Basil plants are one of the wonders of culinary practice, these herbs have a way of making your food flavors, enriching your body, and giving your meals a unique taste.
It is understandable why basil plants are so endearing that people enjoy growing them in their homes for easy access whenever they want to cook a meal with them. But it is important that you know how best to care for your basil plants, whether they are homegrown or from the grocery store.
You can care for your homegrown and grocery store basil by watering them regularly, exposing them to regular sunlight, harvesting them often, and protecting them from bug infestations.
With its enticing fragrance and nutritional benefits, it is no surprise that basil plants need to be properly catered for to get the very best out of them in every meal.
If you’ve been considering growing a basil plant or more in your home and you were unsure how best to cater to them, you have no need to worry because we’ve brought you the best tips on how to take care of your basil plants, whether they be homegrown or bought from the grocery store.
Basil Plants Explained
A basil plant (Ocimum basilica) is a culinary herb from the Lamiaceae (mints) family that originated in Africa and Asia, it is also known as sweet basil or great basil.
It is used in various cuisines in different parts of the world, it adds a distinct flavor to dishes and has many nutritional benefits as well. It is one of the most commonly grown plants because it is rather easy to cater to.
It is a medicinal plant despite being great for different kinds of meals.
How to Care for Homegrown Basil
Despite being such a distinguished and richly nutritious plant, basil plants are quite easy to grow from the comfort of your home.
We commend you for making the decision to grow your own basil plants and successfully plant them, but with the tips we have provided for you to care for your homegrown basil plants, they will easily enjoy healthy growth and live for months.
1. Make sure you water your basil plants regularly
Every plant needs to stay properly hydrated so the need to water your basil plant every week is a given, you need to keep it at least an inch deep in properly watered soil for healthy growth. Water your basil plants every morning to make sure that the soil does not dry out and eventually the plant as well.
2. Endeavor to fertilize your basil plants lightly
Since you’re planting your basil plant from scratch at home, you need to pay special attention to its need if you want it to grow out looking big, bushy, and succulent. This means that you have to fertilize your basil plant when the need arises. Apply liquid fertilizer lightly twice a season so that you can boost its growth while maintaining its flavor and nutrients.
3. Perform the leave pinching trick for better growth
A big and bushy basil plant is the goal whenever you’re growing them in your home, they are juicy and worth the time and effort you would spend trying to groom basil plants. To get the big and bushy basil plants, you can pinch back the tips of the leaves from when it develops two sets of leaves.
How To Care For Grocery Store Basil Plants
While it could be an exciting and fulfilling step to grow your basil plant in your home, some people would rather opt for a freshly grown basil plant from the store instead of starting from scratch.
For such persons, we also have the right tips for you to follow that would keep your basil plant fresh and suitable for consumption whenever you’re ready to make use of it. Instead of grooming your plants to be big and bushy like you would for homegrown basil plants, make sure you pick a big bushy one from the store to cut out your work.
1. Divide the basil plant seeds into separate pots
Grocery store-bought basil plants usually consist of more than one basil plant, so for them to grow properly and thrive you would need to separate them first.
Remove the basil plant from the plastic cover packaging and carefully separate the plants from the root ball and plant the large and healthy-looking plants in separate plant pots. Make sure that you do not plant them too deeply into the soil because they have delicate stems that you do not want to damage.
3. Place the basil plants close to sunlight and water regularly
After separating your basil plants into different plant pots, you need to place them in a location where they have constant access to sunlight to grow such as your windowsill or garden.
You also need to water them regularly so that they can grow healthy. A hydrated basil plant would appear droopy and the soil underneath it would be dry, to avoid this you need to water your basil plants regularly.
3. Spray the basil plants with insecticide from time to time
While growing plants, you are definitely going to encounter bugs or pests from time to time if you do not make an attempt to prevent them. Your basil plants need to be healthy and suitable for consumption, so it is important that you spray them with insecticide to keep bugs and pests away.
Just make sure that you wash the basil plants thoroughly before you eat them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do basil plants grow best?
Basil plants tend to thrive best in places where they have access to constant sunlight, as much as 6 to 8 hours of sunlight allows them to have healthy growth. Asides from the constant sunlight, fertile and watered soil also help them grow best.
Can basil plants grow indoors?
Yes! You can grow your basil plants indoors, all you need to do is place them close to a window that filters in sunlight properly during the day. As long as your basil plant is facing the sunlight, being Indoors or outdoors does not matter.
What plants grow well with basil?
There are a lot of plants that grow perfectly well with basil plants, among these plants include; tomatoes, sage, chives, oregano, parsley, carrots, coriander, dill, marigolds, borage, fennel, asparagus, and peppers.
Summary
We all love a wonderfully made Italian dish with some basil leaves, it just adds a touch of an exquisite flavor that makes the entire dish mouth-watering.
For this reason and many other dishes that basil compliments perfectly, we understand why you would want to grow a basil plant in your home whether from scratch or at the grocery store.
What is most important is taking good care of your basil plants such that they retain their amazing taste and nutritional benefits.
Ensure that you water them daily, expose them to at least 6 hours of sunlight, spray pesticides to keep bugs away, fertilize them when the need arises, and harvest them often for new leaves to sprout.