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Make your BASIL plants live forever?

...In a way you can!
I'll try to kept it as simple as possible (not an easy task being a plant biologist myself!), but I can tell you that with a small trick you can have fresh basil all over the year (NO growth hormones needed)!!!

 Couple of months ago I posted pics of my balcony-based garden with my beloved sweet basil (I'm not overdoing with compliments, the variety of basil I love most is the sweet basil indeed). 
All plants grew, survived my absence during holidays (they have experienced a pretty prolonged drought this year) and set new leaves and incredibly tiny fruits (tomatoes and strawberries)... 
Expectedly, but still unfortunately, after a while (also because they are confined in relatively small pots, with poor or no fertilization) they started senescing (ageing).

I know my basil will not live forever in such a pot and very likely it won't survive the cold winter outside.... but I have no space to bring it inside given its current size!!!

Here what I did to prepare my fall/winter indoor basil cultivation: 

- I cut a stem with few leaves (the closer to the apex the better). DO NOT use lignified tissues!


- I removed the lower leaves (the ones close to the arrow in the picture) without damaging the stem and put the cuttings in a cup or glass with water (that I changed daily!)

If your cuttings are fine they'll stay green, they'll be turgid and they'll keep setting leaves!!!

Usually 10 days up to 3 weeks after, you will have new roots growing (pink arrow)




- In few days I'll transfer the cuttings without damaging the roots in new pots and I'll let them recover for a couple of weeks before start collecting leaves again!
Etichette:

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