Original basil plant, purchased from Trader Joe's

I've been keeping an eye on my basil plant for while because as it has grown wonderfully leafy and bushy, it has also been looking very crowded. New stems have sprouted out of the soil and there appears to be around 20-30 stems all growing within my small to medium sized pot. Some foliage are completely obstructed or overlapping with neighboring leaves and receiving little sunlight as a result. When I discovered at cute white planter pot for $5.99 at Marshalls, I decided it was a great opportunity to split my overcrowded basil plant!

I started by pulling out the bunch of basil stems and root ball from the original pot. I could see roots beginning to surround the mass of dirt. I tugged the plants into 4 separate bunches, being as gentle as possible on the roots. I teased out a couple weaker/thinner stems that looked less healthy and did not replant those. I then put 2 bunches of basil into each pot, trying to leave as much distance between them as possible and added soil, followed by a generous watering.
As you can see, the basil plant on the right is still looking plentiful and crowded so it will likely need a larger pot in the future. However, hopefully the plants will flourish more now with the additional space and fresh soil. I have also ordered some balanced fertilizer which may help with healthy growth and deeper coloring of the leaves.

This post is archived under Hobbies, Plants