Question: bedding plants & basil

[CrispyQ]

For the first time ever, I purchased some bedding plants - petunias, marigolds & geraniums. They all have lovely blossoms right now, but what do I do to keep them blossoming?

Also, for the second year in a row, I am not able to grow basil worth a crap. I bought some lovely tall basil plants. Once I clipped the mature leaves, it never come back. I have stalks & no leaves. What am I doing wrong? I'm about to give up on basil & just pay the $5 for a small handful at the grocery store.

Thanks so much for any advice to this newbie, wanna-be gardener.

[druidity33]

1. to keep a plant blooming

the best way is to deadhead the flowers just after they've peaked in bloom. Pinch the heads off just above the closest leaf node.

As for the basil, you'll need to just head the top cluster of leaves first, wait for the side branches to grow, then top them (leaving the main "trunk" leaves) until it's just about to flower, then take the whole plant up. Basil needs to be well watered (mornings) and it likes it hot... though full direct sun all day is sometimes too much for the plant. I plant mine in an area that's partly shaded during the afternoon. If you plant in the same bed as your tomatoes, i've been told that helps too.

Good luck!

[CrispyQ]

2. Looks like I'd better get pinching as my blossom are fading.

Thanks for the info. It may be too late for the basil as I harvested all the leaves & only have bare stalks sticking out of the pots. I have some basil seeds however, so perhaps I will drop them in the soil & see what comes up.

Thanks for your advice.

[beac]

3. I'm a newbie too. Here's a basil trick I just learned this year.

You can pinch off a stem of the basil (ie. the top with four leaves and at least an inch of stem) and just stick in right in the ground and it will grow roots. You can even try this with fresh basil from the store, though I've had much better luck taking a cutting from a live plant.

Also, when you "pinch back" basil, just take the very top of the stem. Once your plant is established, you can also pick the large side leaves as long as you let the little developing branches in the crotch of the stems alone to grow new stems.

I've also grown several types of basil from seed. It doesn't take long at all. Plant a lot of seeds in one pot and use the "thinnings" for cooking while you let one or two of the seedlings mature.


Hope this helps. Don't give up! :hi:

[CrispyQ]

4. Thanks! I'll give your suggestions a try.

Basil is ridiculously expensive - $5 for a small handful!

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Basil is easy from seed, but if you are more comfortable with plants, buy small ones

in 4 inch pots and then follow the other advice you got here. Sometimes the larger plants are rootbound and don't ever recover after you transplant them. Once we switched to little plants, then seeds, we never had problems with basil again.

[NeedleCast]

6. I'm having the same problem with Basil

I bought several "Greek Columnar Basil" starter plants this year and they've pretty much just sat there. While the tag on the starter said it could grow to almost 4 feet in height, mine have grown no more than a few inches from their starter size over a span of four weeks. They're getting lots of sun (and I've watered regularly), but they just aren't getting any bigger.

I'll try some of the trimming advice next year.

[Vinca]

7. Echoing what someone said about how easy basil is to grow from seeds.

It grows best - for me anyways - when I start it right in the garden. I started some plants indoors this year and they weren't happy at all after being put outside. In any case, when you cut basil, make sure to snip it off above a node so another shoot will sprout.

[ginnyinWI]

8. don't let basil go to flowers--

It changes the taste for the worse: http://www.ehow.com/how_4482019_harvest-basil.html