Propagating Basil: A discovery from a kitchen mistake
As a chef, I never set out to learn how to propagate basil. But there it was. I found myself staring at little white roots growing from the bottom of my basil harvest.
It all started with a simple trick I had learned from a pantry chef when I was young. Keeping fresh herbs in a container of water would prevent them from wilting during the dinner service. I would pick just enough basil from the restaurant’s mini garden each day to get me through the “rush.” The kitchen was extremely warm during the summer, and this method kept my herbs almost as fresh as when I picked them.
Dinner prep was always a chaotic dance of chopping, prepping, and making sure my station was stocked for the evening. But about a week later, I discovered my basil container tucked high on a shelf in my office. I must have set it there without thinking while checking for an invoice or answering the phone. When I finally noticed my mistake, I took the pitcher of basil and water to the dishwashing area, assuming the basil was dead.
As I walked away, one of the dishwashers called out, “I will plant those in the garden in a little bit.” I turned back, confused about what she said. She held up a few stems, smiling. “Your basil plants look great.” That is when I saw that healthy white roots had formed.
But how?
Harvesting
As an accountant loves a sharp pencil, chefs rely on sharp utensils. The kitchen shears I used to make the clean cut happened to be the first step in propagation. A clean cut with a sharp knife or scissors ensures no tearing or shredding of the stem.
Since I never know which dish or exactly how I might use the herbs, whether infusing flavor or as a garnish, I leave most of the stems about 4 inches long and strip away the lower leaves. The process submerges the bare stems in the water while keeping the upper leaves dry and ready for use. It also helps reduce harvesting shock and prevents wilting.
Caring For Your Cuttings
Once I had placed the cuttings into the warm environment of my office, I had set the propating basil into motion. The bookcase protected the basil from the direct sunlight of my window and only allowed the indirect sunlight to reach the remaining green leaves. While I should have changed the water every couple of days to prevent any bacteria growth and keep the oxygen level in the water high, they still started to begin an amazing transformation.
Along the stem, there are small bumps or joints where the leaves used to grow. Science calls these nodes. The nodes have a unique ability to grow new roots when given certain conditions. Since the lower part of the stem was in water, the plant sensed it needed to grow roots to absorb nutrients to survive.
At first, you might not notice anything. After a few days, tiny white bumps will start forming at the nodes. These bumps are the early stages that will become roots. Over the next week or two, the bumps will grow into thin white roots that stretch into the water.
The roots will get longer, strengthen, and transform the basil cutting into more than just a stem. It will become a whole new basil plant that can be transferred into soil and continue growing like basil plants that were started from seeds.
Why You Should Propagate Basil: The Power of the Compound Effect
When it comes to propagating basil, it is not about a single new plant, but rather, it is leveraging mother nature’s ability to multiply and maximize the many benefits that propagation brings. A single cutting can turn into dozens of future basil plants, leading to savings, sustainability, and an endless supply of fresh herbs.
Exponential Growth – More Basil = More Benefits
So how does basil propagation follow a compounding cycle? When I explain this idea, many are confused at first, but with a little explanation, you may wonder why no one has ever explained it this way.
I am sure you might have heard Einstein’s quote, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He how understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it”, and when it comes to propagation it works the same.
One plant has many stems that can be used for multiple propagation cuttings. These stem cuttings not only allow new plants to grow in just a couple of weeks, but if the cuts are done just above a leaf node, the original plant is encouraged to branch out and produce more stems and leaves.
Now not only will the new propagated basil plants produce stems for even more cuttings, but the original plant will also do the same. Over a few months you could have dozens of plants producing hundreds of possible stems to propagate again and again. This means never having to buy seeds or plants again.
Year-Round Freshness = Less Wasted Money
I go to the store often enough to keep an eye on the prices, which helps me plan for my next gardening journey. Especially if it seems easy enough to grow and the prices are going through the roof. Strolling by the fresh herb section always has me stop and just look at the prices. Here the little 2-ounce containers sell for $3 – $5. Next to them, the live plants are selling for $8 or more. Not only are you at the mercy of using the limited basil type they offer, but even the dried versions can set you back over $5 for a small container.
Basil, whether dried or fresh, is a staple in most cuisines. A family of four could find themselves spending a fair amount of their food budget on just one ingredient as they cook at home.
Estimated Basil Usage for a Family of Four Per Year
If a family could propagate and grow basil plants, they could supply their needs for free, in turn saving anywhere from $450 – $700 per year. An additional bonus of having fresher and more flavorful herbs is that they would always be available whenever needed.
The Ultimate Self-Sufficient and Food Security Hack
The more you propagate, the less dependent you become on the grocery store. By propagating just one basil cutting, you start a self-sustaining cycle that saves money, reduces waste, and can keep your kitchen stocked with fresh basil all year round.
Homegrown basil can be continuously harvested for months, while store bought basil typically lasts less that a week, due to time lost in transit or improper storage temperatures. And don’t even get me started on the store-bought basil plants potted in soil. While at first, they look full and have many seedlings, they often have weak and overcrowded roots in the small container competing for the limited nutrients and water provided.
The food security hack happens almost naturally as you start a propagation and planting cycle. A continuous supply of fresh basil occurs in a staggered plan. A fresh basil cutting takes about 2-3 weeks to develop strong roots in water and another 2-4 weeks to establish itself in soil we can create a rotating schedule where new cuttings are started regularly.
Propagation Cycle and Planting Plan
By staggering the basil propagation process, you ensure zero downtime with maximum yield.
- 4 basil cuttings rooting in the water
- 4 basil plants in early growth transplant phase
- 4 basil plants actively growing and producing basil leaves
Conclusion
Year after year, our restaurant would have to purchase dried and fresh basil to handle the volume of sauces, soups, infused oils, and a dozen other items on our menu. Looking back through the invoices I could see years where our annual spend was over $8,000 just for this one ingredient. We did pride ourselves on our mini herb garden, but it could never fulfill the demands we required for the kitchen to run.
Scaling basil propagation for a restaurant our size would be an overwhelming task, but for a family of four, I have created a self-sustaining system that works and fits our household. I have certainly had my share of failures, whether killing off dozens of plants or harvesting more than my system could handle at times. But I have found that the simplicity of the process is its redundancy and resilience. No matter the setbacks, within months, I would have my system back to full production.
I have also found the flexibility that comes with growing my own basil. I can freeze it, dry it or store in in the refrigerator, which gives me the ability to use it whenever a kitchen dish required it. The process has reinforced a valuable lesson for me. Small consistent actions can compound over time. A single cutting can turn into an endless supply of herbs. A few thriving plants can replace countless trips to the store and reduce then need to purchase an ingredient when someone else is ready to sell it to me.
What started as a simple learning lesson in a kitchen so many years ago has evolved into a personal kitchen system of reducing waste, saving money and creating sustainability food security one ingredient at a time.
If basil can do this, imagine what else is possible.
