If the sowing of basil seeds proceeds as desired, numerous, vital seedlings will thrive. So that the little plants don't hinder each other's growth, pricking out is now on the agenda. With a little instinct and these instructions it works smoothly.

How is the right time to be recognized?

Hobby gardeners are often unsure about the right time to prick out the seedlings. If you look closely at the plantlets, you can see the two cotyledons in the lower area. These are visually very different from the real leaves sprouting over them. Once a basil seedling has produced at least two pairs of leaves above the cotyledons, it is time to separate.

Sovereign pricking works like this

You give basil seedlings more stability for isolation if you water the seedlings a few hours beforehand. Then proceed as follows:

  • fill small seed pots (€16.68) half or two-thirds full with pricking soil
  • Cover the water drain in the bottom of the pot with a shard of pottery beforehand
  • Use a pricking stick to make a hollow in the substrate
  • Separate the basil sprigs with the thin end of the pricking stick
  • a spoon then makes it easier to lift out
  • Insert in the middle of the soil and plant up to just below the cotyledons

Examine the seedlings closely as you remove them. Use disinfected scissors to shorten roots that are too long to 2 centimetres. When inserting into the pricking soil, make sure that no roots bend upwards. Finally, compact the substrate from the side with the thin end of the pricking stick.

How to care for basil after pricking out

As part of the isolation, you give the young basil plants enough space for further growth. By the time they are planted out in mid-May, your pupils should be transformed into vigorous herb plants. Therefore, these care measures are in focus:

  • keep the substrate constantly slightly moist without wetting the foliage
  • fertilize weekly organically with a liquid fertilizer in a highly diluted concentration

Regular pruning of the young shoots causes bushy growth and promotes lush branching.

tips and tricks

The savers among the hobby gardeners do not buy expensive pricking wood. A skewer or Japanese chopstick made of wood or plastic will do the job just as well.

GTH

Category:

Vegetable garden