suitable feed for Basil

skr00ge

+1 for water. There should be enough food in the compost.

Also sow a new pot every week/2weeks for a constant supply.
Also there are loads of different types, sweet, lime, thai, lettuce etc etc.

roses

Doesn't basil re-grow if you chop off some of the leaves for your cooking? Why do you need to plant more every 2 weeks?

skr00ge

It doesn't grow fast enough for the amount of cooking we do. I'd hate to run out and instead of nipping to the greenhouse, have to traipse to the supermarket and get ripped for a tasteless leggy plant, if they haven't already sold out like they usually have. Also they don't do lettuce/thai/lemon/lime basil.

Or maybe the basil plants you buy are enormous?

jennifernil

Basil seeds germinate in about 7 days, and the plants will be ready to start using in about 6/8 weeks if you treat them nice. Have several plants going and pinch off the tops to use, that way they will bush out.

roses

skr00ge wrote: »

Or maybe the basil plants you buy are enormous?

I cook for a single person which is why my herb consumption is low

Buggins

Hi - You can also take basil cuttings easily. Just cut off a few bits and put in a glass of water. They soon sprout roots and then you can pot up and continue ad infinitum.

roses

I bought 4 basil plants from Lidl last week. I put 1 on my window sill & it wilted & now looks dead.

1 put 1 in my plastic greenhouse. That also wilted & now looks dead.

I planted 2 in the garden but that has also wilted & now looks dead.

What am I doing wrong??

tru

roses wrote: »

I bought 4 basil plants from Lidl last week. I put 1 on my window sill & it wilted & now looks dead.

1 put 1 in my plastic greenhouse. That also wilted & now looks dead.

I planted 2 in the garden but that has also wilted & now looks dead.

What am I doing wrong??

I don't know, but we had the same problem. Every herb plant we've ever bought has died, but every one we've grown from seed does really well. Weird.

roses

Thanks, i will try from seed instead then. perhaps the supermarkets put something in the soil to make them die quickly so we go back to buy more! although my parsley plant i bought from b&q is really bushy and doing fantastic since i planted it outside 1 month ago!

angie_loves_veg

I don't think that they do anything with the soil, but I would imagine that they are grown in artificial environments - grow lights, temperature and humidity controlled - that sort of thing. It allows the supermarkets to have a near all year round supply, but means that once out of the artificial environment, they will need lots of care to cope in a 'normal' growing environment.

I find that plants bought in the genuine season (ie now for parsley, a little later for basil) etc can do well when brought home, as you aren't asking them to perform 'out of season'.