Basil - How To Plant, Grow And Harvest | RHS Herbs / RHS Gardening

Once established, basil is easy to look after – just keep it warm, provide sufficient moisture and keep plants bushy and productive by harvesting the shoot tips regularly.

Watering

Water newly planted basil well until it's established, then water during dry spells to keep the soil or compost Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. evenly moist. Plants in greenhouses and containers will need regular watering. When watering, try to avoid splashing the leaves and water in the morning if possible, as basil hates having wet roots overnight. Basil may start to flower sooner in dry conditions.

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Feeding

When growing basil in the ground, there’s usually no need for feeding, but plants in containers can run short of nutrients, so you could apply an organic-based, balanced liquid fertiliser to boost leafy growth. Avoid using potassium-rich fertilisers like tomato feed, as these encourage flowering.

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Removing flowers

Basil usually starts to flower in mid- to late summer – you can delay this and maintain leaf quality for as long as possible by removing any flower stems as soon as you spot them. It’s worth letting plants bloom eventually though, or allowing one to flower early if you have several plants, as basil flowers are rich in nectar, providing food for bees and other insects.

Propagating

Although basil is usually grown from seed (see Sowing above), it’s easy to grow new plants from softwood cuttings Softwood cuttings are taken from spring to early summer (Apr-Jun), using material from the soft and flexible young shoot tips from this seasons growth, which root readily. Use for hardy and tender perennials, deciduous shrubs, climbers and some trees. taken during summer. Snip off a non-flowering shoot just below a leaf, remove the lower leaves and pinch out Removal of a plant’s growing tip (usually with finger and thumb) to encourage it to produce side-shoots, forming a bushier, well-shaped plant that will bear more flowers and/or fruits. the tip, then stand the cutting in a jar of water. It will quickly form roots and can be planted in a pot of peat-free multi-purpose compost Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. after just a few weeks. Basil cuttings A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year. can also be rooted directly in compost.

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