Protecting Basil from Cold
Basil is a wonderful, tender annual plant that will completely uplift your cooking life if you can grow it in or around your home. However, the more that you learn about basil plants, the more you understand that they are quite the high-maintenance herb! What are they most sensitive to? Dips in temperature!
As an tender annual or biennial plant (perishing after two growing seasons), the growth cycle of the plant does not include overwintering when it is growing outdoors, but there are ways to protect it from those cold temperature conditions if you grow basil indoors!
If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse on your property, a cold frame, or a warm south facing window, you’ll be able to grow basil all year long! If not, this article is going to go through some ways that you can help extend the growing season of your basil plants.
Is your basil plant dying and you don’t know why? Click here to find out the answers!
Click here to learn all about how to grow basil indoors!
Is your basil plant thriving and you want to know the best time to harvest basil? Click here!
Not sure what bolting is? Find the answers here!
Is your basil plant browning? There are tons of reasons why that could be happening!
Curious about protecting basil from pests and fungal infection? Read this!
What are the Ideal Growing Conditions for Basil?
Growing basil won’t be too hard as long as you know the essential tips and tricks to keeping it happy. Though it won’t take up your whole day, there are some things you’ll need to maintain to ensure that it keeps growing those healthy, fragrant basil leaves.
Sun Exposure – basil loves the sun, but not too much sun. It will kind of depend on the average temperature of the summer time that will determine how much sunlight your basil needs.
More heat means less sun, less heat means more sun. In an area with very hot summer temperatures, your plant will be happy with morning sun and afternoon partial shade. In an area with more mild temperatures, it can handle 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.
Watering – sun exposure and watering basil kind of go hand in hand. A plant that receives more sunlight will require more frequent watering, whereas a plant growing in less sunlight will require less watering.
It is essential that you avoid over watering basil as this is detrimental to its healthy. Always check the moisture level of the soil before deciding to water it again.
Temperature – appropriate temperature for a basil is the most important growing condition and one of the hardest to maintain. Basil doesn’t like too much heat, and it certainly doesn’t like the cold.
Basil will start to suffer once temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and can potentially die if it exposed to temperatures below 32. It is best to transplant basil seedlings outdoors only once temperatures go above 60.
How Can you tell that Basil has Cold Damage?
Basil is very sensitive to cold damage, much more so than it is to heat damage. As we just mentioned, a basil plant will start to show signs of damage once it is exposed to consistent temperatures under 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below.
You’ll be able to tell that your basil plant is being damaged due to cold weather because its leaves will start to blacken. Blackening leaves is detrimental to the health of the plant because the basil leaves are no longer able to photosynthesize.
Both basil seedlings and basil seed are more sensitive to cold than more mature plants are. This is why it is so important to wait until after the last frost date of the season before transplanting or planting basil outdoors.
If you are growing basil indoors you don’t have as much to worry about. You can decide to plant basil pretty much at any time of the year as long as you have a south facing window or a grow light.
How do you Protect Basil from Cold Temperature Conditions?
Don’t be discouraged by everything you have just read, as we’ve said the best information for last! Growing basil indoors or growing basil outdoors can easily be accomplished by any gardener, and there are tons of ways to keep basil warm and happy.
Sometimes a gardener isn’t able to anticipate cold weather and very often regions will experience cold bouts with absolutely no warning. It may seem very dire if you’ve planted basil outdoors, but there are ways to protect those plants.
1. Mulch
Mulch is an excellent and natural way to protect basil from cold damage. You can add a thick layer of mulch (about 2-3 inches) around the areas where you have planted basil.
The mulch can be made from many different kinds of organic matter, including grass clippings, compost, wood chips, straw, or even dried leaves from the fall.
The main idea is that the thick layer of mulch is going to protect the temperature of the soil from surprise dips in temperature in the air. This is essential for the happiness of the root system.
Mulch is also great because it helps retain moisture in the soil, it prevents weeds from being able to sprout up in the area and prevents them from stealing essential nutrients, and the matter will eventually decompose and act as nutrients for the growing plants!
2. Coverings
It’s also a great idea to use coverings to protect your plants from cold snaps. An ideal covering would be something that is light enough to still let in sunlight, but not so light that it won’t protect from dips in temperature.
The coverings can be removed during the day once the sunlight reappears, but this is a great method for people who live in areas that have very warm days but pretty cold nights (light in the high alpine or in rainforest biomes).
Planting basil in a cold frame has pretty much the same effect, where the clear glass will heat up the growing zone during the day, and then traps the heat in the growing zone during the night to keep the plants warm.
3. Lights
Another way to add a little bit of heat to your basil patch in the night is by laying a string of Christmas lights along the ground next to your plants. This may seem odd, but the older Christmas lights actually emit a little bit of heat and help keep the basil plants toasty.
4. Indoor Growing
If you happen to live in an area that has drastically cold temperature changes, you may have to consider growing basil in containers so that you can easily change their location. Potted basil will grow happily as long as the pot is deep enough to contain those roots.
