Growing basil: planting, care, types

This culture is a spicy plant and is quite popular throughout the world. The peculiarity of this plant is that it can be grown not only in those countries where it originates, but also in countries with a temperate climate, while this will happen not only in greenhouses, because basil, although it does not like the transplanting process but is not very whimsical and can take root everywhere. Basil has many varieties in its family, which differ in a variety of color, taste and spice of their smell. Also, in addition to other qualitatively positive characteristics and features of basil, this culture is successful in medical practice, namely, the culture is used in the preparation of healing infusions and teas. Also, it is a well-known fact that basil is eaten in various forms, that is, it can be added fresh to food, as well as dried or pickled, or salted. This refreshes the palatability of many dishes. Further in this article we will tell you more about: growing basil.

Growing basil: planting

If you are growing basil at home, it must be taken into account that peat tablets or peat-distilled pots will be the basis for planting a culture in which you need to sow several seeds at once in one unit. For such cultivation, it is necessary to carry out pre-sowing seed preparation. The seeds are left in a solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours. After that, the seeds are covered with a transparent film or bag, which must necessarily give access to air, and contain, like the basil itself, while observing the atmosphere of optimal bright light. Cultures will need to be prepared for transplanting when the first pair of leaf blades appears. To do this, you need to lay out a layer of drainage, which may consist of small brick stone or crumbled foam plastic, in a pot, the volume of which should not exceed the capacity of one liter. The thickness of such a trainer should be between 20 and 30 mm. In such conditions, it is also necessary to maintain a water balance and basil needs to be watered every day, as it belongs to moisture-loving plants. However, abundant watering can cause rot on the plant's root system. After watering the plant, once every 2-3 days, it is necessary to loosen the surface of the substrate. If the plant was planted in a substrate with low fertility, the plant must be fertilized with top dressing based on a mixture or humates. It is necessary to feed the culture with organic matter once a month.

Growing basil: features

Basil is grown as a seedling method, but it can also be planted in open soil. However, the seedling method is popular. This occurs in the spring, mainly until the middle of the month of April. It is necessary to prepare an additional special soil mixture, which is prepared from humus, rotted mixture and washed river sand in a ratio of two to four and to one. This substance must be sieved, and then held in a bath of water for one hour. If you use a ready-made commercial soil mixture, it must be spilled with potassium permanganate. As for planting greenery, experts recommend using cassettes with a depth of fifty to seventy millimeters for use for seedlings. Further, the basil seeds must be deepened by ten millimeters, and the row spacing must be made about fifty centimeters.The seedlings must be covered with a transparent lid or plastic and removed to a bright, warm place. The temperature must be maintained at a level of twenty to twenty-five degrees Celsius. After that, the first results of planting can be seen from seven to fifteen days after being planted.

After the appearance of one of the first seedlings, it is necessary to remove the upper shelter and move the box to a cooler place with a temperature of fifteen to twenty-five degrees Celsius. After that, the seedlings must be watered with water as necessary so that they do not dry out, but care must be taken that the substrate is not waterlogged, otherwise a fungal disease may develop, which will ruin all the seedlings. At the first signs of such a disease, experts advise treating the seedlings with the composition of copper sulfate in the proportion of one teaspoon to 2 liters of water. Or spill the seedlings with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

After the first pair of leaf plates appear, the basil will need to dive. To do this, you need a large container with the same soil mixture, only pre-fertilized. For fertilization, you need to mix five liters of substrate, two tablespoons of ash, wood can be used, and one tablespoon of fertilizer with a complex composition of minerals. It is necessary to repot the plants in a new container at the same depth in which they grew before. Then, after the plants have lived, in order to accelerate the stimulation of the growth of shoots that are on the sides of the plant, it is necessary to pinch over the sixth or eighth plate of foliage. After that, fifteen days before transplanting the basil to an open area, you need to gradually take out the seedlings to the air to harden the culture. Before transplanting plants into an open area, in four weeks you need to dig up the site and add fertilizer to it with any of the above listed in the calculation two kg of mixture per one square meter of land. Planting a plant in open ground should be carried out during the warm weather in May. To plant a plant, you will need a free and bright piece of land, protected from open wind. For this, the near-trunk surface of the earth around a young fruit tree may well be suitable. Under these conditions, the culture will receive a moderate amount of light. It is necessary to plant basil in the evening or not on a sunny time of the day. The distance between the seedling pits should be from fifteen to twenty centimeters. After planting, basil must be watered with warm, settled water. Subsequently, the planted plant must be covered with a film for the first fifteen days, since the basil has not yet had time to completely take root. Subsequently, it is necessary to regularly water with water, weed a little, feed with fertilizers and prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of pests. It is also recommended to get rid of the grown peduncles, this will serve for the subsequent branching of the plant.

