Basil grow......... indoor/outdoor

[muslimgrower]

Greetings.........

I was rounding the cape of good hope and i had some shore leave.. ( well i am the captain)

I decided to germinate the "siam queen" BASIL seeds and grow them under 35 watts 4 feet long tube lights, that i bought really cheap from a light fitting shop in my hometown...

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).

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.



within 3 days ALL germinated ( really impressed)



kept around 8 seedlings and culled the rest

[muslimgrower]

potted on in 3inch seed pots









ok so all 8 are under the 35 watt tube light, really close to the light maybe an inch away, obviously ill have to adjust for the plants growing...


i left this one on the windosill and it purpled around the edges, ( left the window a`jar by mistake)




doing great under the lights

[muslimgrower]

i gave them a weak solution of miracle grow ( just for a laugh) they are really taking off now, i have the lights on for only 5 hours per day set on a timer

[muslimgrower]

looking like small plants now.. and they reek of peppermint and liquorish with a hint of aniseed

[muslimgrower]

i pinched out the centre growing tip, this will encourage it to bush out a bit.. i have done this before on chilli plants and it does definitely work



4 days later after i pinched out the centre growing tip, i have noticed 2 set of leaves appearing. already bushing out

[janeyo]

it's crazy who can possibly grow 300 basil seeds?! I have 3 in my little pot and will do 3 more every few weeks.

Great germination rate in 3 days, mine took about 6 but on the windowsill with clingfilm on as propagator was full

[muslimgrower]

pic of the 4 foot tube light.. i screwed some old skirting board i had spare to it. like a ballast

[muslimgrower]

i just use things around the house to keep the seedlings close to the light as possible, dont want any to stretch for the light and get lanky..

they grew a nice healthy root ball, and today i re potted them all in bigger containers, the plan is to harvest some soon, and then take the pots outdoors maybe in mid may, and have an outdoor basil grow aswell

and they smell awesome, i was watering the plants in the sink and i could just smell them, really powerful and the leafs are really wide and thick....

[muslimgrower]

Have you thought about having a blog???

oops sorry.. have i put this thread in wrong section !!?

[zazen999]

nope - I just thought that having a blog would be a good way to showcase all your lovely piccies.

[muslimgrower]

nope - I just thought that having a blog would be a good way to showcase all your lovely piccies.

yeah thanks...

ill do that in the future with my "how to germinate a coconut" blog

[selfraising]

Ooops I never thinned out my basil seedlings last year, was I supposed to?

[zazen999]

There's nothing that says 'summer's here' than the smell of tomato and basil together. Mix it with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and server with fresh mozarella and crispy bread.


Hmmmmm

[zazen999]

My basil have come through today, but I never thin it out they just go in a pot together. I also have some outdoors from last year that is starting to regrow.

[muslimgrower]

Ooops I never thinned out my basil seedlings last year, was I supposed to?

each seedling will grow into a bushy 2 foot plant. so they will compete for root space and moisture, if there isn't enough room, they grow stunted and not to there full potential....