You can grow store-bought basil indoors with great results if you act fast after bringing it home. That little pot from the grocery store contains basil that will die within a week or two without changes. The plants sit in poor soil with roots all tangled together. But with some quick repotting and the right care, you can turn a $3 grocery purchase into months of fresh basil for your cooking.
I have rescued dozens of grocery store basil plants over the years and learned what kills them fast. The first time I tried, I just set the pot on my windowsill and watered it like my other plants. The basil wilted within four days and never came back. The problem was that I left all those tiny seedlings crammed into one small pot fighting for water and nutrients. Now I know to split them up right away, and my save store basil success rate jumped from maybe 20% to over 80% with this one change.
Grocery store basil looks like one big bushy plant but it holds a secret. What you see is actually 15-30 tiny seedlings all packed into a pot barely three inches wide. The stores grow them this way because it looks fuller on the shelf and sells better. But all those roots competing for the same tiny space means none of them get enough water or food. The soil they use breaks down fast too since it only needs to last until the plant sells. This setup works fine for a week on your counter but fails fast for long-term growing.
Transplanting supermarket basil starts with a gentle touch and the right supplies. Fill a few 6-inch (15 cm) pots with fresh potting mix that drains well. Water the store basil an hour before you plan to work with it since wet roots handle stress better. Tip the whole root ball out of the plastic pot and look at what you have. You should see many thin white roots all wrapped around each other in a tight clump.
Now comes the part that feels wrong but works great. Gently pull apart small clumps of 3-5 seedlings from the main mass. Some roots will break and that is okay. The plants recover fast once they have room to grow. Plant each clump in its own pot with the soil line at the same height as before. Give them a good drink of water and move the pots to a spot with bright but indirect light for the first few days.
Your new basil plants need time to settle into their home before you push them hard. Keep them out of direct sun for 5-7 days while the roots recover from transplant shock. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry but skip the fertilizer for the first two weeks. You might see some leaves droop or yellow during this time. Just pinch off any sad-looking leaves and let the plant focus on growing new roots.
After that first week or two, treat your basil like any other indoor herb. Move it to your brightest window or under a grow light for 6-8 hours of strong light daily. Water when dry and pinch the tips every few weeks to encourage bushy growth. Those little grocery store seedlings can grow into full plants that produce fresh leaves for 3-4 months or more. The few minutes you spend repotting pays back many times over in basil for your kitchen.
Read the full article: How to Grow Basil Indoors Successfully