As for what can be grown after the basil has ripened, here professionals do not recommend planting crops in the same place for several years in a row. To do this, it is necessary to change the plants, such a process will serve as the key to the successful care of the basil, since if you plant the basil for several years in a row in the same place, then later it will be impossible to plant it there again for the next 4, 5 years. The land on which the basil grew is suitable for crops that are resistant to various kinds of diseases inherent in basil. Among such crops, experts distinguish legumes, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, squash and early potatoes. In turn, basil can be planted the next year after crops such as tomatoes, strawberries, onions, beets, greens, cabbage and cauliflower.

Pests

Basil differs from many other crops in that it is quite resistant to various diseases. However, some diseases can affect him. For example, blackleg is a fungal disease that affects basil seedlings. Fusarium is also a fungal disease,

which affects the vessels of the bush, after which the shoots of the basil become brown and thin out over time. In this case, adult plants are affected by fungi from the top of the bush, it dries up, after which the entire bush dies.

Gray rot is a disease that affects plants grown in greenhouses. However, plants grown outdoors are also at risk of contracting this disease. In the first stages, gray rot appears on the leaves that are at the bottom of the plant, brown spots also appear on them, which eventually acquire a watery base and become covered with fluff, and then cover the entire plant completely.

You should also take all the necessary measures to prevent the onset of the disease in the basil. To do this, you must observe the following recommendations:

· It is forbidden to plant basil on the same plot of land for more than three years;

· It is forbidden to do very dense crops;

· Dusting the surface of the land with wood resin once a week should be undertaken;

· The plant should be watered regularly and at the same time do not allow it to flood or dry out the soil;

· Weeds should be removed regularly when they appear.

It should also be noted that basil can be attacked by bedbugs and aphids. Aphids are a particularly dangerous pest for basil. The aphid feeds on the juice from the shoots and leaves of the basil, which leads to the cessation of the development of shoots of the culture and the folding of the leaves of the plant, later the basil bushes dry up. Aphids leave sugar secretions on basil leaves, which attract sooty fungus. Basil takes on a dark bloom. Experts advise to deal with this pest with the help of decoctions of wormwood, dandelion, hot pepper, millennial, garlic, etc. With this decoction, it is necessary to process the plant that grows in the open field 3 times, about a week or a week and a half. It is also recommended to use a solution of ash and boiling water against aphids. To do this, it is necessary to mix three hundred grams of ash from wood residues with boiling water, while this solution should boil for at least 30 minutes. After this solution is infused, it must be mixed with ordinary water so that the total volume is 10 liters.

Bed bugs that live in meadows or fields are also an insect that sucks up the juice of the basil. As a result, deformation occurs in the vital systems of culture, and its surface becomes covered with brown spots, and then the whole dies off. Experts recommend fighting bedbugs in the same ways as when fighting aphids and other pests.

Plant species

All varieties of basil differ in many ways, for example, in shades of smell. So, for the preparation of drinks, those varieties are used that have lemon, caramel and vanilla smells. The best varieties are the following: Mauritanian, Zastolny, Fantazer, Balconstar, Genoese, Clove Gourmet, Basilisk, Yerevan, Troll, Magic Mountain, Red Rubin. These varieties are among the most productive and grow well outdoors. These varieties are distinguished by their varied colors, but they are considered the best seasonings for dishes that are used in everyday cuisine.

So, basil varieties are characterized by a specific smell, it appears due to the essential oil, which is located in the aerial part of the bush and has a specific composition. Also, this culture has all the useful vitamins that strengthen the immune system.Also, an infusion is prepared from this culture, which helps in the treatment of colitis, pyelitis, whooping cough, neurosis, bronchial asthma, flatulence, inflammation of the kidneys and bladder.

From all of the above, we can summarize that the common basil is the plant that has a specific, sometimes very pungent odor. This crop tastes differently into many subspecies, as tastes can range from a highly bitter plant to a savory nutmeg flavor. In the kitchen of any housewife, this culture can manifest itself in various dishes, this is due to its taste, color and external features. Basil can be served on the table not only in its fresh form, but it can also be crushed into small leaves and served with meat dishes.

In order to correctly determine the specifics of the care and cultivation of basil, it is necessary to take into account that the leaves of this plant are of particular value, which means that it is necessary to take into account the fact that the laborious process of caring for the basil will be aimed at preventing diseases affecting the leaves of the plant.