10 Best Tips to Grow Bigger Basil Leaves

20.02.2024 - 06:01 / balconygardenweb.com / Suyash

Whether sprinkled on top of a fresh tomato salad or infused in a homemade pesto, bigger basil leaves are a true delicacy for any food lover!

If you are wondering – how big do basil plants get – well, they can get quite tall, upto 4-5 feet even (as evident from the above picture), if they get the right growing conditions!

Not every basil has a big foliage spread, so you have to be selective! Go for Mammoth basil, Lettuce leaf basil, Italian large leaf basil, Napoletano basil, and Green ruffles basil – they will offer you mammoth leaves!

Basil requires at least six hours of full sunlight daily to thrive and produce large, flavorful leaves. If you’re growing basil indoors, place your plants on a sunny windowsill where they can receive adequate sunlight.

Basil prefers a slightly acidic soil pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

Avoid using 100% garden soil as it can be too dense. Combine 2 parts compost, 1 part coconut coir or peat moss, and 1 part perlite or vermiculite.

Add a handful of worm castings and 2 tablespoons of bone meal to this mix for the best growing medium!

Spacing your basil plants properly is an important factor in ensuring that the leaves grow big and healthy. Placing too many plants together will prevent them from getting proper sunlight and air circulation, which may result in smaller leaves.

Make sure it has enough room to grow and spread by keeping it at least 10-12 inches away from the window, wall, or other plants.

If you’re growing basil in containers, choose a pot that is at least 10 inches wide and deep to provide ample space for the plant to grow.

Growing it in a too-small container will limit its growth, which will affect the size of the leaves.

A balanced, water-soluble fertilizer with a ratio of 10-10-10 or 20-20-20