How to grow basil on a windowsill - the subtleties of the process for beginners

Tell us how to grow basil on a windowsill? I love this weed very much, but you can not always find it in our store. I decided to try to provide myself with vitamins on my own, and I already bought seeds. He will "live" on the south window - I have a lot of space there. Will the plants have enough light and should they be pinched?

Green onion feathers on the window will surprise no one, but the "indoor gardeners" have long gone further. They also successfully grow other garden crops in pots on the windows, from dill and parsley to aromatic basil. The latter is an almost ideal culture for the home, as it feels great in a warm room. Even in winter, fragrant bushes grow well a lush deciduous mass without losing their characteristic smell. If you know how to grow basil on a windowsill, you can harvest all year round. And to do this is completely easy, as you will see after reading this article.

The subtleties of sowing seeds

Basil is most often grown from seeds indoors. First, planting material is always available in stores. Secondly, basil seed grows better and longer than vegetative plants.

For home cultivation, it is better to use undersized and small-leaved varieties of basil. They grow faster than, for example, the purple and Greek species.

You can sow both dry and presoaked seeds. They sprout equally well, but the latter are simply faster. The seeds are soaked in plain warm water for a couple of days, periodically changing it. The swollen seeds are disinfected by standing for 1.5-2 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and dried.

The soil for basil should be airy and nutritious. You can use one of the following soil mixtures to choose from:

• cocoa soil and biohumus (2: 1);
• universal soil for indoor plants and garden soil and (1: 1);
• universal soil for indoor plants and biohumus (4: 1).

Expanded clay should be poured on the bottom of pots or boxes for drainage, on top - soil and shed. Spread the seeds over the surface, trying to maintain a distance of a couple of centimeters, and cover them with soil a little. It remains to cover with foil and put in a warm and bright place. When shoots appear, the film is removed, and the basil itself is thinned out, leaving at least 10 cm between the seedlings. After a few more days, you need to add a little earth to the grown bushes.

How to grow basil on a windowsill: the basics of room spice care

Indoor basil is an unpretentious plant, but some rules still need to be followed. In order for it to turn into lush bushes and give a good harvest, you must:

1. Maintain a comfortable temperature at least 20 ° C warm. In a cooler room, the grass will not disappear, but its bright specific aroma will begin to lose.
2. Avoid drafts.
3. Water daily in summer and twice a week in winter.
4. In the autumn-winter season, light the plantings, otherwise the bushes will stretch out.
5. If necessary (if the land is poor), feed the basil once a month with vermicompost.
6. Periodically, about every 2 weeks, prune the bushes to stimulate branching. The first pruning of the tops is done at the 4-leaf stage, then when 3 pairs have grown.

You cannot pluck all the lower leaves from the bush - at least 4 things should remain.Otherwise, the basil will begin to stretch and produce fewer side branches. Accordingly, the harvest will be less. In addition, flowering should not be allowed - the buds must be cut off at an early stage.

Video about growing basil in pots