'Thai Basil' is a plant in the Ocimum genus with a scientific name of Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora. The botanical name epithet for Thai Basil (basilicum) means 'royal or king-like'.
Thai basil is a cultivated type of basil bred specifically for its ability to handle the sustained high heats of cooking – making it understandably an excellent choice for south east asian cookery.
Leaves appear approximately as a Android robot green colour. It is a flowering edible herb that typically grows as a perennial, which is defined as a plant that matures and completes its lifecycle over the course of three years or more. Thai Basil is known for its forb habit and growing to a height of approximately 45.0 cm (1.46 feet). Popular varieties of Thai Basil with home gardeners are Siam Queen, Thai Holy Kaprao, Horapha rau que, Albahaca tailandesa, and Queenette.Thailand is believed to be where Thai Basil originates from.
Thai Basil is normally fairly low maintenance and is normally quite easy to grow, as long as a level of basic care is provided throughout the year. Being aware of the basic soil, sun and water preferences will result in a happier and healthier plant.
This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Thai Basil have been kindly provided by our members.
How to grow Thai Basil
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Full Sun
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Medium
Keep well watered and fertilized. Pinch growing tips to force it to grow bushy. Keep flowers pinched off for best leaf production.
Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Use Zone 4 - Zone 12 as your guideline for the appropriate climate for this plant. Ideally plant in loamy soil and try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 6.0 and 7.5 as Thai Basil likes to be in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil. Keep in mind when planting that Thai Basil is thought of as tender, so remember to wait until your soil is warm and the night time temperature is well above freezing before moving outside.Growing Thai Basil from seed
Easiest to grow from cuttings. Put a cutting in water after removing some lower leaves. The nodes will grow roots in water. When roots are more than an inch long, pot it in soil.
Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.12 inches (0.3 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 15°C / 59°F to ensure good germination.By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Thai Basil about 42 days before your last frost date .
Transplanting Thai Basil
plant out when air and soil temperatures are warm.
Harvesting Thai Basil
Cut and come again.
Companion plants for Thai Basil
These plants have been known to grow well alongside Thai Basil so consider planting:
Tomatoes
Repellent plants for Thai Basil
These plants will not grow well with Thai Basil so avoid planting these within close proximity:
Common Thai Basil problems
These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Thai Basil plants:
Other names for Thai Basil
Latest Thai Basil Reviews
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12 Feb 2012
KathN's Thai Basil was Reviewed day 310
Beautiful, vigorous and yummy.
Thai Basil care instructions
How long does Thai Basil take to grow?
When should I plant Thai Basil?
Our when to plant Thai Basil estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!
