Care for Lettuce-Leaf Basil

If you've ever ordered the Italian restaurant specialty insalata caprese, you've most likely been introduced to lettuce-leaf basil, sitting atop a slice of tomato. Lettuce-leaf is a large-leaf variety of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) with 4-inch-wide and 6-inch-long leaves. The plant is compact – up to 12 inches in height with a 9-inch spread – making it ideal for indoor herb gardens. Basil is tender and does not tolerate frost, so it is generally grown indoors or transplanted into the garden after the last frost.

Mulch
Scissors or pruning snips
Calcium nitrate or liquid houseplant fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Grow indoor lettuce-leaf basil in a sunny area. A window with a southern exposure is ideal. Keep temperatures at night above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
  Top-dress the soil around garden-grown basil with a 1-inch layer of mulch to preserve soil moisture.
- 3
  Water lettuce-leaf basil often enough to keep the soil consistently moist. If planted outdoors, keep an eye on the soil moisture content on hot days, as it may dry out more quickly than normal.
- 4
  Prune the basil every two to three weeks to encourage branching. Use your fingers to pinch off the new, tiny leaf couplets from the tips of the stems. Pinch off flower buds as they appear.
- 5
  Fertilize lettuce-leaf basil two months after planting. In the garden, use ¼ to ½ lb. of calcium nitrate per 100 square feet, spread over the mulch, and water to a depth of 6 inches. Fertilize indoor basil two months after it sprouts with a liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to half strength.
- 6
  Cut the basil back to the ground before the first frost date in your region. To save it, dig it out of the soil and pot it up in commercial, well-drained potting soil. Place the pot in a sunny area and keep the soil moist.

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