Many connoisseurs of tasty and healthy do not represent their diet without basil. This annual herbaceous plant has long become popular in the entire post-Soviet space.
And lovers of everything exotic in their backyard try to grow this spice using the seedling method. About him and will be discussed in this article. And also the principles of cultivation will be described in more detail and advice will be given on how to care for seedlings, when to wait for seedlings and at what stage you can swoop down.
Planting seeds
Light, loose, nutritious, air-and permeable soil is necessary for planting and fruitful cultivation. To do this, we plant seeds in the soil, which we mix in equal proportions from garden soil, peat and humus. If there is no time and desire to engage in the preparation of the mixture, then you can buy a ready-made substrate. in a specialty store. In any case, we grow basil in the soil, which should be processed thermally or fungicides.
- A drainage layer is filled in the container (expanded clay, broken brick, etc.), then a layer of well-moistened soil.
- Basil seeds are sown in the grooves (depth 0.7 - 1 cm) and sprinkled with a thin layer of substrate (5 - 10 mm).
- Everything is moistened from the spray gun again, after which the container is covered with plastic wrap or a bag, it is possible with glass in order to create conditions close to greenhouses.
Principles of cultivation and tips on how to care for seedlings
Temperature
After the seed container has been tightened with a film, it is necessary to provide a temperature regime of + 25 ° C to + 28 ° C to germinate the seedlings. After the appearance of the first seedlings, the film or glass is removed, and the temperature is maintained at + 16C - + 20C.
Watering
Watering should be systematic, but moderate. Seedlings of spices do not tolerate either drought or excessive moisture. In the first case, the capricious shoots simply wither, in the second - they are threatened by fungal diseases, in particular, the black leg. If such a disease is detected, the irrigation scheme should be reviewed and the seedling should be saved by spraying it with a solution of blue vitriol (1 teaspoon of the preparation for 2 liters of water).
Basil seedlings are watered with warm distilled water as the upper layer of soil dries out once every 3 to 4 days. When the seeds have not yet hatching, it is better to moisten the soil by spraying with a spray bottle.
Shine
Immediately after sowing, the tank should be placed in a well-lit place.
Reference! The recommended day length for full germination and growth of basil seedlings should be at least 12 hours a day. If it is impossible to provide such a duration in a natural way, then the containers should be highlighted with a fitolamp.
Capacity
As containers for sowing seeds, you can use special containers or cassettes purchased in the store, and you can use the available tools: a wooden box of your own, a food container, a plastic pallet. When diving, seedlings can be left in the same containers or transplanted into individual pots. They, again, can be purchased at a specialty store or use food containers, disposable cups, pots of small volume for flowers.
All containers must meet the main requirement: At the bottom must be present drainage holes, the main purpose of which is to ensure the flow of excess moisture. Another recommendation: before filling the container with earth, it is advisable to wash the container well and treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate in order to prevent infection of seedlings with fungal diseases.
Are you afraid of drafts?
The best location for spicy grass seedlings will be the place that is well protected from wind gusts and drafts. Basil is a rather capricious plant, and the circulation of cold air acts on it extremely destructively.
Top dressing
Basil loves extra food.
- The first fertilization is necessary to make before sowing seeds in the ground. For this, the substrate is watered with the following solution: 0.5 teaspoon of potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, superphosphate and urea are dissolved in 5 liters of water.
- The second feeding: immediately after the appearance of the first shoots, it is desirable to fertilize the seedlings with a solution of wood ash (10 grams of ash per 1 liter of water). Next time young seedlings need to be fertilized in 2 - 3 weeks after their appearance. To this end, 4 grams of superphosphate and wood ash and 2 grams of ammonium nitrate are dissolved in 5 liters of distilled water.
A place
Basil - light-loving plant. The best option for the location of containers with seedlings spices - window sills, facing south and south-west. You can push the table to the windows and place the seedlings on it.
A photo
The photo shows what the sprouts and seedlings of basil look like.
When to wait for seedlings?
Subject to all the requirements for planting seeds of spices and conditions of detention, the first shoots should appear within 7–15 days, depending on the variety. A healthy seedling looks strong and resilient: on a pale green or lilac stalk two green cotyledon leaves are located in the same plane in the form of semicircles, and after 2 weeks, two more, but true leaves, are blooming. It is at this moment that the plant acquires a color characteristic of its variety.
What if the sprouts stretch out?
The reasons for this phenomenon may be several.
- Most often, the basil sprouts are excessively stretched in length in the event of a lack of light.
- Another reason is the lack of heat. Consequently, the capacity with young plants must be transferred to a warmer and lighted place, and the overgrown stalk of each seedling is placed in a recess dug nearby, and sprinkled with earth. After some time, new roots will sprout in this place.
When can you dive?
After the seedlings have two true leaves (3–4 weeks from the moment of emergence), the seedlings usually dive into separate containers. Some gardeners only thinning seedlings in a container to a distance of between 2 and 3 centimeters in between. but if the number of seedlings is limited, then it is better to make a seedling.
The diving process is not complicated, but requires special care, as the seedlings and their roots are very fragile.
Seedlings should be immersed in the ground, focusing on the previous line of penetration, which is clearly visible during transplantation. Dive plants do not water for 5 days.
How to transplant?
After 2 - 3 weeks after the dive (depending on weather conditions), spice seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place in open ground. Transplant is made by transshipment method:
- A young plant is removed from the tank along with an earthy clod and is also placed in a prepared well, the depth of which is equal to the height of the coma.
- The resulting voids are filled with soil, for this the earth around the basil is pressed tightly by hand.
- The transplanted plant must be watered.
- The distance between young plants should be 20 - 30 centimeters, and between rows - 30 centimeters.
If you adhere to all the above recommendations, then throughout the summer season you will be able to enjoy the tart and spicy taste of your own hand-grown spice.
