Sweet Basil
4.7 out of 5 (181 experiences)
Fast grower
Survivor
About Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil is a super popular houseplant 🌿 that is a fun challenge to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. They do best in long-lasting, direct light ☀️ and should be less than 1 foot from a window.
Plant parents describe this plant as a fast grower and being a survivor with a whopping 16279 being grown with Greg around the world. Check out the reviews below for more details!🌟
Sweet Basil likes soil that is well draining. You may want to supplement with a gentle, organic fertilizer throughout the peak growing season.
Taxonomy
Ocimum basilicum
Ocimum
Lamiaceae
Lamiales
Also known as
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
How to care for Sweet Basil
How often to water your Sweet Basil
every 9
Sweet 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.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Sweet Basil in your home
a window
Sweet Basil love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.
Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Sweet Basil does not tolerate low-light 🚫.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Sweet Basil in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Sweet Basil
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 Sweet Basil after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Is there any way to save this sweet basil plant? I just bought this last week and it was nice and green . I water it the same as with my mint and parsley but this is what I have today. Is there any hope or do I chalk this one up as a loss 🤷♀️
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What’s eating my basil? #Basil #Herbs
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My basil died :( I think the cause is root rot but can anyone confirm? I've cut off little bits from the top which seemed alive and put them in a glass of water in an attempt to revive it, hope it'll grow some roots soon.. #SweetBasil
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Can basil be transferred to troughs with other plants growing? So I got Basil , can I make it share rhe new garden trough with some other onions and vegetables I’m trying to plant or will it overtake like how Mints do?
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I think Root Rot has taken hold, any suggestions? #SweetBasil
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Basil flower? Hey all, my little basil plant has struggled this year (not a good year for some of my plants especially edible ones) however it is now starting to flower. Should I let it flower or prune it back? #happyplants #plantaddict #floweringplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy
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Can anyone identify the cause of the spots on my thai basil and suggest a solution?
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New leaves growing in with jagged edges? Noticed the last few sets of leaves to grow in on my recently planted cutting have had these rough edges and thought it was interesting. Is there anything that causes this, or just a quirk of this specific plant? (2nd picture is the parent plant, all normal leaves 🤷♀️) #SweetBasil
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Should my grow lights be on all the time? I have a plant cabinet with 2 different light circuits. Currently I have them on a 12 hrs. timer but should they be on all the time?
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Interesting root growth on basil cuttings! Started two different basil cuttings last week, and the differences in their root growth are interesting to me—one has slightly thicker roots growing only out of the very bottom of the stem, while the other has thinner roots growing from various spots and branching off. Is there a reason for these differences/is one type preferable, or is it just luck of the draw? #SweetBasil
Care Summary for Sweet Basil
Sweet 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
Fast grower 114
Survivor 66
Large, lush leaves 51
Easy to propagate 37
Browns easily 31
Blooms easily 23
Pest magnet 4
02/12/2022
Needs sunlight and constant watering
01/22/2022
Good for beginners.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
Survivor
01/11/2022
Love this plant great for any type of food and add flavor to ur life
Fast grower
Browns easily
09/18/2021
Please note this isn’t sweet basil. Greg just thought it was
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
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Easy to propagate
09/12/2021
Easy & delicious
09/07/2021
Smells SO good!!! bounces back from dehydration really easily.
Fast grower
Survivor
09/06/2021
It easily propagates from cuttings!
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
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
08/30/2021
The smell is amazing.
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Fast grower
Blooms easily
08/26/2021
Basil is amazinf
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Blooms easily
08/26/2021
Easy Basil and can gift to friends to propagate
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Blooms easily
08/22/2021
nice plant, smell GOOD
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
Browns easily
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
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Browns easily
08/03/2021
Edible!
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
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
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Survivor
07/30/2021
Grows super quick, so excited to have some fresh basil of my own!
Fast grower
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
Survivor
07/27/2021
Basil is a finicky plant. Get it right or it’ll die.
Browns easily
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