Basilica encyclopedia

Basil in the garden. Its botanical name is (Ocinum basilicum). It can grow up to sixty centimeters in height and spread its leaves thirty centimeters wide. The plant is bushy, loves rich and slightly moist soil. A rather thermophilic plant, it needs sunlight. An annual crop, often used in cooking, medicine and cosmetology.

Basil in the garden: properties

Produces a very valuable essential oil. Includes: various vitamins of different groups, microelements, macronutrients, essential oils and choline. It has a good effect on the work of digestion, heart, blood vessels, nerves and the external condition of the skin.

How to grow in a pot on a windowsill

It is quite unpretentious and can grow at any time of the year. Growing basil on your windowsill is pretty easy. To do this, you need prepared soil, gravel for drainage, and a sunny location. The bottom of the container you have chosen should be covered with gravel or expanded clay two to three centimeters thick, then with prepared soil, but not the very edges, and watered abundantly. Sowing seeds should take place two centimeters from each other, after which they must be sprinkled with earth with a layer of one or two centimeters, and covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect. We transfer to the chosen sunny place and wait for the first shoots. Watering is not required, you can only spray it lightly. Depending on the conditions and variety, the sprouts will appear within one to two weeks. After you have seedlings, in the summer it is better to water and spray them every morning, in winter about every three days. The air temperature should be within twenty - twenty five degrees. Because basil does not tolerate drafts, and at low temperatures it begins to lose its aroma.

What is open ground basil planting?

Sowing basil in an open area is: sowing in the middle or at the end of the last month of spring due to the threat of frost. To do this, you will need to choose a sunny, protected from strong winds place on your site. The soil should be crumbly and rich in nutrients. The distance between the holes is about fifteen to twenty centimeters. You need to water with lukewarm, settled water.

Basil diseases

Although basil is quite resistant to various diseases, sometimes it does not save him.

Blackleg is a fungal infection that poses a threat to young plants. Its appearance is characterized by acidity and high soil moisture. Initially, the rhizome system becomes infected, the culture ceases to receive proper nutrition, turns yellow and dies;

Fusarium is a fungal disease. It originates at high temperature and humidity. The vessels of the seedling are affected, which contain toxins. In young bushes, the twigs acquire a brown color and eventually die. In grown plants, the top begins to dry out, wilting occurs and the culture dies;

Gray rot - bushes growing in greenhouses or in greenhouses are exposed to this scourge. But the disease of crops growing outdoors also cannot be ruled out. First of all, the disease manifests itself on the lower leaves of the plant, which have already begun to die off, after which it covers the entire plant. Brown spots appear on the affected areas of the culture, which over time become watery and become covered with a gray fluff;

Basil in the garden: pests

This fragrant plant is also resistant to pests, but not in all cases.

Aphids are a very dangerous enemy for the basilica. It sucks out a large amount of juice from the stems and leaves, because of this, the leaves curl, new shoots stop developing, and the plant itself begins to dry. This pest leaves a special secretion on the plant, which attracts a sooty fungus, because of it the culture becomes covered with a black bloom. In addition, aphids carry a variety of viral diseases that are currently not being treated;

A meadow or field bug is also a sucking pest, it prefers the nutritious sap of the plant. Due to its activity, the shape of the leaves is distorted, a white bloom appears on their upper parts, then a brown bloom and they die off. The danger is posed by both adults and bug larvae.

Basil in the garden: how the varieties differ

Aroma. The smell of basil can be different: tart and sweet. Some varieties are used in the preparation of sweets and drinks, and some in the preparation of fish and meat dishes;

Colors. Basil foliage can be green or purple. Varieties with purple leaves have a more pronounced aroma. In the green, it is more neutral;

The volume and shape of the bush. There are sprawling, compact, erect and semi-spreading varieties. The height of plants is also different: the highest are sixty to eighty centimeters; middle thirty - sixty centimeters; low fifteen - thirty centimeters. For indoor cultivation, it is recommended to choose the third;

Ripening rate. There are late, medium and early varieties.

Varieties of varieties and their description

Basil variety: Moorish. A very productive and aromatic variety. Ripening term: average. Leaves color: purple. Will grow to about sixty-five centimeters in height.

Basil variety: Table Its large leaves are quite tender and green in color. Highly productive and fragrant grade. Maturing term: average. The height is approximately sixty centimeters.

Basil variety: Dreamer. The most productive variety. A massive bush with green leaves.

Basil variety: Balconstar. Low-growing variety. It grows well indoors, and its green leaves are great for making salads.

Basil variety: Genoese. Excellent yield, dark green, aromatic leaves with a spicy taste. They are often substituted for mint in drinks.

Basil variety: Gourmet clove. Yields, medium-sized. Quite massive bushes. Green leaves. Good for meat, fish, rice and potato dishes.

Basil variety: Basilisk. Its compact bushes feel great both indoors and outdoors. The smell is peppery-clove. A green plant twenty centimeters high.

Basil variety: Yerevan. Bushes of medium height, purple leaves. A fruitful variety with a clove and pepper aroma.

Basil variety: Troll. Mid-season, with small leaves, has a high yield and compactness. Ideal for indoor growing. The foliage is dark purple in color.

Basil variety: Magic Mountain. Drought tolerant, tolerant to both low and high temperatures. Has a purple tint. Looks like an ornamental plant. Basil variety: Red Ruby. This variety uses not only leaves, but also inflorescences. Its purple leaves do not taste bitter