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Spices are an important component of many dishes, which is why their self-growing is so popular with owners of suburban areas. One of them is basil, which has a delicious aroma. Due to its unpretentiousness, even a novice gardener with no experience can get his harvest. In addition, this can be done at home, using methods such as cuttings, planting seeds or transplanting into a pot grown in the garden and already an adult plant.
How to grow seedlings from seeds
One of the main stages is planting basil seeds to obtain seedlings. The future harvest depends on how correctly this process is carried out. In this case, containers are used in the form of containers up to 7 centimeters deep with holes for water drainage. Since the plant does not like waterlogged soil, a drainage layer of expanded clay, pieces of foam plastic or small pebbles is laid on the bottom of the containers.
Seedlings are planted in the soil from a mixture of 4 parts of peat, 1 part of washed clean sand and 2 parts of good humus. In order not to have problems with growing seedlings in the future, the mixture must be sieved and steamed for an hour for disinfection. In the event that a purchased soil purchased in a special store is used, it is treated with Fitosporin or a solution of potassium permanganate.
Before sowing, seeds are pre-treated by soaking in sodium humate or growth stimulants such as Albit or Zircon. Then they are laid out on the surface of the soil at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other and 10 centimeters between the rows and covered from above with a layer of earth about a centimeter thick. After that, the sowing is watered, covered with glass or a transparent film and placed in a sunny place where the temperature is kept in the range of +23 – +27 ° С. Further care for basil seedlings includes regular airing and spraying.
According to the Lunar Calendar of Gardeners, you can start sowing in 2022 on the days from 13 to 19 and from 21 to 23 in January or from 9 to 15, as well as 18 and 19 in February. In the spring of 2022 in March, both days from 10 to 13, and days 16, 17, 20 and 21 are favorable. In April, the Lunar calendar recommends planting seedlings on the 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th, in May the best days for this are 7th, 10th, 11th and from 17th to 19th. But in the summer of 2022 for seeds, the ideal days to plant them in the ground are 7, 8 and the period from 14 to 18. Specialists have bred many varieties and hybrids of basil. To grow a crop at home, it is best to choose varieties with small leaves such as Clove aroma, Troll, Marquis, Dwarf, Basilisk. Since sowing does not depend on the time of year, when choosing the best days for this in 2022, you should focus on the growing Moon when it is in the signs of Scorpio, Pisces or Cancer.
One to two weeks after planting the seeds, seedlings will appear. Then the transparent cover should be removed, and the temperature should be reduced to +17 – +20 ° C, which will help to avoid pulling the plants up. Also, for better tillering, after the appearance of 4–5 leaves, the tops of the sprouts can be pinched. At this time, they are also picking into separate pots.
Dive basil should be used to stab plants before planting them in open ground. At the same time, the pots are further aged in a greenhouse. In the event that the cultivation of plants will be carried out in the house, the pots should be placed on a well-lit windowsill. According to the recommendations of the Lunar calendar 2022, plants should not be transplanted in the 12 hour period before or after the onset of the full moon or new moon.
Video “Basic mistakes”
Demonstrative video with useful information about errors in the reproduction of spicy greens.
Why do you need cuttings
If there is no desire to sow seeds, and then wait for shoots and spend effort on growing plants to the harvesting stage, you can use a faster cutting method. Since basil takes root quite well, a fresh bush bought in a supermarket or purchased on the market is quite enough.
In this case, cuttings about 8 centimeters in size are cut from the side shoots or tops. The leaves located below should be cut off, and an oblique cut should be made on the stem. After that, the cuttings are placed in a container with water, where they will have roots after a week. In order for the moisture from the leaves to evaporate less and the plants to take root faster, the container can be covered with a plastic bag.
After another 7-10 days, rooted shoots should be planted in pots intended for them with the appropriate nutrient composition of the soil and exposed to a sunny place. Growing by this method allows you to cut the first crop in 25–30 days. The bush obtained in this way is capable of producing fragrant and juicy leaves for the preparation of various dishes within 3-4 months. Thus, grafting makes it possible without much hassle at any time throughout 2022 to have fresh spice at your disposal. At the same time, regular pruning of the bushes will allow you to form beautiful plants that will also decorate the windowsill or terrace.
Further care for basil
Further cultivation of basil will not require much trouble. After the plants take root in a new place and form a strong root system, their rapid growth will begin. When the shoots reach a height of about 15–20 centimeters, they begin to trim them, cutting off the buds and small leaves, from which these buds can form over time. This procedure should be carried out every three weeks.
During growth, the leaves exude a specific spicy aroma, which disappears at the onset of the flowering stage. The leaves themselves at the same time reduce their size and become drier. Therefore, the cultivation of a spicy plant requires the regular removal of inflorescences that have appeared. At the same time, the bushes will actively grow in breadth and give more fresh young leaves.
Since, according to forecasts, the summer in 2022 will be quite hot, in order to grow healthy and strong bushes, planting in the garden will need to be watered regularly in the morning. Moreover, it is important to prevent waterlogging, which can lead to the appearance of such a fungal disease as fusarium. Home cultivation of basil in the autumn-winter period requires the use of additional lighting with fluorescent lamps. Only in the case of such an artificial lengthening of daylight hours will the plant be able to grow normally and develop properly.
What to do with seedlings
After transplanting the seedlings into pots, when the plants reach a height of about 5 centimeters, the soil should be loosened and then this procedure should be done regularly after 2–3 days. It is also necessary to feed the sprouts with water-soluble fertilizers containing humus in their composition. This plant loves moist air, so frequent spraying will be very useful. Watering should be done in the morning. Also, it would not be superfluous to organize additional lighting with electric lamps in order to increase daylight hours up to 8 hours. A week before the seedlings are planned to be planted in open ground, watering is limited and airings that reduce the air temperature are organized in the greenhouse to carry out the stabbing of plants.
Only when the threat of night frosts has finally passed, seedlings can be planted in open ground. Therefore, when planning sowing, you need to familiarize yourself with the long-term weather forecast for a particular area for 2022 and take into account that the moment the seeds enter the soil from the planting of sprouts in the garden will be separated by a period of 40–50 days. The soil on the beds should be prepared in the fall, digging it well to a depth of 25 centimeters and fertilizing it, adding approximately 4 kg of compost or humus, 15 grams of potassium salt and about 23 grams of superphosphate per square meter. It is best that the predecessors of basil on the site are cucumbers or tomatoes, legumes, potatoes.
In order to avoid any hassle and grow healthy and well-developed plants, it is necessary to wait for reliability when meteorologists promise the onset of a period with night temperatures not lower than + 2022 ° C in 15. Basil should be planted in sheltered but well-heated beds. He prefers light sandy soils, which are enriched with organic matter. On the beds, plants are planted every 25 centimeters, and a distance of about 30 centimeters recedes between the rows. Holes for landing should not be made deeper than 8 centimeters. The central bud must remain on the surface along with young leaves.
Video “Reproduction of greenery”
Informative video with examples of green propagation.