Native to the tropics and endowed with Mediterranean charm, basil thrives particularly well in pots. Instructions for the perfect planting of royal herb in a pot sets the stage for lush growth and a rich harvest.
How do you successfully grow basil in a pot?
To successfully grow basil in a pot, choose a sunny location, use nutrient-rich soil with good drainage and plant the herb in a sufficiently large pot with drainage. Keep the substrate constantly moist and fertilize weekly with organic liquid fertilizer.
Choose the optimal location
One of the numerous advantages of potted basil is the flexibility in terms of location. Thanks to its mobility, unsuitable positions can be quickly changed until the optimal place is found. The location should be like this:
- sunny, warm location
- ideally under protection from pelting rain
- no cold drafts
Although basil does not tolerate cool drafts well, good air circulation should still be ensured. The quicker the leaves can dry after a rainstorm, the fewer opportunities there are for fungal spores and other diseases to attack.
The best soil for vital growth
Within the large herb family, basil occupies a special position that has a significant influence on the choice of the appropriate substrate. Royal herb is one of the heavy feeders, so commercially available herb soil is unsuitable in pots. Instead, use one of the following mixtures:
- Compost-based potting soil optimized with sand or perlite for good permeability
- alternatively a mix of clay-containing garden soil, mature compost, horn shavings and coconut or wood fibers
It is important to create a structurally stable mixture with a sufficient amount of nutrients, without the risk of compaction.
Step-by-step instructions
You can take the basil plant grown on the windowsill or purchased ready-made outdoors from mid-May. If you plant a few weeks in advance, the royal herb spends the cold nights indoors. Only when the ice saints have said goodbye and there is no longer any threat of delayed frost will the herb plant be able to cope with the local temperatures. How to proceed:
- The ideal pot is 30 cm or larger and has a bottom opening for water drainage
- create a drainage over it made of coarse, inorganic materials
- a water- and air-permeable fleece keeps soil crumbs away from the drainage
- fill half of the substrate into the pot
- insert the basil in the middle
- plant as deep as the royal herb was in the previous pot
When watering, avoid wetting the delicate leaves. Knowledgeable hobby gardeners generally water basil from below. To do this, place the pot in 5 centimeters of water so that the roots absorb the moisture due to capillary action. You can use a thumb test to determine when the substrate surface is moistened. From now on, keep the soil constantly moist and fertilize your basil weekly with an organic liquid preparation.
Tips & Tricks
Does purchased basil in a pot die within a week at home? Then plant the royal herb into a larger pot on the day you purchase it following these instructions. The reason for the rapid death is usually a plant container that is much too narrow in a completely leached substrate. Clever hobby gardeners divide a purchased herb plant into 3-4 segments and place them in individual pots.
