In the gardening world, “pricking out” is just a fancy way of saying it’s time to thin out or transplant your seedlings. If you’ve ever started basil from seed, you know those little guys usually end up growing way too close together. Today, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to prick out your basil so every plant has room to thrive.
Growing Basil from Scratch
Before you can start whipping up fresh pesto, you have to either grab a pot from the store or grow your own. If you’re going the DIY route, start by sowing your seeds in a pot or tray. Just a heads-up: basil is a light-germinator , which means the seeds need light to wake up. Only cover them with a very thin dusting of soil.
Keep your seeds consistently moist for about 14 days. They’ll need a cozy spot between 60-70°F (15-20°C) to sprout. Since basil seeds are tiny, it’s almost impossible not to over-sow them, leading to a crowded “forest” of seedlings. To make sure they grow big and strong, you’ll need to separate them—aka, it’s time to prick them out!
What You’ll Need
If you want to feel professional, you can buy a specialized pricking tool (sometimes called a dibber). But honestly? Unless you’re doing this every single day, you don’t need to spend the money. A simple pencil or a wooden skewer works just as well.
You’ll also need a fresh pot or a window box if you’re planning on a big harvest. Round things out with some high-quality potting mix or a pre-fertilized herb soil .
Step-by-Step: How to Prick Out Your Basil
- The best time to move your seedlings is once they’ve grown their “true leaves” (that’s the second set of leaves that appears after the initial seed leaves).
- Fill your new pot or planter with soil and give it a light press to firm it up.
- Take your pencil or skewer and gently poke it under the roots of a seedling to loosen the soil.
- Carefully lift the plant out with two fingers. Be as gentle as possible—you don’t want to damage those delicate roots!
- Use your tool to poke a hole in the soil of the new pot.
- Drop the seedling into the hole. Make sure the roots are pointing down and not curling back up. You can actually plant basil a little deeper than it was sitting before to give it extra stability.
- Use your fingers or your tool to gently press the soil around the stem until the plant is snug.
- Space your plants about 1 to 2 inches apart. In a standard 5-inch (12 cm) pot, you can fit about 10 little basil plants.
- Give them their first drink using a small watering can with lukewarm water or a spray bottle.
- Keep the soil consistently moist over the next few weeks.
Pro Tip: You can also prick your basil into small peat pots. If you plan on moving your herbs to the garden later, you can just plant the whole peat pot directly into the ground!