Some gardeners will bring potted basil out during the day to catch those vital rays and then bring them back inside at night time. It is important to really know what the temperatures of the inside vs outside in this case, because even the daily change can be too shocking for them.
Other gardeners will simply opt out and grow basil indoors in order to avoid the rigamarole. Just make sure to pick an area in your home that has a sunny south facing window, or purchase a grow light and set it to 10-12 hours per day.
What if I couldn’t Protect my Basil from the Cold?
There are tons of reasons why you may have been a little too late to notice that it was too chilly outside for your basil, and that is okay! There are a couple of ways to continue the population, even if the OG’s didn’t make it.
Cuttings
If there are still some healthy leaves and stems left on your cold-stricken basil plant, see if you can trim off a couple of cuttings and propagate them! Pick a stem that has at least 2 sets of basil leaves on it, for it needs to continue its photosynthesis process.
From here, find a clear glass and fill it with fresh water and place the cuttings in it. Then find a sunny window. The basil cuttings will start to develop roots in a few short weeks, where you can then transplant them to pots!
Basil Seedlings
If your original plants were too far gone, hopefully then had the chance to go to seed. A basil seed will go dormant over the winter, and will hopefully sprout up again after the frost passes the following spring.
You can also collect the basil seed from the previous growing season, keep them in a paper bag over the winter, and plant them yourself once the following spring comes back around. You can grow basil seed indoors or outdoors, depending on your growing region and your preference.
FAQs
What are some issues that basil faces?
Gardeners have to be careful when it comes to watering their basil plants. It is important to avoid getting water directly on the leaves, especially if it is a cloudy or cooler day.
If a basil leaf doesn’t dry out completely it can very quickly develop a fungal infection called basil downy mildew. Basil downy mildew is an infection that causes each basil leaf to start to develop a black mold on it and once it starts, it is very hard to get rid of. It perpetuates in warm and humid conditions.
Frost damage (as we have just gone through) is another detrimental issue that basil plants face. Frost damage causes the leaves to blacken, where they can no longer photosynthesize, effectively killing the plant.
What are some popular basil varieties?
The most popular basil variety that people will purchase at the grocery store or grow at home is called sweet basil or common basil (ocimum basilicum).
Sweet basil (ocimum basilicum) is known for its large and green fresh basil leaves that are used for garnishes for both savory and sweet dishes alike.
There is also holy basil (ocimum tenuiflorum), more commonly known as the tulsi plant. Holy basil is less used as a culinary herb and more for its medicinal qualities.
Lemon basil is an incredible fresh herb that is often used in Asian cuisines. The fresh leaves of the lemon basil plant have a citrusy aroma and flavor to them. They’re also a great addition to an herb garden because they repel unwanted pests.
What are some ways of preserving basil?
If you have a surplus of fresh basil leaves, chances are the you’re going to have to learn how to preserve them! Preserving basil can be done in a number of ways, but two great ones are making dry basil or pesto.
Dry basil is done by laying out each individual basil leaf and letting it dry out. They are then often ground up and used more like a spice. Dried basil will keep in the pantry for a very long time.
Another way of preserving basil is by making pesto. Pesto is made of olive oil, parmesan, garlic, and fresh basil leaves that are all ground together. It is preserved because olive oil is a natural preservative and can keep for a long time in the fridge.
Are basil plants perennial herbs?
Most basil varieties like sweet basil (o basilicum) are annual herbs, meaning that they will perish after one growing season. There are other varieties that grow as perennial herbs so long as they are growing in their native growing region.
When is a good time to plant basil outdoors?
It is very important to wait until the last frost date of the season before deciding to plant your basil seedlings outside. Otherwise, they may suffer frost damage and will never get the chance to mature. It will depend on where you live, but usually the late spring is the safest time to plant basil outdoors.
Do basil plants like full sun or partial shade conditions?
Basil loves the sun, but not too much sun. It will kind of depend on the average temperature of the summer time that will determine how much sunlight your basil needs.
More heat means less sun, less heat means more sun. In an area with very hot summer temperatures, your plant will be happy with morning sun and afternoon partial shade. In an area with more mild temperatures, it can handle 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.
How often should a basil plant be watered?
Sun exposure and watering basil kind of go hand in hand. A plant that receives more sunlight will require more frequent watering, whereas a plant growing in less sunlight will require less watering.
It is essential that you avoid over watering basil as this is detrimental to its healthy. Always check the moisture level of the soil before deciding to water it again.
At what temperature will a basil plant experience cold damage?
Appropriate temperature for a basil is the most important growing condition and one of the hardest to maintain. Basil doesn’t like too much heat, and it certainly doesn’t like the cold.
Basil will start to suffer once temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and can potentially die if it exposed to temperatures below 32. It is best to transplant basil seedlings outdoors only once temperatures go above 60.