Basil: An Herb Society of America Guide

Indoor Cultivation

Containers

We have already talked about containers for starting seeds, but after your seedling has emerged, it will need to be moved to a successively larger series of pots. Basil is often considered a "pot herb" (21), but this refers to its use in kitchen gardens and cooking rather than its suitability for growing in pots (3, 79). Nevertheless, basil can indeed be grown in pots. Clay and plastic are the most common options, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Clay pots are attractive but are also heavy, breakable and promote water loss. Plastic pots are preferred by many gardeners since they retain moisture and heat and are lightweight. Dark colored containers can be helpful to protect roots from light (24). Whatever type of container you choose, be sure it has plenty of drainage holes. 

After leaves appear in 2-3 weeks, basil should be moved from cells to a larger pot (24) and then repotted in successively larger pots every few weeks as the plant grows (79). Be careful not to move your basil to a pot that is too large or it can suffer from fungal diseases like root rot (1, 24). Many sources recommend initial pot sizes of 2-3 inches, then moving the plant to a 4-6-inch pot a few weeks later. If necessary, basil can then be moved to even larger pots or transplanted into the garden. James Adams suggests that the schedule for potting up depends on the amount of light the plant gets and its rate of growth and that a good guideline is to increase pot size when roots fill the container but before the plant becomes root bound (1).

Next topic: Water

Previous Page | Next Page

Back to Indoor Cultivation Index
Back to Contents