Content

• Steps
• Advice

Lemon basil, also known as colored stinging nettle, fire nettle, or perilla leaf, is planted with leaf shaped patterns. The basil leaves come in eye-catching colors like white, yellow, red, pink, purple, dark brown, copper, and more. Lime basil makes for an indoors and outdoors appeal, and despite the tropical outside, you will need to include basil indoors in winter.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Growing Lemon Basil from Seeds

1. 

   Prepare seeds in early spring. For best results, plant your plants indoors about 8 - 10 weeks before the last frost is forecasted in your area. If you're planting off-season, you can sow the seeds in late spring or summer, but the plant won't grow as fast and healthy.

2. 

   
   
   Prepare a small pot of loose soil. Leave a seed tray or small pot indoors, and then pour in loose soil or pot soil. Lemon basil grows well in loose soil, has good drainage, so mix mud moss or the like, to loosen it if the soil is too tight.

3. 

   Sow the seeds on the ground. Spread the seeds on the ground. Cover with a 3 mm thin layer of soil. Do not bury seeds in the soil, as they need light to germinate.

4. 

   
   
   Keep the soil moist. Water less but often so that the soil maintains moisture without waterlogging. If plants are grown in dry environments, cover with plastic sheets or pots to prevent them from drying out.
   • Remove the plastic sheet as soon as you see the seed sprout.

5. 

   Keep seeds in a warm place away from direct sunlight. Always keep the seed tray at 21 ° C in indirect sunlight.

6. 

   
   
   Plant a larger pot. If possible, remove the plastic sheet, as soon as the seed emerges. Once the seed has developed a small cotyledon and two young leaves, it can be safely potted, or planted directly in the ground. Refer to the care instructions below to continue growing your basil plant. advertisement

Method 2 of 4: Growing Lemon Basil from Branch

1. 

   Cut branches from mature plants, or buy them. To cut basil stalks, choose a branch with no flowers or buds at the top. Cut directly under the leaf node, so the branch should be about 10 - 15 cm long. Branches can also be purchased directly, and in particular, small growable gourds.
   • You can take branches about 5-8 cm from the smaller basil plant.

2. 

   Leaves off. Depending on the length of the branch, one or two leaf nodes, or the areas where the leaves grow on the branch, will be planted underground. Cut off the leaves growing from the lowest nodes, otherwise they will rot when buried in the ground.

3. 

   Dip the lower part of the stem in a rooting stimulant (if desired). Lemon basil usually takes root quite quickly, but store-bought rooting stimulants can be used to promote plant growth. If you want to do this, follow the directions on the label to prepare the stimulant mixture, then dip the lower part of the branch into a little solution.

4. 

   Plant in water (if desired). Most basil plants will grow in a cup of water. Change the water every day, leave the plant in an area of ​​indirect sunlight, and potted the plant when the roots are growing. The soil treatment below will help.

5. 

   Plant branches in moist soil. Plant each branch in a small indoor pot. Use soil that is rich in nutrients and easily drained, and moistens the soil before planting. If the soil is not loose enough to plug the branch directly down, make a hole with a pencil and plant the branch. Plant the cut-off portion at the end of the branch into the ground.

6. 

   Cover newly planted seedlings with plastic bags. Since the young branches have not yet grown roots, they cannot compensate for the amount of effluent discharged from the leaves and stems. To prevent this, cover the entire pot and basil plant with plastic bags to keep the air inside. Use a stick or toothpick to prevent the plastic bag from touching the tree branch directly.
   • Remove the bag when new sprouts are found on the plant, especially after 1–4 weeks.

7. 

   Keep the room warm and away from direct sunlight. Keep basil pots in the room with temperatures as low as 21 ° C. Let the plant absorb more indirect light. Once your plant has developed its roots and leaves, you can continue to care for it according to the instructions below. You can grow plants indoors, or take them out in the garden if you live in a hot climate.
   • The branches purchased from a nursery are usually grown in a greenhouse, and do not get enough sunlight. Take them out often, moving the pot from a dark place to a place with more sunlight.
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Method 3 of 4: Caring for Basil

1. 

