, the new shoots grow after about 25 days.
  2. Spoon-shaped . The name is associated with the shape of the leaves that are concave inward. The bushes are branched and have a lot of fragrant leaves.
  3. The table . Cultivation of basil of this variety will allow obtaining large, fragrant and delicate leaves.
  4. Caramel . Among all varieties, this variant stands out with its fruity aroma, so it is used for desserts. It is better to plant in a seedling way.
  5. The philosopher . To quickly get basil, growing from seeds should be done using this variety, since from the emergence of shoots to the first flowers will be 45-50 days.

Preparation of basil seeds for sowing

The best time to start growing fragrant greens is the beginning of spring. To speed up the emergence process, preliminary training is necessary. Many are interested in whether it is necessary to soak the seeds of basil, so experienced gardeners recommend that this procedure be carried out. Put them in moistened gauze, adding a growth stimulant. You can just send them to warm water. Replace the liquid every 12 hours. To disinfect the seeds, soak them in manganese solution for two hours. After that, they should be dried using a napkin.

Planting basil with seeds

To grow fragrant leaves at home, prepare a shallow pot or individual cups. In the second case, you will have to transplant. At the bottom of the chosen capacity, place a 2 cm thick drainage layer. Planting basil seeds in an open ground or in a pot necessarily implies the right choice of soil. For this culture is important light and fertile soil, which must be baked in the oven, so that there are no pests. You can make a substrate by mixing part of humus and two parts of peat.

How to plant a basil with seeds?

There is some kind of instruction that you need to adhere to if you want to grow a large plant:

  1. Prepare the seeds by about 1 cm and gently pour.
  2. Place the box on a sunny place where the temperature will be at least 23 ° C. You can create a greenhouse, covering it with film or glass. It is important to avoid getting direct rays.
  3. Finding out how to plant a basil with seeds, it is worth pointing out that when creating the right conditions, shoots will appear after 7-10 days. After that, lower the temperature to 17-20 ° C, otherwise the seedling will stretch.
  4. Watering should be regular so that the soil does not dry up, but the liquid should not stagnate. Use warm water is recommended.
  5. Dive the seedlings after the two real leaves are formed.

Cultivation of basil from seeds - when to plant?

It has already been mentioned that seeding occurs in early spring if it is necessary to prepare seedlings. When the basil is planted in the soil with seeds, it is when nocturnal frosts are completely eliminated, otherwise there will be no shoots. When the seedling gets stronger, by the end of May or the beginning of June, it is possible to transplant to the open ground, following such advice:

  1. The distance between the bush should be 25-30 cm, and the groove in the soil is about 7-10 cm.
  2. Conduct a pinching of plants at the stage when the fifth full leaf appears. Due to this, the bush will begin to grow in breadth.
  3. Mandatory procedures are watering, loosening and removal of weeds.

How to grow basil from seeds?

To each person had the opportunity to enjoy tasty and fragrant leaves, you can use different ways of growing. If there is a backyard or garden, then you can land in the open ground or use seedlings. It is important to consider that for the growing of basil, the temperature should not be below 15 ° C. If this is not possible, then you can plant the seeds in pots and keep them on your windowsill or balcony.

Basil - growing out of seeds in the open ground

If the temperature outside the window does not fall below 15 ° C, then you can sow the seeds directly in the beds. Want to get a large and fragrant basil, growing and care in the open ground should be carried out according to the scheme identical to the seedling seedling, which was indicated above. When the buds appear, you need to cut off the leaves for the workpiece. Before the onset of the first cold snap, you can dig a bush and transplant it into a pot.

Growing basil on the windowsill

Having seedlings with a pair of leaves from the seeds according to the scheme described above, it should be transplanted into a large container. The first harvest can be collected after 1.5 months. When growing basil from the seeds on the windowsill, it is necessary to take into account such rules:

  1. The plant is hygrophilous, so the soil in the pot must always be slightly moist. Irrigate it every day in small portions. After watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil every 2-3 days.
  2. Having on the windowsill basil, growing from seeds means carrying out feeding. The plant responds well to compost-based fertilizers. The contract for each option is indicated on the package. Do not perform the procedure more than once a month.

Growing basil in a greenhouse

If there is a greenhouse, you can plant the plant there using the described methods. If there is heating in the building, it is possible to cultivate basil in a greenhouse in the winter. For this, consider a number of features:

  1. It is better to remove the top layer of soil and make a mixture of garden soil, peat and sand. It is important that the soil is light and loose. For a good growth of basil, growing out of seeds in a greenhouse implies preliminary incorporation into the soil of the overgrown manure. It is better to first grow the seedlings, according to the scheme described above, and then, already transplant it into the soil in the greenhouse.
  2. The distance between the plants should be about 15 cm. During the first week, abundant watering is important, for which it is better to use watering cans with a wide spray.
  3. The optimum temperature in the greenhouse for the basilica is 22-28 ° C. Harvest can be harvested when the height of the plant is 20 cm.

Growing basil at home - diseases and pests

This plant is characterized by good resistance to pathogens, but in some cases such problems can arise:

  1. Black leg . If the growing of basil from seeds is carried out in conditions of high acidity or excessive watering, then fungal diseases appear. Because of the blockage of the stem, the plant dies. The treatment is carried out by pouring the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate.
  2. Fusarium . Such a fungal disease secretes toxins into nutritive juices. As a result, the stem is thinned, and the leaves dry and fade. The problem arises at elevated temperature and excessive humidity. For treatment you can use infusion of onion husk.
  3. Gray rot . More often the disease occurs when growing a basil in a greenhouse. Dry spots are formed on the affected areas. Help cope with the disease infusion of onion husk.
  4. The plant can be damaged by aphids , for the destruction of which you can use a decoction of wormwood or bitter pepper. Even on the basilicus can settle meadow or field bug .