Thai basil - big leaves?

13 years ago

Hi everyone! I want to plant some thai basil(the ones typically found in Vietnamese restaurants when ordering pho) I remember purchasing some last year and the leaves were super tiny, I was so disappointed :( so just want to ask everyone how would I be able to tell the difference this time around? Any pointers would be great! Thanks in advance

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
The thai basils I have grown ("Siam Queen" is my favorite) do have much smaller leaves than normal sweet basils. And some sweet basils have simply monstrous leaves! But it's not the size but the favor that is so wonderful about thai basil. How was the taste of your basil?

Once while picking up take out at my favorite thai restaurant, I had the pleasure to go when there was a group of ladies who worked there sitting around table working on a tremendous pile of basil on the table between them. They were getting the basil ready to cook with. They were happily talking away and the air smelled great. I mentioned to the owner that was a BIG pile of basil. He told me that they get it from Hawaii and go through 90 pounds a week. I live in NY....Hawaii is a bit of a distance away. But the growing conditions there would probably make the basil larger and more lush than I could ever manage in my location. So the point of my story.....you may not be able to compete with the basil you see in the local restaurants. The growing conditions it had may be much different than yours.

FataMorgana
mimi178
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for your reply FataMorgana! My leaves were so little, I couldn't even taste anything LOL.. It was such a pain to pick too since I need to alot more to make up the size since they were tiny!
Related Discussions
Thai Basil - Growing indoors, leaves have small black dots on
Q
Comments (8)
The problem in the other post is leafminers. The problem here is different. The whitish areas on the leaf to the left appear to be collapsed tissue. Could have occurred due to a water shortage -- possibly hot weather? very low humidity? If that's true, the small black lesions could be a secondary infection, especially if the plants are now in a more humid environment.
...See More
Black tiny 'dots' on Thai Basil
Q
Comments (7)
Yep, that's most likely caterpillar-shite. I wonder what insect lays the eggs then. Maybe that fly in the picture? I see those often on the basil. That pix is from a tomato though, which are so far totally pest free (makes me wonder if you can plant basil as bait plant with your tomato to attract the bugs. I also use the yellow sticky traps which work well)
...See More
Thai Basil seedlings. When to start pinching?
Q
Comments (4)
I dont know your climate, other than zone 8b. But basil loves warm weather. This means, in most places where you anticipate a frost, some time in November or earlier, and right now it is getting cooler, Then your basils won't have a chance to grow much, and get bushy. So then, it is ok just to leave them where they are and let them grow as clumps. BUT if you are somewhere in Florida or California that there won't be a frost and it wont get much colder, then you can separate and re pot them.
...See More
my thai basil
Q
Comments (4)
My Thai basil is currently grown indoors. The stems are green and they do taste like anise licorice. I visited a nursery today and realized that the basil that I actually want is cinnamon basil. They look and smell like the basil I normally purchase at the Asian store for Pho Noodles. So I purchased some seeds online and plan to flower a few to save the seeds for next year. This is such a fun hobby! Good luck planting your basil plants.
...See More
noinwi
13 years ago
Maybe the one you purchased was mislabled? There are basils(globe or bush)with very small leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: basil varieties
herbalbetty
13 years ago
mimi, you might be interested in Kitazawa Seed Company. In addition to Asian Veggies, they have a couple varieties of basil for Thai cooking. Langkuri is a Thai basil with larger leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitazawa Seed
sashahawaii
13 years ago
I live in Hawaii and even out here, Thai basil has smaller leaves than other varieties, like sweet or genovese. I've read that allowing the plant to dry out inbetween waterings put stress on the plant which makes the leaves more flavorful. I also prune a branch all the way to its base as soon as it starts to flower, about 3 weeks.
mohitreddy
13 years ago
Thai basil leaves are deep green in color. It has a strong flavor and aroma which is sweet and peppery.

The leaves can be bigger, when compared to the other basil varieties.
sunseeker53
13 years ago
The thai basil used to accompany vietnamese "Pho*" (beef noodle soup) is a different kind than Siam Queen. Because I was never able to get the cuttings of the vietnamese basil to root, I had to buy some Siam Queen seeds, and got many plants from the seeds except the leaves are very small in comparison (they are still pretty fragrant, but not the same strong fragrance you get from the vietnamese basil).
Last week I tried to root the vietnamese basil again, this time covering the whole glass of water with clear plastic (to form a mini-greenhouse). And guess what? my cuttings put out roots within a few days!!! I am so delighted that I've found a way to root the vietnamese basil, as I just couldn't find the right seeds to grow them from.
So all of you who love vietnamese Pho*, you know now that you can save the stems after you've finished eating at the restaurant and they will root in water for you!
Here's a picture of my cutting with roots:
{{gwi:877517}}

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
seysonn
13 years ago
As Fatamorgana said TB have smaller leaves, when compared to traditional sweet basils but I would not label them "tiny". Another feature of TB is that the keep flowering and get bery bushy.Try a similar called "Cinnamon" basil.
fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
I hadn't ordered from Kitazawa Seed Company before but gave them a shot after seeing Herbalbetty's suggestion. I admit it was the fastest delivery I ever got of the seeds! The packets have a fair amount of seed in them for the price. I would suggest trying one of their other thai basil varieties if you are unhappy with "Siam Queen."

FataMorgana
sunseeker53
13 years ago
Hello Ana,
I need to do a few more trials. That picture was the only thai basil that I was able to root. In the past I've tried and tried and was NEVER able to get roots on them.
This time I think what made the difference was because I enclosed the cup in plastic (like a greenhouse) and amazingly the roots came out, but only on this one cutting. My other cuttings in other cups have not rooted yet eve though the cups were also wrapped in plastic. so we'll see. If I get them to root as well, I will post an article per pour request.
sunseeker53
13 years ago
I need to make a clarification: I referred above to "vietnamese basil" but what I meant was Thai Basil the kind that is used with vietnamese Pho* soup!