indoor basil grow...

[Riz]

salam everyone...


Nothing happening outdoors in December. I decided to germinate the "siam queen" BASIL seeds, these will be given away soon for free for everyone regardless of were you live...

so i germinated them in a green tray i had some potting soil left over from this season, so i thought i give it ago.. You get 300 seeds in a packet, so i only started of around a dozen just casually scattered them on the tray and then put an inch of top soil on top, watered them well and i left them on the windowsill and within 3 days ALL germinated ( really impressed)


Basil - Siam Queen (Thai) is a beautiful form of basil that grows about 2 1/2 feet high and around. The scent and taste are different from sweet basil with more licorice flavor. Thai basil is used in all types of Thai cooking as well as other Asian and middle eastern cultures. It has large flowers that form in a cluster as opposed to the long spikes on the other basils. One of the most beautiful and delicious basil varieties.

A very fragrant selection and distinct improvement over other Thai Basils. Extra large leaf size and large plants mean more of that intense liquorice fragrance. The bright green leaves make an attractive foil for the purple-red stems which bear violet-pink flowers. Superb as a container plant on the patio where you can smell its aroma. Excellent for bedding edging and the vegetable or flower garden. Height 20-30cm (8-12in).

[Riz]

ill wait till they get a bit bigger and then ill pot them in individual containers and cull the rest of them.. Each little seedling grows to a full bushy plant and the root ball gets big real quick, so if you have a few growing in small pot they will compete for root space and wont grow as vigorously as single one in a container.

ill keep you updated on how it goes, going by the description i cant wait for the fragrant smell :)

[Riz]

basil will flourish with 5 hours of light per day indoors through the winter...

[Riz]

i re-potted the basil in individual containers today.. i used an old spoon to spoon them out along with some dirt and repotted them, they are under a tube light at the moment..

[farah]

walaikam asalaam

how are they doing individually?

[Riz]

walaikam asalaam

how are they doing individually?

ok. i only separated them that other day..

but i will update soon. i already see baby aphids on the stem..

[Tania]

How fast appeared the aphides :( What have you done ?

[Riz]

they appeared when the basil grew its first set of true leaves.. they are sucking on the soft stem which has moisture in it..

its possible i did not clean the pots properly with bleach and some aphid eggs survived and hatched indoors...

i run out of he aphid/bug spray so ill get some tomorrow,, ill let you now what kind...

[Tania]

I asked because i have 2 dogs which are eating leaves(i am not sure which plants will be tasted by them). I read that the insecticid which remain on the leaves its poisonous for my pets. I don't know what i will do(i read in the aphids thread about mixing water with the cleaner - i think i will try that)

[Riz]

I asked because i have 2 dogs which are eating leafs. I read that the insecticid which remain on the leafs its poisonous for my pets. I don't know what i will do(i read in the aphids thread about mixing water with the cleaner - i think i will try that)

really

dogs eating leaves !!!?

yeah mix a tiny amount of washing up liquid to water and spray.. it leaves white lines on the leaves, the chemicals in the washing powder though...

chili powder mixed with water does the same thing.. just be careful that the tiny membranes of chili don't block the hole in the water spray bottle.

[Riz]

i got some universal bug killer yesterday... sprayed the basil seedlings and some chili plants that i have been over wintering,, no aphids on the basil and chilis so far :)

[Riz]

the latest on the basil seedlings... the bug killer has really worked and i have not seen any since i sprayed them...

[Kirsten]

I noticed a baby basil sprout in one of the eggshells today - I'm on my way off to class, but I'll post a pic when I get back!

[Riz]

an update on the basil :) getting slightly bigger..

[Kirsten]

LOL at the book in the background :) The plants are looking nice!

[Riz]

another update on the basil seedlings.. i gave them a weak solution of nutrients to perk them up a bit.. i left the window open and they caught a cold.. looking better now though...

[Riz]

the basil seedlings are starting to smell really liquorish and pepperminty,

< does a crazy Irish tap dance>

[~Obsidian~]

LOL @ tapdance

Erm I've never used basil, EVER. Dunno whether to grow them or not, don't wanna waste the seeds so might try some!

When shall I plant them?

[Riz]

Latin Name
Ocimum Basilicum
Type
Annual edible herb.
Site and Soil
As sunny a position as possible with well-drained soil.
Plant to Harvest Time
10 weeks

basil in tomato soup and pasta dishes yummy yummy !!!

Growing Basil
One of the most useful herbs - a key ingredient for many Italian and Indian dishes and great when fresh in salads. The 'fresh-from-the-garden' taste is far tastier than the dried variety - it is almost impossible to buy fresh basil in the UK.
Basil originates from India where it is considered sacred to the Gods. It now grows wild in the Mediterranean areas, and is one of the most popular herbs in that area.
Basil lives up to it's origins and is best suited to the warmer areas of the UK although with correct positioning, it will thrive as a container plant in most cooler places

you can germinate the seeds in april or mid may outdoors in the garden in pots or in the ground or a trough like i will be doing..

each seeds becomes a 2 foot bushy plant..

Where To Grow Basil

Basil has one key requirement - sunshine! Position it in a protected full-sun position, and if this is not possible, grow in a moveable container. Soil should be well-dug and well-drained.
Propagation of Basil

In , april sow three seeds to a small pot in normal moist potting compost. Lightly cover with compost and place in a warm (15C or 60F) dark position - try and keep the temperature as constant as possible, never letting it drop below 10C (48F). The seedlings will emerge in two weeks time and the plant should be placed in a sunny warm position. Basil hates water on it's leaves and stem, so water from below.


