Tips for Growing Big Bushy Basil Plants

Jack shares five essential tips for growing big, bushy basil plants successfully.

### Five Essential Tips for Growing Big Bushy Basil
* 🌱 Jack shares his experience of growing a large basil plant in a wine barrel, highlighting that even with just two plants, **substantial growth is achievable**.
* 🌱 Tip one involves starting basil either from seeds or cuttings, with seeds germinating in **about a week** when sown in seed-starting soil, while cuttings need to be placed in **non-chlorinated water** to root in **two weeks**.
* 🌱 For optimal growth, tip two emphasizes using a **moist soil mixture of 20% compost, 60% potting mix, and 20% coconut coir**, which helps **retain moisture without becoming waterlogged**.
* 💧 Tip three stresses the importance of **consistent watering**, recommending the use of a **moisture meter** to maintain the soil's moisture level similar to a **wrung-out sponge**.
* ☀ Tip four discusses the ideal sunlight conditions for basil, suggesting **morning sun with afternoon shade** to encourage **larger leaves**, especially in limited light situations.
* ✂ In tip five, Jack explains the significance of pruning basil to **prevent bolting and promote bushier growth**, advising to **cut back stems to the last set of leaves** when they reach about **six inches tall**.
* 🐛 He also mentions potential pests like cabbage worms, recommending **BT spray or spinosad for control**, while noting that basil doesn't need much fertilizer, as the **compost in the soil mix is usually sufficient**.
* 🌡 Lastly, Jack warns that basil is **sensitive to frost and extreme heat**, thriving best in temperatures between **45 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit**, and encourages viewers to **save seeds for future planting**.

Hello everyone, this is Jack, and in this video, I'll cover five tips to grow big bushy basil like this one. I'm growing this one in a container, in a wine barrel, and there are only two plants in here. And that's how big it has become. And it's already starting to produce seed, so I got deadheaded, and I'll be talking about that too. So, let's start with those five tips. Tip number one: starting basil. Now, you can start basil from seed, or you can also start basil from a cutting. To start basil from seed, just sow the seeds in a seed-starting soil. The basil plants will start to grow in about one week. Let them grow up to three to four inches, and then transfer them directly into the ground or in containers. Basil is really easy to grow in containers as well, so if you live in an apartment or you live in a tight space where you can't plant anything in the ground, you can always grow basil. And basil loves shade, so if you don't get full sun

In the area you're living in, in an apartment or tight spaces, you can always grow basil in shade as well in containers. To start basil from cutting, take a cutting of a basil stem, remove all the bottom leaves, and then place the cutting in a bottle of water. Make sure the water is not chlorinated. Change water every two to three days. In about two weeks, the roots will start to emerge. You can take the basil stem out of the water with all the beautiful roots and then plant the basil plant in a container of your choice, and it will start to grow. Tip number two: the soil or growing medium. Now, basil likes moist soil. It does not like to be waterlogged, and it does not like to dry out. So, the best growing medium for basil is a combination of compost, some raised bed soil, and coconut coir. Coconut coir is very, very good at retaining moisture. So, if there is too much water, it will absorb the water, and if there is too little water, it will retain the water and provide it to the plant. Use 20% compost, 60% potting mix, or

raised bed soil and 20 coconut coir, and that will do really well to grow basil. Tip number three: watering. Now, watering is also very essential to growing plants. Now, you must know how often and how much to water. I made a separate video on how much to water your plants, which depends on many different factors. However, for basil, you always want to keep the soil moist. Like I mentioned before, the consistency of the soil should be equal to a rungart sponge, so it should not have too much water or too little water. The best way to check moisture level in your growing medium is with the moisture meter, and that will tell you how much moisture is in your soil and how often you need to water. Tip number four: sunlight. Now, I have this basil facing the morning sun, and this area gets shade in the afternoon. So, right after noon, no sun directly hits the basil, and that is very important in growing basil because if you grow basil in full sun, the leaves won't get this big. Look at the size of

