Rule #1: Basil Needs More Light Than You Think

Donna Scarborough

5h • Herbs & Edibles

Basil is a sun-lover. Indoors in winter, it often doesn’t get enough light even in a bright window.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬:

* + hours of strong light (more is better)

* Ideally a south-facing window

* Or a small grow light if winter light is weak

𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭:

* long stems with big gaps between leaves (“leggy”)

* leaves stay small

* plant leans hard toward the window

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱:

Move it to the brightest spot you have and rotate it every few days.

If it still stretches, a basic grow light turns basil from “meh” to “wow.”

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 #𝟐: 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥

Most indoor basil deaths come from roots staying too wet.

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬:

* evenly moist soil (not bone dry, not swampy)

* a pot with drainage holes (non-negotiable)

* a lighter potting mix that drains well

𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫:

* yellowing leaves (especially lower ones)

* droopy plant even though soil is wet

* a musty smell from the pot

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱:

Water thoroughly, let excess drain, and empty the saucer.

Then wait until the top 1 inch of soil feels dry before watering again.

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 #𝟑: 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲, 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 (𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥)

If you don’t pinch basil, it grows like a skinny little tree.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨:

* Once basil has 3–4 sets of leaves, pinch the top stem right above a leaf set

* This forces it to branch into two stems… and then four… and then eight…

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞:

✅ take from the top to encourage branching

❌ don’t only pluck the biggest bottom leaves (that makes it leggy)

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱:

Make “pinching” part of your routine—every time you use basil, give it a little trim.

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 “𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥” 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 (𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬)

* Basil loves warmth. Keep it away from cold window glass at night.

* If your basil came from the grocery store, it may be multiple plants crowded together. Splitting into a couple pots can help.

* Basil is a light hog. If you’re only going to use a grow light for one herb… basil is the best candidate.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: What’s your biggest basil struggle indoors right now?

A) Leggy + stretching

B) Leaves turning yellow/dropping

C) Slow growth (doing nothing)

D) It’s thriving and I feel powerful 😄

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬: Are you growing basil on a windowsill only, or under a light?

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