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Mon, Aug 16, 10 at 14:10
| I have acquired a very lanky basil plant. It looked pretty stressed when I got it so I just left it alone. A couple of weeks ago I pruned the top and it has gotten bushier at the top. My problem is that the stem is so long (maybe 10") with nothing on it, then a pretty bushy top. The plant has toppled over and the bushy part is laying near the ground. Could I mound soil around the bushy part and get that to root and then cut it off from the stem essentially starting a new plant? Would the old leafless stem sprout any leaves? I should mention I'm in Texas and temps are around 100 every day if that affects your advice.
Thanks Carolyn |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by oilpainter 3 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 17, 10 at 8:58
| Not much you can do about it now but stake it. The top is too heavy for the stem and it would probably die if you mounded it with soil. If you had trimmed it down when you first got it you probably would have done it a favor and the roots would have settled in easier. |
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- Posted by bellashere 9a (My Page) on Thu, Aug 19, 10 at 16:15
| Use part of the top to take a cutting(s) from; that way it's the momma plant |
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| Basil easily and readily roots in water. Take a couple of cuttings and root them indoors, away from direct sunlight. The remaining stems will probably put out new leaves at the leaf/stem nodes. |
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| An update: I went ahead and mounded the dirt...I have a nice new basil plant without a long stem :) I just snipped the stem this weekend..it looked like it was turning brown and dieing anyhow. I'm not sure if the old stem will produce new growth or not but I consider the experiment a success as I did end up with a nice bushy short stemmed basil. |
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