Thai Basil
Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora · Annual
Sturdier and more anise-scented than sweet basil, and grown almost identically. Propagates readily from cuttings.
What it needs indoors
- Light
- Full sunAt least 6 hours direct sun
- Water
- Keep moistWhen the top of the soil feels dry
- Temperature
- Above 70°F
- Growing medium
- Light potting soil or coconut coir
- Native range
- Mainland Southeast Asia
- Difficulty
- Beginner
What usually goes wrong
Cutting in the glass goes soft and brown at the cut end instead of rooting
A warm room speeds up rooting and rotting at much the same rate, and in water left to stand the bacteria get there first.
Fix: Change the water every day or two, recut the stem on a clean diagonal above the damage, and strip any leaves sitting below the waterline. Roots normally show inside a fortnight.
Sticky leaves, and clusters of small green insects on the softest tips
Aphids, working the newest growth. Indoors there is nothing eating them.
Fix: Rinse them off under the tap, then check the growing tips twice a week for the next fortnight. One missed cluster restarts the whole thing. Insecticidal soap if rinsing is not holding them.
