Basil Cultivation And Care, Including In Ukraine, The Moscow Region And In Other Regions, As Well As A Description Of Varieties With Characteristics And Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

How to grow royal basil

Basil is a "royal" herb. This is what the ancient Greeks and Romans called him. The East is considered the birthplace of the basilica, in particular, India and Iran, where it is called tulsi. The ancient Egyptians also revered basil, moreover, not only as a culinary ingredient, but also as a ritual element, considering this herb a pass to paradise. This is evidenced by the remains of spice wreaths found during excavations of tombs. By the way, Christians also use tulsi to decorate Easter crosses and icons. It appeared on the territory of Europe only in the 17th century, but immediately won the respect of culinary experts for its unique aroma and versatility, since this seasoning is used to prepare meat, vegetable, fish dishes, as well as various sauces. Basil contains essential oils, phytoncides, saponin, vitamin C and B vitamins,therefore this plant has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and tonic properties. Tulsi is thermophilic and rather capricious, but thanks to the work of breeders, everyone can grow it on their own, and not only in their summer cottage, but also on the windowsill in the apartment. It is only important to know how to do it correctly.

Content

• 1 Variety of species

  • 1.1 Favorite varieties

    • 1.1.1 Table: characteristics of varieties
    • 1.1.2 Photo Gallery: Popular Basil Varieties

• 2 Preparing for landing

  • 2.1 What soil does basil like
  • 2.2 Disembarkation
  • 2.3 Compatibility with other plants

• 3 Cultivation methods

  • 3.1 Growing from seedlings

    3.1.1 Video: growing basil seedlings

  • 3.2 Basil in the open field
  • 3.3 Greenhouse method

  • 3.4 "Royal" grass on the windowsill

    3.4.1 Video: growing basil at home

• 4 Propagation of basil

  • 4.1 Cutting the herb of kings
  • 4.2 How to collect seeds
• 5 Diseases and pests

• 6 How to care for basil

  • 6.1 How to feed
  • 6.2 How to water

  • 6.3 Formation of the bush

    1 Video: Forming a Basil Bush

  • 6.4 Treatment for diseases and pests
• 7 Features of growing in the regions

Variety of species

Basil is an annual plant of the Claraceae family, with a shallow, branched root and a straight, tetrahedral stem with many leaves. This plant pleases with a variety of species and varieties, of which there are currently more than 150. Basil types are usually classified according to the following characteristics:

• color of leaves and stems;
• aroma;
• plant height;
• ripening terms.

Purple and green basil are distinguished depending on the color of the leaves and stems

This division is very arbitrary, since the purple group includes all plant varieties that have a rolling leaf color - from black-purple to red, and the green group - from bright light green to dark green. These types also differ in saturation and sharpness of taste: green basil has a delicate aroma and taste, for which Europeans greatly revered it; purple, on the other hand, contains twice as much aromatic oils, possessing a sharp aroma, and sometimes a pungent taste (which is why it is so loved by the inhabitants of Asia and the Caucasus).

Different species differ in color, aroma and height of the bush, but the main division is still according to the principle of leaf color

Essential oils of the "royal" herb are widely used in perfumery

In cooking, specific dishes determine the choice of basil varieties with the appropriate aroma. The most common of them are:

• clove;
• clove-pepper;
• pepper;
• citric;
• peppermint;
• caramel;
• anisic;
• menthol;
• vanilla.

According to the height of the stem, the varieties are grouped as follows:

• undersized (15-30 cm) - great for indoor breeding;
• medium height (30-60 cm);
• tall (60–85 cm).

The ripening time of the stems before the time of their cutting varies significantly in different species, therefore, there are:

• early (35–45 days);
• medium (55–70 days);
• late (75–90 days).

Favorite varieties

Despite all the variety of species, only a few varieties of basil are cultivated in our latitudes.

Let's consider the most popular ones.

