African Blue Basil Plant: How to Grow and Harvest

The African Blue Basil plant is a unique and fragrant addition to any garden. It's a perennial herb that thrives in warm temperatures.

To grow this plant, you'll want to provide it with full sun and well-drained soil. This will help prevent root rot and ensure healthy growth.

African Blue Basil is relatively low maintenance, making it perfect for busy gardeners. It's also a great choice for containers, as it's compact and won't spread out too much.

With proper care, you can expect to harvest your African Blue Basil in as little as 60 days. Regular pruning will also encourage bushy growth and prevent flowering.

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African Blue Basil prefers a warm and bright location, making a sunny spot in the herb garden ideal. This will allow the plant to thrive and produce aromatic and intense leaves.

To ensure proper watering, water African Blue Basil regularly to keep the soil from drying out, especially in the warm summer months. Daily watering is recommended during this time.

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African Blue Basil can be propagated by cuttings, which should be taken in midsummer. Remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in a glass of water, and roots will appear after just a few days.

The plant can be fertilised regularly with a slow release fertiliser or mature compost to provide necessary nutrients. This will promote healthy plant growth and an active soil life.

Here are some specific care tips for African Blue Basil:

In winter, find a suitable location for overwintering the potted plant, and make sure it's sheltered from draughts and constant wind.

To propagate African blue basil, you'll need to take cuttings from the plant. Cut off 10 cm long, non-woody shoots without flowers.

It's best to take these cuttings in midsummer, as the shoots will root more vigorously.

Remove the lower leaves from the cuttings and place them in a glass of water. Roots will start to appear in just a few days.

After 2 weeks, you can plant the cuttings in a suitable location, where they'll continue to thrive.

Plant African blue basil cuttings in mid-May, when the weather is warm and sunny. This allows the plants to acclimate to the outdoors without shocking them.

To plant cuttings, choose a suitable potting soil like Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost, which is peat-free and rich in nutrients. Mix it with a third of sand to provide the necessary nutrients for the cuttings.

African blue basil prefers a large pot with good water drainage, so make sure to add a drainage layer in the lower third of the pot. Plant the cuttings at a spacing of 40 cm, or three or four plants in one spot for ornamental arrangements.

Here's a quick rundown of the best practices for planting African blue basil cuttings:

By following these simple steps, you'll be on your way to growing healthy and thriving African blue basil plants.

African blue basil is not hardy, it originates from tropical Africa and Asia and prefers a lot of sun and warmth.

It's very sensitive to cold, so you'll need to take special care of it during the winter months. Temperatures below 10 °C at night are a problem, and you should start overwintering your perennial basil around that time.

You'll need to find a bright and cool spot for your basil to thrive, ideally between 10 to 15 °C. A cellar or an unheated conservatory would be perfect, or even a bright, cool stairwell.

If your African blue basil has been growing in a garden bed, you'll need to dig it up and plant it in a pot to overwinter indoors. Avoid cold droughts and water the plant occasionally so it doesn't dry out completely.

After the cold period, you can gradually accustom the perennial basil shrub to the sun again. From mid-May, when the night temperatures no longer fall below 10 °C, you can move it back outside.

African blue basil belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is a cross between basil and camphor basil.

It grows up to 1m high and very bushy, with a woody stem that becomes evident with age. This perennial shrub is mostly cultivated in pots in herb gardens.

The leaves of African blue basil grow in an opposite pattern along the stalks, forming elongated ovals with smooth or slightly serrated edges.

African blue basil flowers from May to October, producing pink and purple lipped flowers that are clustered together in a spire of whorls.

It is very bee-friendly, as it is a non-stop bloomer that extends its flowering period from May to October.

As a hybrid of basil and camphor basil, African blue basil is very closely related to common basil, but grows as a shrub that is somewhat easier to care for.

Its flavour is stronger than that of regular basil, making it a great option for those looking for a more robust herb.

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African blue basil is just one of the many amazing varieties of basil out there. It's a hybrid between red rubin basil and camphor basil, originating in Africa.

If you're looking for a more robust option, consider the 'Mammoth' cultivar, which can reach a height of up to 1.2m and is extremely persistent, even tolerating light frost.

Some basil varieties require more maintenance than others. For example, 'Greek' basil needs to be propagated by cuttings and requires warmth.

African blue basil has a stronger flavour than common basil, making it a great choice for cooking. It grows up to 1m high and becomes very bushy with age.

If you're looking for a shorter-lived option, consider the 'Holy' or 'British' cultivars, which require winter protection.

Here are some popular perennial basil cultivars to consider:

Harvesting African blue basil is a straightforward process. You can always harvest leaves from perennial basil shrubs, but the aroma is most intense just before they flower.

To harvest, either cut off the tips of the shoots with the uppermost leaves or cut the whole shoot in half. You can use the leaves when fresh, which is ideal, or preserve them by drying, freezing, or pickling them in oil. However, you will lose some of the flavor in the process.

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African blue basil is incredibly versatile and can be used in countless ways, from salads to pesto or Mediterranean dishes. It's a great addition to many recipes.

Some of the medicinal uses of African blue basil include treating fever, parasites, bacterial infections, colds, headaches, and gastrointestinal problems. It's also known for its insect-repelling properties.

Here are some of the potential medicinal uses of African blue basil:

Downy Mildew is a serious issue that's sweeping through the country, affecting many basil plants. It starts with leaf yellowing, which can be mistaken for a nutritional deficiency.

Basil Downy Mildew, caused by the pathogen Peronospora belbahrii, can spread rapidly in wet and warm weather, resulting in complete loss of all your basil plants. This is a major concern for gardeners and cooks alike.

The pathogen can survive the winter but is reintroduced on infected seed or transplants or by windblown spores. This makes it difficult to prevent the spread of the disease.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Basil Downy Mildew, other than applying fungicides. However, fungicides can be damaging to bee populations and are not effective in wet and warm weather.

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