It’s so sad – when you buy basil and it dies within a week. The causes have long been puzzled. Here you can find out where the crux is buried and how the problem can be solved by repotting.
This is why basil from the store only lasts for a short time
What made even experienced experts frown has finally been clarified. The juicy green appearance of basil in the supermarket is more appearance than reality. In fact, basil is already so stressed on the store shelf that it’s on its last legs. The causes at a glance:
- the transport route often extends over hundreds of miles
- the heavy feeder is in too lean a substrate
- a low temperature level and low water supply increase stress
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The smoldering suspicion of intentionally contaminated or inferior soil in the context of production is thus out of the world. In truth, you are holding a completely depleted basil in your hands. Exactly this circumstance in turn gives hope to save the basil at home with a few simple steps.
Make Three Out of One
The negative influences on purchased basil are intensified by planting them much too narrowly in pots. This leads to an all-consuming competition for water, nutrients and light. In order for basil to give a tasty harvest for more than 1 week, proceed as follows:
- Immediately unpot the herbal plant and cut into 3 parts
- place a potsherd in 3 pots above the bottom opening as drainage
- Fill in a potting soil-sand mixture halfway up
- Insert a basil segment and fill the cavity with a substrate
- pour liberally
- spend in a sunny, warm, and sheltered spot
Scientific experiments have shown that no more than 5-10 shoots of a royal herb should be cultivated in a 30 cm (11 inches) pot. In this case, vital, lush green herbal plants develop within a few days. Optimal care revolves around weekly fertilizing and regular watering once the soil has dried.
Tips
Basil not only gives Mediterranean dishes the finishing touch. The versatile herbal plant also relieves itchy insect bites without any chemicals. Freshly harvested basil leaves are crushed and rubbed onto the skin.
