Basil

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Basil
Basil
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Basil is considered a perennial plant, and individual specimens can reach up to two meters in length. In total, there are about one hundred and fifty different varieties in the genus.

Basil flowers are quite small and gather in inflorescences. Basil is especially valuable for its decorative foliage, as well as for long flowering. The flower is quite unpretentious in growing, and also has an amazing resistance to winter temperatures. The flower has a rather neutral smell, but one of the varieties of the basil has a very specific and extremely unpleasant aromas, which is fully reflected in its name, which sounds like a stinking basil.

Care and cultivation of a basil

Full shade is considered the best place to grow a basil, but the flower can develop normally in the sun. provided that the basil is grown in the sun, you should be prepared for the color of the flowers to fade noticeably. For the basil, fertile and moist soils are needed, but this plant can grow on any other soils, the main thing is that the soil is sufficiently moistened. Basil can be safely called quite unpretentious in care, because it only needs regular watering on especially hot days, as well as in case of dry weather.

This plant is very responsive to a variety of feeding. For this reason, the basil should be fertilized in the spring with complex mineral fertilizers. As for the autumn period, then mulching of the soil around the plant with the help of humus or peat will be required.

As for flowering, after the end of this period, one of the varieties of the plant, namely the basil, will require pruning at the root. Other shorter plants do not need pruning at all. In one place, this plant can grow without transplants even for ten years. In the event that you intend to transplant the basil, then it is recommended to perform this procedure either in the spring or immediately after the end of the flowering period.

It is also important to remember that basilists are poisonous plants, so a certain degree of caution must be observed, which is especially true for young children.

Breeding basil

Reproduction of the basil can occur with the help of cuttings, as well as dividing the bush. In addition, the basil can be propagated by seeds. As for the seeds, it is recommended to sow them before winter in the soil or in the spring for seedlings. In the latter case, seed stratification will be required within one month. If you choose an autumn planting in the soil, then you will need to thin out the seedlings at the beginning of summer, and in the spring a year later, young basilists will have to be transplanted to their permanent place. If you choose to reproduce a flower with seeds, its flowering will begin in the second year after the seeds have been sown.

As for reproduction by dividing the bush, this should be done between May and September. In this case, the resulting plants must be planted at a distance of about forty centimeters from each other, and immediately after planting, the plants should be watered very abundantly.

In the case when it is necessary to propagate a varietal basil, propagation by means of cuttings is chosen. Each cuttings should have a "heel", as well as one or two internodes. It is recommended to root the cuttings in a substrate consisting of a mixture of earth and sand in equal proportions. Then you need to cover the cuttings with foil or glass. Periodic watering is recommended, and as soon as rooting occurs, the cuttings should be planted in their permanent place.

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