Root bound Indoor Herbs

[nigutierrez]

Hello,

I am new to indoor herb growing. Actually these are the first plants I've managed to keep alive more than a few weeks; sweet basil and sweet mint. The roots have begun growing out of the drainage holes in the pots. This is the second larger pot I've had to move them to. My apartment doesn't have room to keep increasing pot size. Is there any way to safely keep them from growing larger?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Basil will complete it's life cycle in one year or two. So, better be prepared for it collect some seeds. Pruning helps to extent it's life span. When flowers start to mature it dry out.


Same goes for mint, cutting help to grow more branch. You need to tilt and add fertilized to one part of the container at a time, when the plant grow in the tilted side of the container, you should do the same for other half. In this way mint will grow continuously.

 

[Beth_B]

How big are your pots? Both should do fine in gallon sized containers, especially if you keep them pruned as @Rajesh Sethi suggests.

 

[marlingardener]

Harvest about half of your basil (I'm guessing as to the size of the plant--use your own judgement) and then root prune. Lift the plant out of the pot, cut off the protruding roots, put a bit of fresh soil in the pot's bottom, and replace the plant. This is, of course, assuming you just can't move it to a larger container.
The same works for mint.

 

[nigutierrez]

Harvest about half of your basil (I'm guessing as to the size of the plant--use your own judgement) and then root prune. Lift the plant out of the pot, cut off the protruding roots, put a bit of fresh soil in the pot's bottom, and replace the plant. This is, of course, assuming you just can't move it to a larger container.
The same works for mint.

I am a very novice plant grower. When you say harvest do you mean just cut off all the leaves or cutoff half the stalks?

 

[nigutierrez]

Basil will complete it's life cycle in one year or two. So, better be prepared for it collect some seeds. Pruning helps to extent it's life span. When flowers start to mature it dry out.


Same goes for mint, cutting help to grow more branch. You need to tilt and add fertilized to one part of the container at a time, when the plant grow in the tilted side of the container, you should do the same for other half. In this way mint will grow continuously.

When you say tilt the mint to one side do you mean take out some soil at that side to make room for the fertilizer? Not totally clear on this technique.

 

[marlingardener]

nigutierrez, harvesting basil is easy. Cut the stalk just above where there is a pair of leaves. Here's a diagram of where to cut.

You'll get a bushier plant that you will need to harvest from regularly. Basil can be dried, chopped and frozen, and of course, used fresh.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

When you say tilt the mint to one side do you mean take out some soil at that side to make room for the fertilizer? Not totally clear on this technique.

The trick is to make mint available all the time.

Instead of repotting , replanting the whole pot, do that in one portion at a time.

So, plant will always have space to grow continuously without getting any transplanting shock.

If you have extra pots of same plant, you can replace the whole with fresh soil mix, as you don't have to rush to nursery or market if it dies.