Container Growing Basil
Basil is ideally suited to container growing in normal potting compost. Water regularly (from the base if possible) and feed twice a month with liquid plant food. As the season progresses, move them round the garden to the sunniest and most protected position. Basil will grow well indoors on a sunny windowsill.

[solanum]

have you tried soup au pistou, good way of using up all that basil.

[Riz]

have you tried soup au pistou, good way of using up all that basil.

yeah.. also will freeze dry some later on in the season..

they are still seedlings though in tiny pots. I crushed some leaves in the palm of my hand and they smell mouth watering :)

eventually they will grow to around 2 feet in height...

[Psypomp]

*drool* This would be such a great accompaniment to the garlic I'm growing.. pesto is so delicious.

But I've always seen basil as being a little too delicate to grow, a little too fussy. Especially in a very un-sunny house like mine! :stormy:

[Riz]

^you should be able to grow them outdoors in medium size pots :) have a go, and if you need some English basil, just let me know :)

[~Obsidian~]

*drool* This would be such a great accompaniment to the garlic I'm growing.. pesto is so delicious.

But I've always seen basil as being a little too delicate to grow, a little too fussy. Especially in a very un-sunny house like mine! :stormy:

My house isn't particularly sunny either...I still plan to give it a go!

[dhakiyya]

I've grown basil indoors before :) never for *that* long because I always end up eating it sooner or later :D Stick them on a sunny windowsill.

Anyone know if basil grows well outdoors in the Saudi climate? or would that be too hot?

[Riz]

well basil loves strong direct light, so the conditions should be good :)

grow them in pots along with salad and radish.. :)

whats are the temps there right now !? i think you can make a start already :)

[dhakiyya]

its getting quite warm... but what I'm worried about is whether its too hot in the summer, from June to August it's regularly above 50 degrees centigrade in the shade... I know lots of plants can't cope with too much heat. Half the courtyard is well shaded though, so can stop plants getting the midday sun if necessary.

Thats the main thing I'm concerned about regarding whether to grow particular plants indoors or outdoors.

Indoors with the air conditioning on its 30 degrees C in mid summer, but I don't think they'd get enough light because the buildings are designed to keep the heat out, i.e. small windows! We have good lights indoors, but switch them off when we're not in the room to save electricity.

[Riz]

its getting quite warm... but what I'm worried about is whether its too hot in the summer, from June to August it's regularly above 50 degrees centigrade in the shade...

My god !!! really !!!


I know lots of plants can't cope with too much heat. Half the courtyard is well shaded though, so can stop plants getting the midday sun if necessary. vegetables like aubergines and okra love heat so maybe you can give them a go. the shaded area sounds deal for your tomatoes and herbs,

dhakiyya just go for it, what do you have to lose, NOTHING !! grow all the
veg plants you can get hold of and what you feel comfortable with growing, at least this way you will know what you can and cannot grow in that heat, for next season you will be a lot wiser. so go for it :)

so is it easy to get a variety of vegetable seeds in SA ?

Indoors with the air conditioning on its 30 degrees C in mid summer, but I don't think they'd get enough light because the buildings are designed to keep the heat out, i.e. small windows! We have good lights indoors, but switch them off when we're not in the room to save electricity.The shaded spot seems a good place to start, you can start some herb /lettuce seeds in pots right now if you wish, but keep them in the shaded area for now and take it from there.. youve seen the 2 min vids so you know how to do it, and please just let us know if you have any more questions :)

[dhakiyya]

thanks, yeah sounds like a good idea just to see what grows and what doesn't. I don't know what the availability of seeds is like round here, I think there are garden centres around somewhere (getting my husband to ask his friends where to find them!) - cause a lot of people have farms and stuff on the oasis, I'd have thought the aviliablity of seeds would be quite good, otherwise I'll ask my mum to post them to me :p

[~Obsidian~]

I left my basil outside for a couple of nights, it fared okay. I've repotted them now (they only sprouted about half a week ago!).

[Kirsten]

Here are my current basils:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2ij3xw8.jpg

I plan on keeping the orange juice container ones (hoping to be able to make pesto in a few months!) and giving away the ones in the apple sauce containers to a few good friends :)

[Riz]

are the basil seedlings under a light too !? i love the smell of basil :)

still have a few seed packs from last season.. gonna germinate them soon

[Sarah]

My basil are growing but I think I'll have to re-pot them soon. I kinda went crazy with the number of seeds I germinated.

[Riz]

:pics: please

[Sarah]

No pics available.

My mum went and knocked the pot over. Bye bye seedlings.

[~Obsidian~]

:violin:

[Riz]

sarah..

dont you have pack of basil seeds from last season i sent you in the free seed give-away.. If you do just germinate them :)

[Sarah]

I managed to save a few seedlings. Post pics tonight iA.

[Sarah]

My saved seedlings..

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad88/Sarah786/DSC00096.jpg

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad88/Sarah786/DSC00095.jpg

[Riz]

you managed to salvage a few seedlings :)

[Riz]

my indoor basil seedlings...... may thin them out and plant the extra seedlings outdoors in pots :)

[ze leetle elper]

I've had my basil sown for a couple of weeks now and nothing yet! Does it take this long to germinate? :(

[Riz]

around 7 days... How old are your seeds ? have a look on the back of the pack of seeds!!!

[ze leetle elper]

I only bought them a couple of weeks ago lol! I got them from B&Q.

[Riz]

LOL

they usually have good quality seeds... Hmm dunno what happened to them,, try again though :)

[Riz]

my basil seedlings growing under a 35 watt tube light.. once they get a little bit bigger i will plant them seperatley and maybe outdoors too, the ones that i germinated outdoors are in a sorry state, hardly grown over the last 2 weeks..

they smell really awesome too :)

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01326.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01328.jpg