Basil: how to plant seeds
Basil takes an honorable place among spicy plants, because its rich smell cannot be compared with anything. Spicy grass twigs are an irreplaceable addition to salads and other dishes. Many gardeners also use basil as a decorative flower bed decoration. Compact, low bushes with a varied shape and color of leaves look good as a border. In addition, during flowering, insects flock to the smell of small white flowers, which are pollinators for the garden, but pests from it, on the contrary, scatter.
Growing such a useful herb from all sides is not very troublesome. Basil is an annual plant and it reproduces well by seed. Depending on when you need to get the first harvest of fragrant leaves, you can plant basil with seeds:
- for seedlings;
- into open ground.
Growing basil seedlings
To sowing seeds on seedlings should start in early April. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they must first be soaked for 3 hours. Put drainage in pots or low containers and fill with a soil mixture mixed in equal parts from:
- peat;
- humus;
- garden land.
Before sowing seeds, moisten the substrate with a solution of potassium sulfate, superphosphate, urea, and potassium chloride. For 5 liters of water, you need to take 0.5 tsp. of each drug.
Form shallow grooves and put seeds in them, observing a row spacing of about 4 cm. To create a humid microclimate, cover the pots on top with a film and put them in a warm place with a temperature of at least 25 degrees Celsius. Until the seeds hatch, the film should be periodically lifted for airing, and when the seedlings rise (after 5-7 days), the cover should be completely removed.
A dive into separate cups can be performed when 1-2 true leaves are formed at the bushes, and when at least five of them grow, pinch the tops for bushiness.
Since basil is very thermophilic, it is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground at the very end of May. So that the lush bushes have enough space for development, leave a distance of up to 40 cm between them.
Sowing seeds in open ground
If the task is not to get an early harvest, at the beginning of June, you can sow seeds directly to the garden. The essential oils contained in the seeds inhibit their germination, so it is recommended to shed the holes beforehand growth stimulant (for example, 1 ampoule of Zircon in 5 liters of water) to accelerate germination. After sowing, cover the bed itself with foil and do not remove it until shoots appear.
Basil planting care
Spicy grass is very fond of not only heat, but also water and feeding. It is necessary to water the basil regularly, while making sure that moisture does not stagnate in the beds, otherwise the roots of the plant may rot.
As for fertilization, it is necessary to carry out nitrogen fertilization of the basil once a month to stimulate the active growth of green mass. If seed collection is not planned, the stalks must be removed. So young and tasty side shoots will form on the bushes and they can be removed several times during the season.
Basil: sowing and picking, video