Plant Care Organic Basil

Organic Basil

4.7 out of 5 (181 experiences)

Organic Basil has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower
Organic Basil has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

Also known as

Sweet Basil, Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Basil, Genovese Basil, Christmas Basil, Red Rubin, Lemon Basil, Emerald Tower Basil, lettuce Leaf basil, Basil 'Pesto Perpetuo', Dark Opal Basil, Italian Basil, Wild Magic Basil and Basil sprouts

Taxonomy

Ocimum basilicum
Ocimum
Lamiaceae
Lamiales

How to care for Organic Basil

💦 Water

How often to water your Organic Basil

Water needs for Organic Basil
0.5 cups
every 9

Organic Basil needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Organic Basil

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Sweet Basil in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Organic Basil: 1ft from a window
1ft or less from
a window

Organic Basil love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.

Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Organic Basil does not tolerate low-light 🚫.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Organic Basil in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Organic Basil

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Organic Basil: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Organic Basil after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #SweetBasil
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Organic Basil can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!

How to Grow Sweet Basil →

Benefits of Growing Sweet Basil →

Common Sweet Basil Problems →

Indoor Care Guide for Sweet Basil →

Outdoor Care Guide for Sweet Basil →


💦 Water Needs

Organic Basil prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Sweet Basil Water Frequency →

Sweet Basil Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Organic Basil requires abundant, bright and direct light. Place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Sweet Basil Light Requirements →

Sweet Basil Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Organic Basil is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Is Sweet Basil Edible? →

Sweet Basil Toxicity to Cats →

Sweet Basil Toxicity to Dogs →

Sweet Basil Toxicity to Humans →


💨 Humidity

Organic Basil doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Sweet Basil Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Organic Basil does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Soil Mix for Sweet Basil →

Best Pots for Sweet Basil →

When and How to Successfully Repot Sweet Basil →

What Are Healthy Sweet Basil Roots →


💩 Fertilizer

Organic Basil is a fast growing plant and may deplete the nutrients in its soil over time. Replenish them with a gentle organic fertilizer or compost every 1-2 months depending on your location and season. Fertilize more often during the growing season and in warmer and brighter climates.

How Much and When to Fertilize Sweet Basil →


🌎 Native Region

Organic Basil is native to Worldwide.


🌸 Flowers
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Organic Basil grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.

Sweet Basil Lifecycle →

Sweet Basil Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Sweet Basil →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors
🌱 Propagation

The seeds of Organic Basil can be used to grow new plants! After your plant flowers, any seeds that formed can be collected and germinated in potting soil.

How to Propagate Sweet Basil →


🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Organic Basil, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Organic Basil

Organic Basil

Organic Basil


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 1ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Organic Basil has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 114
Organic Basil has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 66
Organic Basil has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 51
Organic Basil has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 37
Organic Basil has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 31
Organic Basil has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 23
Organic Basil has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 4
@Sue avatar
@@Sue
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 131 XP
globe Marine Parade, Singapore
02/12/2022

Needs sunlight and constant watering

@epicfarter avatar
@@epicfarter
leaf-1 0 Plants
xp 46 XP
globe Columbus, OH
01/22/2022

Good for beginners.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@FetchingSucc avatar
@@FetchingSucc
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 26 XP
globe Largo, FL
01/11/2022

Love this plant great for any type of food and add flavor to ur life

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@AmieG avatar
@@AmieG
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 147 XP
09/18/2021

Please note this isn’t sweet basil. Greg just thought it was

@MulchinMaeve avatar
@@MulchinMaeve
leaf-1 27 Plants
xp 516 XP
globe Toronto, Ontario
09/16/2021

Pretty smell, tasty leaves, easy to grow and look after, and infinite pesto at your beck and call?!?!

What’s not to love?!?!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Riley avatar
@Riley
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 102 XP
globe Orono, ME
09/12/2021

Easy & delicious

@UntilSaturn avatar
@@UntilSaturn
leaf-1 14 Plants
xp 554 XP
globe Independence, MO
09/07/2021

Smells SO good!!! bounces back from dehydration really easily.

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Paula avatar
@Paula
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 211 XP
globe Antipolo, Calabarzon
09/06/2021

It easily propagates from cuttings!

@LoLomostera avatar
@@LoLomostera
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 59 XP
globe Long Beach, CA
08/31/2021

It just keeps growing and growing out of control. I’ve been giving extra basil to my neighbors because idk what to do with it haha

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Jonathan avatar
@Jonathan
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 36 XP
globe Wantagh, NY
08/30/2021

The smell is amazing.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@dylanslabach avatar
@@dylanslabach
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 806 XP
08/26/2021

Basil is amazinf

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@dylanslabach avatar
@@dylanslabach
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 806 XP
08/26/2021

Easy Basil and can gift to friends to propagate

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Abi avatar
@Abi
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 57 XP
globe West Bathurst, New South Wales
08/22/2021

nice plant, smell GOOD

Yeldy avatar
@Yeldy
leaf-1 10 Plants
xp 116 XP
globe New York
08/21/2021

The aroma on it’s amazing. When I cook with the food taste more fresh. Everyone tells me that my cooking is always si yummy and flavorful.

I give the the recipe but they say it’s not the same. Maybe because they are not cooking with fresh herbs. I do🥰😉

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@ReiReiKo avatar
@@ReiReiKo
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 82 XP
08/07/2021

It tends to grow quite tall with n only a few weeks. Trim the leaves and to continue its growth, cut the center of the three stem that form on top. The smell helps you know if it’s healthy, it’s like a spicy ham ^^

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Alexis avatar
@Alexis
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 36 XP
globe Las Vegas, NV
08/03/2021

Edible!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Victorious avatar
@@Victorious
leaf-1 12 Plants
xp 365 XP
07/31/2021

Amazing herb! Can be harvested as needed and great for a beginner plant. Works well in ground and containers. Wonderful aroma.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
@Hattieholmes avatar
@@Hattieholmes
leaf-1 11 Plants
xp 290 XP
07/30/2021

Grows super quick, so excited to have some fresh basil of my own!

Fast grower Fast grower
@kirbyfanacc avatar
@@kirbyfanacc
leaf-1 19 Plants
xp 529 XP
globe Basingstoke, England
07/29/2021

bought this basil plant from Aldi weeks ago and it’s still hanging on somehow, so I have taken it under my wing. massive drama queen and will wilt and shrivel away if you don’t water it for one day but will bounce back into its luscious self after a glug of water

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Kit avatar
@Kit
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 287 XP
07/27/2021

Basil is a finicky plant. Get it right or it’ll die.

Browns easily Browns easily

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