It's so devastating - as soon as you buy it, the basil 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 supermarket 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, royal herb 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 kilometers
  • the heavy feeder is in too lean a substrate
  • a low temperature level and low water supply increase stress

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 royal herb at home with a few simple steps. The solution is: pep up by repotting.

Make three out of one - this is how it works by repotting

The negative influences on purchased basil are intensified by planting them in pots that are far too narrow. This leads to an all-consuming competition for water, nutrients and light. In order for royal herb 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 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 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 and tricks

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.

GTH

Category:

Vegetable garden