Table: characteristics of varieties

Variety name	Scent	Bush height, cm	Ripening period, days	Leaf color	Features of the variety
Purple varieties
Purple dawn	clove	25-30	60-65	purple	It is used fresh in salads and meat dishes. Has healing properties - relieves stomach cramps, is used for diseases of the urinary tract
Yerevan	clove-pepper	40-60	40-50	deep purple	Harvesting twice or three times per season. Used in all kinds of dishes
Amethyst	anisic	25-30	60-70	dark violet	Rich in vitamins and minerals. Suitable for cooking meat and fish dishes, salads
Dark Opal	clove-pepper	40-50	35-45	purple violet	It is used fresh, dried or frozen. Also grown for decorating flower beds
Osmin	peppery	30-40	60-70	bright purple	Has shiny toothed leaves. Used as a spice and decorative element. Can be grown on windowsill
Green varieties
Green aromatic	citric	25-40	60-65	intense green	It is combined with fresh tomatoes, cottage cheese and cheese, can be used in marinades and meat dishes. Suitable for breeding in a room
Lemon flavor	citric	up to 50	60-70	green	Used raw in salads, as well as for preservation
Clove	clove	25-30	60-65	pale green	It is used fresh to flavor various dishes
Vegetable tone	clove	up to 55	30-40	bright green	Used in any form as a seasoning for various dishes, for canning and pickling vegetables, for flavoring sauces, balms and vinegars.
Spherical perfume	clove	15–20	60-70	light green	It has a spherical shape of a bush with a diameter of 30–35 cm. It is used in cooking and for decorative purposes. Used to flavor olive oil.

Photo gallery: popular varieties of basil

Purple Dawn is not only useful as a seasoning, but also as a medicinal plant.

Yerevan basil is perhaps the most frequent guest of the table

Amethyst is ideal for fish and meat

Dark Opal is often chosen as a decorative element in flower beds.

Basil Osmin, like Dark Opal, can often be used as a garden decoration.

Green aromatic basil suitable for growing on a windowsill

Lemon flavor pairs best with salads

Clove basil, like Yerevan basil, is everywhere in food

If you want to make a sauce, use basil Vegetable tone

Basil is used to flavor olive oil Spherical perfume

Preparing for landing

Basil is a capricious plant, therefore, before planting seeds or seedlings in the ground, you should familiarize yourself with the features of its planting.

What soil does basil like?

When choosing a site for planting, you should pay attention that heat-loving basil requires a lot of direct sunlight. In the opposite case, the plant stretches, its growth slows down, aroma decreases.

Basil soil should be fertile, low acidity and always loose. Therefore, the site for planting is prepared since the fall, digging up the soil with a pitchfork 15–20 cm and applying organic fertilizers: compost, humus, chicken droppings or superphosphates. It should be borne in mind that tulsi does not like moisture very much, which means that the soil must have high permeability.

Disembarkation

There are several ways to plant a basil:

• if this herb is planted with seeds directly in open ground, then they are placed in pre-prepared grooves;
• seeds can also be laid on the surface of a moistened soil, and then sprinkled with a layer of earth (2-3 cm).

It must be remembered that young basil seedlings are very fragile and weak, so it is difficult for them to break through the hard earth crust

Seedlings are planted on a bed in pre-prepared holes of small diameter, 7–8 cm deep. It is important that the bud and young leaves do not remain on the surface during planting.

Compatibility with other plants

When planning the location of vegetables on the site, it is necessary to take into account their compatibility with each other. In this regard, basil is a unique plant because it has a large number of "friends". Among them:

• tomatoes;
• all types of cabbage;
• Bell pepper;
• eggplant;
• potatoes;
• asparagus;
• corn;
• legumes.

Growing up in a garden with other vegetables, tusli performs another function - it repels pests

Unfriendly neighbors for basil are cucumber and rue

Growing methods

Basil can be grown both outdoors and indoors, using the seedling method or by sowing seeds directly into the ground. Each of these options has its own characteristics.

Growing from seedlings

The use of the seedling method of breeding basil has several advantages:

• you can harvest much earlier;
• the opportunity to get high-quality seed material for planting next year (the growing season of the plant is 140–160 days);
• the best survival rate of bushes grown through seedlings.

The timing of sowing seeds for seedlings is selected taking into account the fact that the sprouts should be planted in open ground after 45-60 days. That is, in the climatic conditions of the middle zone, this is the period from late March to early April.

It is most convenient to use seedling boxes as a container for seedlings.

