Pegeen's impeccable methods are great if you're planning on growing a plant to put in the garden. I have fine success with a much more casual approach to having basil at the ready. When I buy a bunch of basil, I just snip off the ends, stick the bunch in a water glass on the window sill by my kitchen sink, and keep it topped off with water. I do change the water if it gets cloudy, but that's it. I have some on the window sill right now, all rooting nicely.
Yes. Use a small clean jar like a jam jar. (Clear glass is good so you can see what’s happening.) To disinfect the jar, wash it with soapy water containing a few drops of bleach. Rinse thoroughly. Sterilize your knife or scissors as well.
About six inches from the top of the plant, snip off the rest of the plant, ending below a leaf shoot. The original plant should not be flowering (not have gone to seed).
Fill the jar three-quarters with distilled water. For the part of the stem that will be in the water, pinch the leaves off the stem. The stem in the water should not have leaves, because the leaves will decompose and cause bacteria. You can put several cuttings in the same jar.
Place the jar in a bright location indoors at room temperature. Change the water daily, before it gets cloudy or has a foul odor. To prevent shocking the cutting, the new water should be at room temperature. (You do not need to add bleach when you change the water – the bleach was only to disinfect the jar at the beginning.)
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About six inches from the top of the plant, snip off the rest of the plant, ending below a leaf shoot. The original plant should not be flowering (not have gone to seed).
Fill the jar three-quarters with distilled water. For the part of the stem that will be in the water, pinch the leaves off the stem. The stem in the water should not have leaves, because the leaves will decompose and cause bacteria. You can put several cuttings in the same jar.
Place the jar in a bright location indoors at room temperature. Change the water daily, before it gets cloudy or has a foul odor. To prevent shocking the cutting, the new water should be at room temperature. (You do not need to add bleach when you change the water – the bleach was only to disinfect the jar at the beginning.)