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Ocimum basilicum

Common Name: Basil

Overview

Basil is a member of the mint family.

When choosing a basil to plant,

• Genovese Basil - preferred by Italians for pesto.
• Lemon Basil - lemony scent and flavour. Great for teas, salads, and potpourri.
• Opal Basil - purple leaves and great for landscaping. Beautiful flowers.
• Spicy Globe Basil - compact variety which is good for containers. Spicy, oregano-like favours which is good for savory cooking like Italian. Best grown indoors.
• Sweet Basil - most commonly used in cooking, as in pestos.
• Thai Basil - great for Asian cuisine, especially Thai and Vietnamese foods. Has large, beautiful flowers. Gros Taller.

Ongoing Management

Weed Control & Mulching

Much with organic material between the rows to help control weeds and conserve moisture. This also helps to prevent disease.

Insect & Disease Control

Garden Springtail is the most common pest. it is most harmful to new plants, eating the roots and causing yellowing. They love water and moister, live in soil, and congregate on the leaves. Spraying with vinegar and wiping the leaves will help. Keep the plant dryer.

Common diseases:

• Fusarium Wilt
• Bacterial Leaf Spot / Basil Shoot Blight
• Gray Mold
• Damping Off / Root Rot
• Root Knot Nematode
• Downy Mildey

Disease-resistant seeds are best approach.

Fertilization

Fertilize sparingly, using a 5-10-5 commercial fertilizer once or twice during the growing season.

For indoor plants, use a liquid fertilizer at 1/2 the recommend strength, and fertilize every 4-6 weeks.

Watering

Water deeply every 7-10 days to ensure the roots are receiving enough moisture.

Plants grown in containers will dry out faster than those in garden beds: Water them more frequently.

Pruning / Cutting Back

Prune periodically during the growing season to maintain succulent and productive growth. If you allow basil to flower and form seed, it will be come woody and yields will be considerably less. Flowering also will lead to more bitter flavours (almost instantly).

Prune weekly, just above the new leaves.

Site Selection & Preparation

Needs a soil pH range of 6.0-7.5.

Needs temps in 65 °F - 85 °F to germinate.

More Information