Is your basil thriving particularly well this year? Then you can easily grow more specimens from them using cuttings. This form of propagation is very uncomplicated, as the following instructions show.

Cut the perfect cuttings - this is how it works

The best cuttings come from shoots that present themselves with juicy green leaves and no flowers at all. Cut off the tips here to a length of 10 to 15 centimeters. Position the scissors in such a way that the cut is made just below the base of a leaf. Only use cutting tools that have been freshly sharpened and meticulously disinfected, because insidious fungal spores are lurking everywhere.

This is how rooting succeeds in the water glass

It is always a small miracle when a cutting sprout roots. You can follow the process daily in the water glass. That is how it goes:

  • defoliate the cut cuttings in the lower half
  • fill a glass with water to put the cuttings in
  • the addition of a small piece of charcoal will prevent rot formation
  • place in the partially shaded, warm window seat

Ideally, the water is renewed daily. If the process is successful, you can look forward to the first tender roots within a few days.

Pot the cuttings properly

When the roots have reached a length of 3-4 centimeters, pot the basil. How to do it right:

  • Fill 9 cm pots with lightly fertilized substrate, such as herb or propagation soil
  • Make a well in it with a pricking stick
  • insert one rooted cutting at a time
  • Fill with soil up to the lower pair of leaves and press down with the pricking stick
  • place the culture vessels in a bowl with a water level 5 centimeters high

If the mini basil is watered from below, first place them in a semi-shady place. After a few days, the young plants move to a sunny location. Once your pupils have rooted the seed pot, plant each basil in a bed or a pot with nutrient-rich soil.

tips and tricks

Did your basil surprise you with a bloom? Don't fret over the bitter taste the leaves are now taking on. Instead, enjoy the flowers in order to win the seeds afterwards. Thanks to a short germination time of 1-2 weeks, you can grow a new royal herb in no time at all.

GTH

Category:

Vegetable garden