Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Basil

Basil is a sun-loving annual. August is its prime month. It makes a great kitchen windowsill plant, and will deter flies. Preserve basil by freezing or packing into jars with olive oil.

There are many types of basil, and different sizes and colors of the leaves. One sure way to identify basil is by the smell. It is highly aromatic and smells something like spicy cloves. The plant can grow to a height of 2 feet.

Plants should not be set outdoors until all danger of frost has past. Once plants are established, pinch out the top to encourage a bushier plant. Frequent harvesting of the outer leaves will prolong the life of the plant. Wash leaves well before using.

In cooking, basil works well in combination with tomatoes. Italian and Greek cuisines incorporate it often. Pesto is a famous basil-garlic sauce, great with pasta. Finely chopped basil stirred into mayonnaise makes a good sauce for fish.

Purple Basil:

Q. I would like to know why my purple basil is dying. The leaves are wilted looking. Help.

A. This is a hard call, but I would say overwatering is the culprit. Basil is used to the Mediterranean climate and likes to get dry between waterings, but not to the point of wilting. Make sure that the soil medium you have it in is very loose and well-drained. If it is chunky and heavy, the roots will smother and die, leading to root rot, wilting, and then sadly death.

Take it out of its pot, allow to dry, and shake loose the current mix. Add a better mix and repot. Give it full sun, since if shaded, it will not perform and this could cause overwatering, too, and death. It is great in cooking and as a garnish. Opal basil is a lovely variety. Best of luck.

Q. My sister has a basil cutting. How can she propagate it? What temp, soil, etc., does the plant need? Thanks.

A. Basil is best propagated by seed rather than trying to get a cutting to root. All she has to do is allow the plant to flower, which it does readily, and soon there will be clusters of black seeds produced. Harvest them, dry for a week and sow right on top of a tray full of vermiculite, covered just a wee bit. They germinate within a week.

She can take some end cuttings of the youngest, freshest sprouts, a length of 4-5" and place the bottom inch in a glass of water, having no leaves below the water. Place in a well-lit window and wait for tiny white roots to form. They can be potted several to a 4" pot and grow indoors or outside until frost.

Basil is surprisingly easy to grow. It is easily grown from seed regardless of whether it is started indoors or broadcast outside in the garden after the danger of frost has passed. Basil is very tender and sensitive to frost injury. For indoor culture, sow seeds in a flat, and cover them with a moistened, sterile mix to a depth not more than twice the size of the seed. Space seeds 3/8 to 1/2 inch apart in the flat. Maintain a soil temperature of approximately 70 degrees F. Once germination begins, at 5 to 7 days, the plantlets must be kept warm at 70 degrees F or above and the soil must be kept moist.

When seedlings have at least 2 pairs of true leaves, transplant them to 2 inch pots. Basil grows best in a sunny location and need a well-drained, rich soil. Plants started indoors and hardened off in May can be planted outside to their permanent location and spaced about 12 inches apart. Since moisture is important to a good basil crop, mulching the area will not only discourage weeds but will maintain the moisture level of the soil keeping the plant healthy.

Basil prefers a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Fertilize basil sparingly as this decreases the fragrant oils. To encourage a bushy, healthy plant and to maximize production, don't be afraid to prune basil. Unless you want to harvest some seed, pinch off the flower buds as soon as they begin to emerge. Letting them flower too much will lead to death of the plant! Basil will usually have to be pruned every 2 to 3 weeks.

Info Ohio State University, list of varieties:

http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/1000/1644.html

Q. A woman has a little herb garden outside her patio door. She has three basil plants, each a different variety. Her plants are HUGE. Like, 3 - 4 feet high and very bushy. Well, my two or three plants are still just one-stalkers, and only about as tall as they were when I bought them. I hardly use them, because I don't want to strip them of all their few leaves. Why does she have success and I don't?

A. Pinching, light, heat, water and food. These words come to mind, so examine all of them.

Basil is Mediterranean at heart, as is rosemary and some thyme. It loves hot and basically very, very bright growing areas. Think Italy and Greece. Place the plants in as well-lit an area as possible. they can take some hours of shade, but heat them up good. Of course, this is coupled with plentiful water. With all the transpiration of liquid from the leaves in the heat, the soil needs water almost daily.

Pinching is very important. the ones which do the best are constantly being harvested the worst thing you can do to all herbs is just let them grow and never cut them. Branching occurs each time you trim a stem with leaves, and it also removes any flower buds, which you do not want until late fall.

Basil likes fertilizer, too, but not too much. Otherwise the flavor will be altered if fed too much. Feed them every 3-4 weeks, with a general garden food, plentiful in nitrogen.

Even if you do not wish to use any basil, cut off the top vegetative stems an inch to promote branching. Then, you will be rewarded with a bushy, happy, vigorous plant.

Q. I have two basil plants growing in large pots on the deck. They probably have different soil mixes. One gets slightly more sun than the other, but both get plenty. The one in the bit more sun has suddenly dried up and set seed, and is just about devoid of leaves. The other (which has always been darker green) is still full of leaves and healthy looking, and dark green. What do you think is happening?

A. The one basil has set seeds and its life is nearing an end. Basil is an annual and will seed itself for next year, thus appearing to be perennial, as a rosemary in moderate climes. But, once seed has been set, that sends a chemical message to the plant to stop growing, producing green leaves [for your cooking!] and put all its energy into what it was put on Earth to do, propagate itself on through a new generation.

The only way to avoid this happening is to make sure that you pinch off all new shoots throughout the season, even cutting back 2-6" depending upon the length of the stem. But, if you miss a couple stems and they flower and set seed, the rest will automatically stop growing and set seed, too. It is not as though you could have 1/2 a plant seeding and the other 1/2 bearing fresh green leaves for harvest.

The more sun basil gets the better...think Italy. But, watering must be watched daily, since if they wilt, they tend to drop a lot of leaves due to the stress. White fly is the most common insect which invades it, on the undersides of the foliage.

Irene writes~
I have quite a few beautiful basil plants but this year they are being attacked by bugs. The leaves have holes in them and are eaten all raggedy. What should I do?

A. There are several insects and diseases that may infest the plant, but there are no pesticides currently available for use on basil. Since the herb is grown for consumption, it is unwise to use any chemical on it. Plants should therefore be monitored continually for the presence of insects and diseases. Your County Extension office should be contacted for information on the identification of insects and diseases and for recommended controls. Serious leaf damage is most likely the handiwork of Japanese Beetles. Hand pick and drown any beetles you find in a bucket of soapy water. More serious beetle problems can be controlled organically with a bio-lure (used with a commercial trap, or in a yellow bucket of soapy water which is changed regularly). Keep away from sitting water or hidden, cool spots where slugs and snails may live [under saucers or rocks] as these predators can do severe damage to basil foliage.