Green Speckles

Basil

Sweet basil. Herb plant from the mint family, originally from India.

Since December 2021 and January 2022

Planted from seeds

Journal

• December Basil (Dec 2021)
  • 30 Dec: Suspect fungus gnat. Squished several inside the plastic wrap dome. But none was observed 31 Dec-01 jan even with stirring.
  • 31 Dec: 2 largest ones are pinched to 10 cm.
  • 1 Jan 2022: a few fungus gnats observed again. Basil removed from the soil, soil discarded. Basil's root was washed thoroghly and kept in water overnight.
  • 2 Jan: Roots were rinsed thoroughly again then basil seedlings were replanted in new soil.
  • 8 Jan: Decided to renew because some transplants didn't look too well and not many left. One 1 kept, then more seeds replanted.
  • 23 Jan: The original's one-left doesn't look too good. Maybe because the roots were weaking during a lot pof transferring and washing. Seedlings are thriving. 1 cm tall.
  • 1 Feb: The growth from the pinching point goes well. The new growth is as tall as the stem under the pinching point.
  • 8 Feb: Pinching the taller side and using it for caprese salad. It was delicious. Actually both sides had same number of leaf sets. Will pinch the other one when making caprese salad.
• January Basil (Jan 2022)
  • 8 Jan: Seeds planted
  • 23 Jan: Seedlings are thriving. 1 cm tall.
  • Feb 3: Fertilizing half outdoor concentration when deep watering.
  • Feb 8 : 4-8 cm.
  • Feb 22: First pinching! Only 3 were ready. Pinched tips were used to make caprese salad.
• Basil Combined (Mar 2022)
  • Early Mar: Basil 1 is combined with 2 of the basil 2. The rest are discarded.
  • 25 Mar: Watered thoroughly in preparation of 10 days holiday.
  • 3 Apr: Back from holiday, Looking normal and healthy.
  • 17 May: Re. Spider mites. Washed leaves.
• Basil Split (May 2022)
  • 19: Container looked too small. January Basil (1, larger) was transferred to mint's container, December Basil (2, smaller) to bell pepper's container. Both the round 30cm deep gray container. Now they are outdoor.
  • 21: Rearranged to be tidier.

Basil & Mint journal 2022

• June
  • 19: Looking like falling forward.
  • 20: fixed.

Basil & Kemangi journal 2022

• June
  • 23: All 3 basils are combined. Mints are moved to the bellpepper pot. Kemangi are moved to basil pot.
  • 24: Harvested 2 packed cups to make basil pesto with cashew and gouda cheese.
• Summer
  • Kemangi was not doing well, removed at some point. Basil is thriving and has many harvested to make pesto. 1 or 2 cups each.
• September
  • 19: Back from holiday, some leaves dried up bot majorly fine.

Care

• Full sun.
• Rich, well draining soil.
• Moist soil. Water deeply in regular basis but don't let sit in wet soil.
• Heat lover. Among the first to die in fall.
• Fertilize regularly especially if harvested regularly. All purpose fertilizer.
• Spruce says, not needed unless growth rather slow. in that case, once a month, diluted.

References

• The Spruce: How to Grow Basil Indoors