How Often Should I Water Basil Seeds?

Basil seeds are very sensitive to excessive or infrequent watering. If you water them too often, they’ll drown. If you don’t water them enough, they’ll get dehydrated and their roots will eventually die. Fortunately, you can follow a schedule to make sure that they’re always hydrated and healthy.

How often should I water basil seeds? Basil seeds should be watered several times a week. There should be about one inch of water given to your basil seeds throughout the week. Basil roots continue to reach and grow downward for a very long time, so make sure that the soil is always moist.

Throughout this post, you’ll also learn the following information about basil seeds:

How frequently should you water them
How long is the germination period
What you can do if you flood your basil seeds

How Frequently Do Basil Seeds Need to Be Watered?

Basil seeds need to be watered at least once a week to ensure that the water soaks deep into their roots. They require about an inch of water, so make sure that you’re not pouring too much or too little. You can also fluff the soil to loosen it up for proper filtration, delivering a healthy amount of water.

It’s also recommended that you switch the fertilizer every three to four weeks to ensure that the seeds are getting as much nutrition as possible. By following these two suggestions, you’ll be able to quickly grow basil seeds without any problems.

It should be noted that all plants are different from each other, even basil seeds. Some of them need more moisture than others. Fortunately, you can do a simple test to ensure that your basil has enough water.

Since the surface of dirt and soil dries very quickly, you’ll have to check the moisture at a lower depth. Adding water based on the dryness of the surface level could end up drowning your basil seeds. For more info on what you can do if you flood your basil seeds, check out the final section of this post.

To figure out if your basil seeds have enough water put your finger about two inches away from the seeds’ location. Slowly push down to about two to three inches. If the soil is moist, you’re all set. However, if it feels dry or not hydrated enough, you need to add more water.

Note: Don’t harm the roots of the basil seed. Remember that roots are very fragile, especially during the germination period. More water to the roots allows them to grow, but there are a few other ways to accelerate the process. Let’s review these suggestions in the next section.

How Long is the Germination Period?

Basil seeds take anywhere from 8 to 14 days to germinate. This means that it takes about one to two weeks to start releasing roots to find more water. For many plant owners, this period is relatively quick compared to others.

If you’re new to growing plants, then you might not want to wait so long. After all, two weeks is a long time to wait for seeds that you just excitedly bought at the store or got from a friend. Fortunately, there are a handful of ways to speed the germination process along.

Using warm water, soak the seeds for 24 hours. The warm temperature will allow water to penetrate the seed and start to hydrate it. You can do this by filling a shallow container about half of an inch full of water, then place the seed in a paper towel and soak it with more warm water. Set the wrapped seed in the container and wait for 24 hours.
Dust your seeds with fertilizer. This coating will enrich your seeds and allow them to create and spread more roots. The germination process will speed up, as will the time to grow and produce leaves. A good fertilizer to try is the Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food.
Another option is scarification. The main reason that seeds take so long to sprout is that they have to break through the outer shell. Scarification is when you put a small cut in the shell, allowing roots to sprout much quicker than they normally would. Use a small knife to put a single slice in the exterior layer before planting it.
Temperature adjustments are very popular. Some plants require warm climates, while others prefer cold temperatures. If you can increase or decrease the temperature of the seed while it’s germinating to its preferred range, then you’ll definitely accelerate the germinating period.
Don’t plant too many seeds in one place. Many beginner gardeners tend to believe that putting more seeds will increase the chances of one of them sprouting. It’ll actually have the opposite effect by causing each of them to soak up water and fertilizer, which spreads everything too thin.

What Do I Do if I Flood My Basil Seeds?

Basil seeds are incredibly delicate, so they’re very susceptible to drowning. If there’s too much water, they won’t get the proper oxygen that they need to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, some growers tend to water them too much in hopes that it’ll make roots sprout quicker.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 25, 2020.

If you catch the flooding happening soon enough, you can prevent further damage from happening.

Places that rain a lot or have ground-level floods can run right through a garden. Even too much time under the hose or sprinklers can be enough to cause permanent harm. Follow the tips below to deal with flooding problems for your basil seeds.

Reduce the temperature around the seeds slightly. You don’t want to freeze them, but a small tip in temperature can preserve them long enough for the damage to be reversed. This also gives you time to soak up some of the water if you have time.
Speaking of which, use a few dry towels to soak up water from the surface. Most of the water that roots absorb sits below the surface level, but eventually, the topwater will trickle down. If you can soak up the surface water, you’ll prevent it from dripping down to the roots and causing more problems.
If worse comes to worst, transplant your basil seeds. Even if you add too much water indoors, you might need to get a separate pot and transfer your seeds to prevent it from drowning. The key is to stop it from flooding for more than 24 to 48 hours since that’s the most dangerous stretch of drowning for seeds.
Mix the ground soil. Flooding causes pockets and air gaps around soil, making it heavier and denser where the soil collects. This process can exhaust the roots and cause them to weaken or break. By mixing the soil, you’ll remove the air pockets and rehydrate the seeds properly.

Consider checking out our comprehensive article on top problems growing basil and how to fix it.

Final Thoughts

Basil seeds are a bit complex in nature, but you can grow them quickly if you know what you’re doing. By ensuring that they have enough water throughout the week (one inch per week), you’ll keep them from becoming dehydrated.

Here’s a quick recap of the post:

Too much water can cause flooding, while too little water can cause dehydration.
Wrap your basil seeds in a warm water-soaked paper towel and put it in a shallow container with some water to increase the germination process.
Ensure that your seeds have enough water by poking a finger down to about two to three inches to search for moisture.