Basil - It is a shrub that has a tetrahedral stem, reaching a height of 35-60 cm and oblong leaves of bright green or purple color with a length of 5 cm.
Flowers of different colors, formed in racemes. In total, there are about 150 species of basil in nature.
The exquisite aroma of this plant is familiar to mankind since ancient times. It is enough to add a pinch of basil in the food and its taste will change.
Infusion of basil is useful for headaches, for problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it can be used for gargling, etc.
Useful properties of basil
Basil contains a lot of vitamins: A, B2, PP, C. In addition, it consists of volatile production, carotene and sucrose. Useful properties of the plant and its taste causes the essential oil.
Due to its properties, basil is widely used in traditional medicine as a diuretic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, tonic and bactericidal action. Basil is prepared from baths, which soothe the nervous system.
The vitamins contained in its composition have a beneficial effect on the respiratory organs, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, tone up the body and allow it to be restored in a short time after surgery.
How to grow basil?
Basil does not tolerate low temperatures, and therefore grows only in countries with warm climates. In our conditions, it is possible to grow only an annual culture. The growing season of the plant is five months.
Care for basil is easy. It is necessary to regularly loosen, water and fertilize the soil.
To determine the duration of the harvesting plants, you must remember how much essential oil it contains in a given period. For example, in ordinary basil, most of the nutrients are acquired by the time of regrowth, during budding it decreases, and at mass flowering it reaches its apogee.
Depending on the type of plant, the period of its ripening is also different, and, accordingly, the time of harvest.
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Rules for growing broccoli.Planting basil and care for it
Basil must be planted in fertile, breathable soil. He does not like other places. The culture is thermophilic, dies during frosts. Insufficient lighting also leads to sad consequences.
Sow basil for seedlings around the end of March - early April, at home in a box with the ground. Seeds deepen into well-saturated soil, one centimeter. The distance between the rows is five centimeters.
For seed growth enough temperature 20-27 °. Shoots at the same time appear in about a week. Subsequently, the seedlings are transplanted into pots, and then transplanted into the open ground.
The soil mixture can be prepared from the relationship: two parts of peat and one part of compost. The nutrient mixture in the box is watered with mineral fertilizers: in ten liters of water dissolve one teaspoon of urea, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate or superphosphate.
Also, do not water the seedlings with cold water. In order to prevent the occurrence of diseases, it is necessary to regularly water the soil with copper sulphate solution from the ratio: one liter of water per half spoon of the solution.
When choosing a plot for cultivation, remember that basil should not be planted in the place where it was grown the previous time. Otherwise, plants can be affected by fusarium, the distinguishing features of which are brown spots appearing on the leaves. Basil can be planted only ten years later.
The distance between rows when planting seedlings in the ground should be at least forty centimeters. The distance between the plants is approximately 30 cm.
Basil should be planted in the third decade of May when warm weather sets in, on cloudy days, or after the heat subsides. Do not forget to water the soil.
To care for the plant is extremely simple: you need to regularly loosen the soil, remove weeds from it, in a word always keep it clean.
Hilling soil and its watering at least ten times during the growing season is welcomed. If the plant is watered according to the above scheme, the chances of getting a larger crop increase many times over.
At first, the plants look depressed, they develop poorly and require constant care. The maximum development occurs at a temperature of at least +19 C. Therefore, cover the basil with plastic wrap.
Learn on our website all the useful properties of dill and apply them.
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Learn on our website all the useful properties of dill and apply them.While basil grows and develops, it must be fed. The first bait is carried out ten days after planting, and the second - 20 days after the first one. Ingredients: two spoons of nitrophobia are diluted in ten liters of water and watered at the rate of: 4 liters per m2.
The first cut of greenery is carried out with young plants, even before flowering: leaves are collected and twigs, about twelve centimeters long, are cut. Mass collection of greenery is carried out in the flowering phase, when the young shoots and leaves become the most fragrant. Then the harvest is dried.
Drying of greens should be carried out in a dark room. Dried plants are ground into powder, poured into dishes, tightly closed and left in a dark place. The aroma of herbs lasts up to three years! If you want to keep fresh leaves, it is enough to put them in a clay pot, sprinkle with salt, and pour vegetable oil on top.
As a seasoning, you can use both dried and fresh greens. It is added to various soups, salads, as well as to dietary dishes, used for pickling and canning, etc.
Basil application
Basil is very common in Asian and Western European cuisines. This seasoning is suitable for a huge number of dishes. The plant can be used as a medicine for diseases of the kidneys, heart and lungs, it tones and gives vitality.
Some folk agronomists use basil as an ornamental plant because of its visual appeal and pleasant aroma.
Basil Pests and Diseases
Basil is extremely resistant to various diseases. The main cause of diseases is excessive moisture and frequency of planting. The most common ailments include:
- Fusarium
Signs: The stem of the plant takes on a brown color if the lesion has occurred in the early stages of ripening; - The tops dry out and the plant gradually fades when defeated before flowering begins.
The disease can develop for a number of reasons: sudden changes in humidity and temperature of air and soil, lack of food experienced by the soil, excessive moisture of the soil and its increased density. Therefore, it is necessary to loosen the soil regularly so that it receives nutrients and oxygen.
Basil's Disease - Gray Rot
It is a fungal disease that affects dead plant parts. A distinctive feature is plaque, first white, and then ash gray in the affected areas of basil. If you overly water the soil and do not follow the temperature drop, the disease can also affect a healthy plant.
To defeat the disease, all the affected plants must be removed from the garden and carefully weed the ground. To use any chemical drugs is highly undesirable. You can achieve the exact opposite effect.
Here, perhaps, all you had to know about. The knowledge gained after reading this article and applied in practice will help you plant and grow fragrant basil on your own and then use it for its intended purpose.
Do not forget to comply with the requirements that apply to the cultivation of basil. Otherwise, there is a risk of not getting a harvest due to the defeat of basil by the disease or its withering due to insufficient watering of the soil.
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