Basil question

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GrantsKat

Executive Chef
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
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Flagler County, Florida
I just bought this basil today at Target. Ive never seen it packaged like this! My question is do you think if i planted it, in a container, would it grow? Thanks:)
 
Wow I've never seen it with the dirt attached!
Go for it, pretty hard to kill!
 
I've replanted cut rosemary from the supermarket, and it caught and grew (barely tho). I would imagine that basil would grow without too much effort at all.
 
Ok thanks everyone!!! I planted it in a tupperware container, for lack of anything else:unsure:Its sitting on my front porch soaking in the sun:) We shall see what happens!! Im excited!!
Any other tips? I read that it needs full sun.....anything else?
 
If you see any blooms popping up on the tops cut them off immediately. The bloom tells the plant "it's done" and by removing the bloom you are telling it to keep producing. Wash and dry the blooms and pour a little bit of olive oil on them and either make a vinaigrette in a couple days or chop it up with a bit of garlic, kosher salt, add some olive oil, and dip bread...a splash of balsamic would work too in this.
 
You might need to really saturate it the first time and you might want to take it out of the sun. It just needs to get used to it's new home.
 
Kathe,

The supermarkets near me sell basil plants like that with the little root ball. I just plop the root end in a iced tea glass filled with water. I let it hang out on the window sill behind the sink. The longest I had a plant keep was from November to August IIRC. Cut stems will root in water too.
 
thanks KE, I brought it in and gave it another watering, I'll keep it in for a little while & see how it does!

cool jeeks!!!, but I already planted it so I will see if this one takes root....either way Im determined to try & grow basil one way or another, I love it!
 
Actually - $2.99 for a commercial clump like that is pretty darn good. A small plastic clamshell of little cut sprigs runs a minimum of $2.49 around here, & you have an excellent chance of keeping yours going for awhile.

Oh, & take it OUT OF THE SUN or it will be dead, if it isn't already!! Something like that needs to be slowly acclimated to full sun. You can't just plop it in a pot & stick it out in the sun right after it's been uprooted, shipped, & stored in an alien environment like a store. It should be in shade at first until it perks up, then just indirect bright light, & then increased sunlight for a few hours a day.

Even then - while basil is super easy to grow from seeds or small transplants, it can be temperamental when it comes to larger plants. Consider this an experiement, & if it doesn't perk up quickly, just use it in a sauce or something before it totally frizzles.
 
Basil grows very well in the summer months - mine wears out by Halloween.
cut flowers as they start to grow - you want the nutrients to go to the leaves not the flowers.
 
I don't think it will grow in soil as it has been in water for a long time; they have become adapted to the water and don't do well in soil, the roots are very fragile. I have kept them for several weeks in a glass of water.
 
Ok well here is a pic of what it looks like now, its been on my kitchen counter the whole time (was out in the sun for 1 hour). Now I dont know what to do, should I leave it in the soil or put it in water? It hasnt perked up at all:(
 
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