To obtain seedlings, perform the following actions:

1. Fill boxes or other containers with soil consisting of equal parts of peat, humus and garden soil.
2. Fertilize with urea or superphosphate.
3. Place the seeds in holes 1–1.5 cm deep, sprinkle with earth and lightly tamp.
4. Cover the containers with foil or glass and place them in a room with a temperature of 20-25 ⁰ С.
5. When the first shoots appear on days 7-10, provide good lighting, that is, place the boxes on the windowsill.
6. Dive seedlings into individual containers with the appearance of one or two true leaves.
7. Fertilize seedlings once every two weeks. Such a solution is suitable: 4 g of superphosphate, 4 g of wood ash and 2 g of ammonium nitrate are dissolved in 1 liter of water.
8. Water the seedlings as the soil dries, but sparingly enough so that water does not stagnate in the pallets.

Some experts recommend hardening basil seedlings. This can be done by taking the boxes out into the open air for several hours a day or by placing them in a plastic greenhouse. The main thing is that the ambient temperature does not fall below +5 ⁰ C.

Seedlings are planted in open ground when the soil has warmed up to 10-15 ⁰ С and the threat of frost has passed. The seedlings are carefully removed from the containers and placed in grooves 8 cm deep every 20–25 cm. The distance between rows should be at least 30 cm.

Video: growing basil seedlings

Basil in the open field

The seedless way of growing basil works best for southern regions. In the middle lane, it is also possible to plant seeds directly into the ground, but only with the onset of stable heat, that is, at least in early June. Consequently, the beginning of the harvest in this case is postponed to August.

To grow basil seeds outdoors, you must:

1. Level the soil, form parallel grooves and moisten them with water.
2. Place the seeds in the grooves at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other and sprinkle with earth with a layer of 2-3 cm.
3. Until the emergence of shoots, cover the grooves with glass or foil.
4. Ventilate daily for 10-15 minutes and remove excess moisture from the glass.
5. When forming 2–3 pairs of leaves, thin out the garden bed with a distance of 20–25 cm between the bushes.

Greenhouse method

The presence of a greenhouse allows you to get a harvest of greenery much faster. If the greenhouse is covered with a durable material, i.e. glass or polycarbonate, a unique microclimate is created there and there are no sudden changes in temperature. This makes it possible to plant the basil early from seed (March-April). Seedlings, which are planned to be planted in the greenhouse, begin to be harvested at the end of February.

One of the requirements for the greenhouse is the presence of vents for ventilation and the possibility of shading it with the onset of heat

"Royal" grass on the windowsill

You can even grow basil all year round even on the windowsill in your apartment. Low-growing decorative varieties are suitable for this: Marquis, Dwarf, Yerevan, Lemon, Clove, etc.

The easiest way to grow it at home is to plant germinated cuttings of the plant. They are placed in pots with a volume of 1.5–2 liters, with prepared soil. To avoid waterlogging, which basil categorically does not tolerate, you should use drainage: small pebbles, expanded clay, gravel or crushed stone.

You can sow basil with seeds, but in this case, the bush will develop much longer (about 8 months).

The optimum temperature for good growth of greenery is 22–25 ⁰ С. Water the plant with a watering can with a spray as needed - the soil should be moderately moistened. Basil loves a lot of light, so the plant will need additional lighting in winter.

If the basil was planted in fertile soil, then you do not need to fertilize it additionally. If ordinary garden soil was used, then once a month it is necessary to make additional fertilizing, for example, the preparations Growth or Agrolife.

You can harvest when the height of the bush reaches 15 cm.

Video: growing basil at home

Basil propagation

Propagating basil is easy enough. There are two ways: cuttings and seeds.

Cutting the grass of the kings

Cuttings are harvested from the top and middle of the basil stem. They must be pinched off and placed in a container with water. The fluid should be changed daily. After a week, the roots will begin to appear, and after another two weeks we get ready-made seedlings that can be planted in the ground.

Basil shoots, placed in water, quickly sprout

How to collect seeds

The seeds can be purchased from a specialist store. But if the fragrant bushes are already growing in the garden, then you can prepare them yourself. This requires:

1. Select and cut off the faded dried inflorescences.
2. Hang and dry them in the shade.
3. Thresh and remove excess debris.
4. Select seeds and store them in paper or cloth bags until planting.