this leaf. This is only possible in partial shade or in an area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. So, like I mentioned earlier, if you're living in a tight space or if you don't receive too much sunlight in your apartment, your backyard, your balcony, you can always grow basil in containers. Tip number five: pruning. If you do not prune basil plants, basil plants will just grow tall, and they will bolt, producing seeds, and that's what we do not want. So, the reason behind pruning basil is to create bushier plants that produce a lot of basil. Basil grows in sets of leaves, which is a very important piece of information to know while pruning basil. The basil plant produces two sets of leaves and two little offshoots right next to the leaves every one to two inches. Tip number one: you can prune the basil plant when the plant is about six inches tall and it has at least two to three sets of leaves. Tip number two: to prune a basil stem, cut the stem down to the last set of leaves. Leave about a quarter of an inch of a stem.

Above the last set of leaves, you can see where I cut the last stem. Now I'm going to cut this stem back to the last set of leaves. As soon as the basil stem gets up to 6 inches tall, cut the stem back to the last set of leaves. This will force the basil plant to keep branching out. Tip number 3: Whenever you see your basil plants bolting, which means it's trying to create flowers and then seeds, just snip off the top of the plant. This process is called deadheading. After pruning, you can enjoy the basil leaves in your cooking. It is also possible to grow another basil plant from the cuttings of basil stems. So, if you prune your basil plants frequently, the basil plants will grow bushier and will create a lot more branching stems, and you get to enjoy fresh basil. I made a separate video on five uses of fresh pizzas. I also made a video on how to dry and preserve basil as well. If you deadhead basil plants and prevent the basil plants from growing seed, it will

become even bigger and produce more leaves in order to produce more seeds. I have a separate video on how to increase the harvest 10 times if you want to learn about this concept. So, if you follow these five tips, you can grow big, bushy basil plants. Now, there are some pests that love basil, including cabbage worms, and the only way to get rid of cabbage worms is to use BT spray or spinosad spray. And I made a separate video on how to get rid of cabbage worms as well if you want to check it out. Basil does not require a lot of fertilizer, so the 20% compost that you add in your growing medium will be sufficient enough. If you like, you can add a little bit of chicken manure or commoner to your growing medium as well to grow basil. However, basil will do just well without a lot of fertilizer. Basil does not like frost and will begin to die off as the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Basil also does not

like too much heat. So, if the temperature grows above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, basil will start to not do very well, and the leaves will become smaller. However, basil plants can tolerate up to 100 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit for a few days if you keep the basil plants in shade. At the end of the season, you can always let your basil plants go to seed. In this way, you can harvest the loss of basil and also harvest the seeds to plant next year. You can always stick basil cuttings at the end of the season and then root them indoors and keep them indoors over winter and then plant them outside next spring. I also have a video on five vegetables that you can overwinter and get a head start on growing these vegetables next spring and summer. I really hope you enjoyed this video, and I hope you can grow big bushy basil plants like these, and I'll see you in another video. [Music]

5 Tips to Grow Big Bushy Basil Plants

Daisy Creek Farms with Jag Singh

Starting basil can be done from seed or cutting, with seeds germinating in about a week.

Basil thrives in containers and can grow in shaded areas, making it ideal for tight spaces.

The best growing medium for basil is a combination of compost, raised bed soil, and coconut coir, which helps retain moisture.

Using raised bed soil with coconut coir is effective for growing basil.

It's important to keep the soil moist and use a moisture meter to determine watering needs.

Basil thrives in partial shade, with morning sun and afternoon shade being ideal, and pruning the plant helps create bushier growth and prevents bolting.

Cut the basil stem back to the last set of leaves when it reaches 6 inches tall to encourage branching.

Snip off the top of the plant when it starts bolting to prevent flowering and seed production.

Prune frequently and use the cuttings to grow new plants, while also managing pests with BT or spinosad spray.

Basil plants struggle when temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to smaller leaves.

They can tolerate higher temperatures (up to 104 degrees) for a few days if kept in shade.

At the end of the season, basil can go to seed, and cuttings can be rooted indoors for planting the following spring.