It is really common to buy herbs like basil already in a pot at a supermarket, but not many people realise that these plants can only stay alive a few weeks. Tanya Anderson, an organic gardener and founder of Lovely Greens, has shared most people believe their summer herbs die due to lack of care but it is actually overcrowding.
She said: “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The pots of herbs you find at the supermarket are designed to die. It wasn’t over or underwatering that did it! Basil, coriander, and even thyme aren’t meant to last more than a couple of weeks. “It’s because each pot is seeded with dozens of plants rather than just one. There’s no space in that tiny pot for dozens of plants to live, so they run out of nutrients and die.”
Any leafy herb you get out the supermarket can be already under a lot of stress and is not getting enough resources since it is actually competing with a dozen other plants.
However, it is not too late as you can easily save your basil plant (or coriander or thyme) to keep it alive, as all you need to do is repot it.
How to keep supermarket herbs alive for much longer
You will need:
- One herb plant from a supermarket
- Potting mix for vegetables
- A few toilet paper roll tubes
Carefully take the basil out of its plastic pot and then rip the plant roots into two. This sound drastic, but the roots have usually become a tangled mess and do not have enough room to spread out, so you need to separate them to try and grow new healthier roots.
Tanya said: “Using a slow but firm action in this step helps minimise damage. Also, try your hardest to not damage the stems of your plants. When you’re separating the plants try to handle the compost and roots and not the plants themselves.”
Simply use your hands to gently pull the plant into two, and then you can begin to identify the strongest and biggest plants in the pot.
Try to very gently tease them out of the big root ball, and then stay take plants you want to save and place it in its own pot.
You do not need to go out and buy anything at this stage, as used up toilet roll cardboard tubes are perfect to use as small individual pots.
Then, take your smaller plants, place them in the cardboard tube and fill with vegetable potting mix, which you can usually buy at most supermarkets.
Next, you will need to use your fingers to gently pinch off the tip of the stem, which is done when plant’s are still young to encourage them to grow new roots.
Place on a sunny spot like a warm windowsill, water deeply and regularly to keep the soil moist.
This will help you grow a healthy, bushy basil plant that remains alive for a long time, rather than drying out after just a week or two.