Basil seeds remain germinating for three to four years.

Diseases and pests

Basil is a disease-resistant and pest-resistant plant under optimal growing conditions. The persistent aroma of the spice repels a variety of insects. It is extremely rare for a young bush to be attacked by aphids or field ticks.

With excessive watering, poor aeration of the soil and its high acidity, basil can be affected by some fungal diseases:

• black leg - due to the defeat of the fungus, the vessels located in the root part, through which the plant feeds, are clogged; the base of the stem becomes thinner and blackens, and the plant itself turns yellow and dies;

  

  The reason for the defeat of basil with a black leg is excessive soil moisture.

• fusarium is also a fungal disease that causes blockage of the feeding vessels and poisoning of the bush with toxins; then the bush fades and dies;

  

  It looks like a basil bush affected by fusarium

• gray rot first affects the lower leaves, and then spreads to the whole plant; a sign of the disease is the appearance of spots that eventually become watery, a gray plaque appears on them.

  

  Gray rot on the basil is manifested subsequently by growing gray-brown spots on the leaves

How to care for basil

Basil is undemanding in leaving. He needs timely watering, several top dressing and removal of weeds (the weed takes the necessary nutrients from the plant and can shade it from the sun).

How to feed

It is advised to fertilize basil twice a season: the first time - in mid-June, the second - 15–20 days after the first feeding, that is, in July. Considering that the main purpose of complementary foods is to build up green mass, nitrogen-containing supplements should be chosen. For example:

• Nitrophoska (2 tablespoons bred 10-12 liters of water, the plants watered at the rate of 5 liters per m ²);
• ammonium nitrate (20 g per m ²);
• superphosphate (15-20 g per m ²)

How to water

The frequency of watering the basil depends on the weather. If there is no rain, then watering is carried out moderately about 1-2 times a week.

It is better to water the plant in the early morning so that the excess moisture can evaporate during the day. You should be aware that excessive humidity can lead to black-footed basil disease.

Bush formation

To make the basil bush more luxuriant, and the leaves larger and more fragrant, experts advise pinching off the formed flower buds and two pairs of leaves under them. If this is not done, all the "forces" of the plant go to flowering, the bush itself stretches, the leaves become smaller, thinner and lose their taste.

Video: forming a basil bush

Treatment against diseases and pests

If you find signs of damage to the basil plantings with fusarium or gray rot, then at the initial stage of the disease, you can use an infusion of onion peels: one part of the husk is poured with four parts of water and infused for 24 hours. Then the infusion is filtered and the plant is sprayed with it.

A plant affected by a black leg is unlikely to be saved. It must be removed along with a lump of earth, and pour a solution of potassium permanganate into the resulting hole. This will help prevent the spread of the disease to healthy plants. However, if the disease progresses, then fungicides are used: Topaz, Fitosporin, Fundazol, etc.

Aphids and field bugs can be fought using natural formulations or insecticides. Of the latter, Karbofos, Bankol, Akarin, etc. are suitable. You can also treat basil from pests with such means:

• decoctions of wormwood, dandelion, onion, garlic or mustard;
• tar soap solution: 100 g of grated soap is diluted in 10 liters of water;
• with a solution of wood ash: pour 300 g of ash with boiling water and cook for 30 minutes, stand and strain, add boiled water to a volume of 10 liters.

Features of growing in the regions

The climatic conditions of different regions determine the choice of the method and timing of planting the basil

So, in the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine, the spice can be planted in open ground with seeds in early June, since the risk of recurrent frosts is quite low.

Residents of the middle zone, including the Moscow region, are better off using the seedling method of growing basil. Plant seeds for seedlings in late March-early April and then in the ground in the first half of June.

In Siberia and the Far East, it is better to grow spice in greenhouses or greenhouses. The place for planting the basil should be prepared more carefully - you can use a wooden box or a car tire, where manure and organic matter are first poured, and then the soil. On such a cushion of soil, the plant will be much warmer.

So, growing fragrant healthy greens on your own is completely easy. The main thing is to remember that basil loves warmth, does not tolerate drafts and waterlogging. And timely watering, removing weeds and systematic loosening of the soil will prevent the development of diseases and provide you with a generous harvest.