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More basil questions
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Posted by egganddart49 z5 NY Hudson Valley (My Page) on Sat, Aug 28, 10 at 23:06
| I start basil from seed (Genovese or sweet) and transplant it into the garden around 6 weeks later. At this point the plants are usually small, with only 4 to 6 small leaves. I pinch the very tiny top leaves off when I transplant them. I think I read to do this somewhere, to encourage bushing out. I plant about 35 plants, 8" apart. So far so good? Or is there a better way?
My impression is that the leaves are best when they're tender and emerald green, smoothish, kind of rounded, and slightly curled backwards. This year though the leaves didn't get like this. They stayed thinnish, and tended to curl upwards. I don't think they turned that emerald color either. So that's question 1: am I right about the characteristics of the best leaves? Any idea why they didn't turn out that way this year? Basically I'm wondering how to achieve good leaves most of the growing season. In the past I've noticed that by late September the leaves get pale and less good. But this year, despite the heat, they seem to be throwing in the towel early!
Question 2 is about pruning. When and how and how often is best? Is the purpose to make the plants branch out more, therefore be bigger? Or to stimulate new growth when the leaves are getting oldish? Someone recently told me to just shear off the tops and new growth will start. Is this a good idea, or is selective pruning better? One of the threads below suggested cutting back to the next node below the flower. Does that mean below the next node, or above it?
Thank you! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: More basil questions
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| This year's heat was ideal for basil. If yours didn't grow well, it might have been insufficient sunlight (basil needs full sun at least 6 and preferably 10 or more hours a day), inadequate or shallow watering, or soil that wasn't worked deeply or amended with compost. I find that about a half cup of bone meal and a tablespoon of greensand per plant help the flavor as well; on the other hand, heavy-nitrogen fertilizers compromise taste. As far as thinning goes, wait until a branch has three pairs of leaves, then cut just above the bottom leaf node on the branch. You'll get two new branches from the node; continue in the same way with those branches. The idea is to harvest entire small branches before they get mature enough to flower. When the branches are putting out buds faster than you can keep up with pruning them, pull the plant. Rather than starting all 35 plants at once, start 5 at a time, a week apart, over 7 weeks. Then you'll have a steady supply of young plants throughout the summer. You can also direct-sow the seeds in garden soil once the weather warms up, and continue succession sowing a while longer. Thin or transplant to 12" apart; 8" is a little close. |
RE: More basil questions
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| Lots of great advice. thank you. Maybe that's why I get so many flower heads, we just go out and pick leaf by leaf for pesto. By the end of summer most of the remaining leaves aren't high quality. Though surprisingly last week's pesto was quite good. Do you agree that the best leaves are darker green, more rounded, and slightly curled backwards? My plants got plenty of sun, but we did have a longish dry spell there. Good to know about the greensand. Maybe i'll apply some this fall to the bed where the basil will be next year. |
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