How do I re-pot Basil?

Question

I bought a Basil plant that was potted in a 4" plastic container and I am trying to find out what I should do to re-pot this. What size of pot do I use? I've had problems re-potting plants before I need to know what to do.

Answer 1

Firstly find out if it needs re-potting. Quite often they are sold not long after being potted on, so it doesn't need to be done again straight away. To find out if it does need repotting ask yourself these questions.
Are there a lot of roots coming out of the bottom of the pot? Is the top of the plant much bigger (wider) than the pot? If not it may not need repotting yet. If so select a pot about 2" wider and about 1" deeper.
First water the plant throughly.
Place 1" of good quality potting mix on the bottom of the new pot (so the plant will sit at the right level in the new pot). Take the pot off the plant. If the soil fails apart then the plant wasn't ready to repot. Just add soil and put it back into the original pot. If it comes out fairly intact, trim those roots that stuck out of the pot, tease out any really tightly wrapped roots, and place in the center of the new pot. Then add soil all the way around the plant, making sure you don't leave any air pockets. Water plant again. Place in a shady spot for a few days to give it a chance to adapt to the new pot.
Then place back into a sunny position and enjoy.
Use a liquid fertiliser every month for continuous growth.

***Please note;- if the plant was grown hydroponicly (as often sold at the greengrocers) it won't take to potting up. If its in a mix that is more like little rocks, then this was the case.

Answer 2

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RE:
How do I re-pot Basil?
I bought a Basil plant that was potted in a 4" plastic container and I am trying to find out what I should do to re-pot this. What size of pot do I use? I've had problems re-potting plants before I need to know what to do.

Answer 3

usually a 4" pot is fine if you are looking to just use it as an herb in your cooking. The cuttings you take for seasoning, will keep it trim enough.

But, if you are looking to let it get big and must repot. Get some potting soil and fill 1" in the bottom of the new pot (assuming it is 10" or smaller) set your whole 4" pot worth of dirt in the center (take the old pot off) fill the pot with potting soil. Put a plate under the new pot. Water pot (with some sort of plat food mixed in that has root hormone in it) until the water is filling the plate at the bottom. Keep moist for a few days, then just do regular watering.

Answer 4

Repotting Basil

Answer 5

You can put basil in almost any size pot, and it will grow into it. I want to bet that your past troubles were because you were over watering the plant.

So, get fresh soil and your new bigger pot. There are two important things in transplanting. 1. Keep the root ball in tact as much as you can. 2. Keep the surface soil level at the same level as it was. So, don't place the plant too deep or too high in the new pot.

And don't water it too much! Let the soil dry out a little bit between waterings. Roots need to breathe, and you will kill a plant by overwatering before you will kill one from underwatering.

good luck.

Answer 6

The best way to go about it is to pic the basi up out of its container by the stem, rinse the soil of the roots, get a container that is around 5 inches. Now it gets tricky. The basil's roots have nothing to give them shape, so you can't just plop it into the pot and bury it. The way I do it is by holding the plant at the desired height, usually so the base of the plant is just bellow the rim of the continer, and begin filling it very gently with soil (it may be easier for you to get someone else to hold the plant for you, or else hold it yourself and have someone els fill). Fill the pot up to the base of the plant and you're done. Water the plant and follow the intructions on the plastic card that came with it.

I used this method for my lavender, which is now blooming in all glory....

Answer 7

I would use a six" to 10" pot. Depending on the size of the plant itself. You want it to have enough room to grow. The bigger the pot the better. If space is a problem, you could separate it into more than one pot. Miracle Grow potting soil is the best out there. I trust it for ALL my plants, even my dwarf banana tree. I haven't had any trouble re-potting since I started using Miracle Grow soil.