How to: Keep supermarket basil alive

Who hasn’t been there? The plan to buy a small amount of basil for dinner quickly turns into the dream of a fragrant herb garden on the windowsill when faced with the many beautiful potted herbs in the supermarket. A few days on, the dream turned into a few wilted stems, no matter how often or little you watered them. Classic!

Here are a few simple tips on how to really turn your basil plant into a little herb garden.

The truth about supermarket basil

It’s not your fault that supermarket basil dies so quickly! When you buy a basil plant in the supermarket, you’re not actually buying a single plant, but a densely populated clump of more than 20 seedlings. This creates the impression of an extremely healthy and bushy plant that looks great on the shelf and is available at a much lower price. However, the truth is that these seedlings soon start to compete for space as they lack enough light, water, and nutrients once they leave the protected environment of an industrial greenhouse. This causes the plants in the pot to perish.

Tip 1: Check before buying

When buying, choose larger plants that look bushy, lively, and healthy. If the leaves look wilted or drooping, the basil plant is probably dehydrated. If possible, check the roots in the pot and make sure the plant is not too heavily rooted. Healthy roots are a good indication that you can repot the basil plant at home. Also, watch out for possible pest infestations such as aphids. It is rare, but not impossible.

Tip 2: Divide the basil into several small pots

If you want to have a surplus of basil for several months, you need to divide the basil plant and and plant them separately in pots so they can thrive:

1. Remove the basil plant from the pot and separate the plants by gently pulling apart the root ball.
2. Choose the healthiest and largest plants to plant separately in pots.
3. Don’t plant the stems too deep

Tip 3: Use the right soil

Unlike most other herbs, basil requires nutrient-rich soil. So it is important to carefully choose the location. Basil thrives ideally in soil with the following characteristics:

• nutrient-rich and humus
• fresh-moist and well-drained
• pH value between 6.5 and 7.5

The soil should also be watered regularly to prevent it from drying out completely.

Tip 4: Place the repotted plants in a warm, sunny location

Like most Mediterranean plants, basil loves a warm location with direct sunlight. It should get between 8 and 12 hours of light per day. A south-facing window is ideal, but an east-facing window often works as well. Support your plants in winter or in locations with less light with a growth lamp.

Tip 5: Keep it always moist.

Basil LOVES water! So make sure your basil plant always gets enough water. If your plant looks wilted, you need to water it more often. Keep the soil always slightly moist.

Use pots with several drainage holes to avoid waterlogging. Good quality potting soil also helps the water to drain. When watering, be careful to only water at the base of the plant to avoid leaf diseases.

Of course, this is a bit laborious. It’s worth using pots with built-in water reservoirs. There are now many cool models available. Here is a small selection of our favorites:

Tip 6: Always harvest from top to bottom

When your basil plant is about 15-20cm tall, you can start harvesting the leaves. Always remove the top leaves first.

Harvest regularly, even if you don’t use them for cooking. Picking the leaves of your basil plant stimulates growth and leads to more lush growth. You can make pesto from the surplus or freeze the chopped leaves with some water in an ice cube tray.

Now you know how to keep your supermarket basil plant alive and propagate it. Good luck gardening!

Get a little helper for herb gardening

With FYTA Beam, you can easily and stress-free provide your basil plant with everything it needs. So, you can have fresh basil all year round!