How to Keep Your Basil Plants Alive

Basil plants are what you would call half-hardy plants. They are able to tolerate relatively difficult growing conditions, hence their popularity among new and inexperienced gardeners. If you are planting basil for the first time then here are some tips on keeping the plants alive and well.

Basil Plants Require Space

First, it’s important to give each basil plant its own space. You don’t want the plants to crowd out each other and compete for nutrients and water. Planting too many basil seedlings in one pot could most likely lead to several stunted basil plants, rather than healthy one. We recommend planting no more than three or four seedlings per plant. You can always transplant the basil plants if you feel the gardening container is starting to get too crowded.

Basil Requires Sunlight

It’s important to place the basil plant in an area of the house that receives plenty of sunlight. Given the minimal amount of space that basil plants typically require, the windowsill is usually the most popular place to grow basil indoors. Ideally, basil plants require at least six hours of sunlight per day in order to thrive. The more sunlight your basil plant gets, the more likely you will get healthy, green leaves which you can eventually turn into tasty pesto.

Plucking the Basil Leaves

It might sound counter-intuitive but picking out the basil leaves on a regular basis is a great way to keep your basil plant alive. Plucking the leaves encourages the basil plants to grow. We encourage you to trim back the center stem. This will eventually result in bushy basil plant. Just don’t pluck too many basil leaves. Otherwise, the plant won’t be able to generate enough through photosynthesis.