   Decide the amount of sun exposure. The more sunlight they receive, the more vibrant they are. If possible, keep your basil in the sun all morning and in the shade at noon. However, keep the plant in a cool, shady place.
   • If your basil plant is deciduous, it may need more sunlight.
   • According to the US Department of Agriculture, the tolerance zones of plants vary slightly from one to another, but most basil plants do well in zones 9–10, if the plants are grown indoors in winter.

2. 

   Keep the soil moist but do not waterlogg. Basil basil needs soil that is constantly moist, but will waterlogg if left submerged. In hot or windy conditions, you need to water each day or even twice a day to keep the soil moist. Increase the amount of water if the pot is dry and wilted, or discolored.
   • Water the soil directly, as wet leaves can become infected.

3. 

   Fertilize (if desired). If you want plants to grow fast, apply a moderate amount of fertilizer at a 10-10-10 mixture ratio. Fertilizer can cause weak or irregular plant growth, so do one of the following to keep your plant healthy:
   • Apply fertilizer at the correct time according to the instructions, only once per season.
   • Or dilute the fertilizer at a strength of about ½ or ¼, and fertilize every two weeks.

4. 

   Prune the lemon basil plant. Prune a few branches to prevent the plant from overgrowing, and it will look good. Here are the common basic pruning strategies used for thyme:
   • To promote straight basil growth, cut the lateral branches, but not the leaves growing from the stem. Do this if you want a "tree-like" look rather than a bush.
   • Once the basil has reached the desired height, prune the main top of the plant. To spur the plant in more directions and become denser.

5. 

   Pruning flowers. Removing flowers from the plant as soon as they appear will help the plant focus on developing strong roots and thick leaves instead of seeding. If you like flowers, cut off most of the flowers and leave only the most visible branches.

6. 

   Stake stakes if necessary. If the tree becomes heavy at the tops or leans to one side, gently tie the tree to the support post with a string or soft material. This is most suitable when the plant is potted in order to reduce the processing time of the plant.
   • You can prevent the plant from tilting to one side by frequently changing its direction toward the light.
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Method 4 of 4: Protect Plants from Cold, Pests, and Diseases

1. 

   Plant basil indoors when the weather is cool. Bringing the tree into the house when there is frost, just a single frost can kill the plant. Some basil plants can tolerate this if the regular nighttime temperatures are below 16 ° C. When growing indoors, keep plants moist, and stop fertilizing.
   • During winter, increase the shade of the plant regularly, until it is completely in shade. Sudden changes can cause the plant to lose its leaves.

2. 

   Kill aphids. Cotton aphids are one of the most common pests of basil. They look like white fluff on stems and leaves, and can be wiped off with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol.

3. 

   Control the infestation of pollen. Pollen beetles appear in swarms of small white insects, and / or have many white eggs under the leaves. For plants grown outside, buy ladybugs or natural enemies Encarsia to kill the pollen.For indoor plants, hang traps or make your own traps to trap them.

4. 

   Deal with other pests. For most insects, like bed bugs, you can spray water or wipe with a towel. Some pests require a specific approach to destroy:
   • "Red Spider" can be repelled by increasing moisture. Place a pan of water nearby and cover the affected area.
   • The small flying black spots that are on the ground are "small flies," which can be treated by placing 6 mm of fine gravel on the soil surface, or reducing watering and leaving the area well ventilated.
   • Get rid of snails using a beer or copper fence, or buy specialized snail control products.

5. 

   Trimming or treating diseased leaves. Round, black, or irregularly shaped hairy spots are always a sign of fungal disease. Cut off the diseased leaf immediately, then disinfect scissors or trimmings with boiling water or rubbing alcohol to avoid spreading the infection to other leaves.
   • A fungicide spray can be found at the garden store if the disease continues to spread.
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Advice

• If the frost has passed but you have not yet planted basil seed indoors, you can plant the seeds directly in the garden. If done this way, move the seedlings that are too close together and plant them elsewhere. You can plant them in pots of 5cm or larger.
• If you want to plant your lime basil with strange, colorful leaves, pull out the seedlings with normal green leaves. Wait until the leaf is fully mature (second layer of the leaf) before making a decision.