![]() ![]() Use sharp scissors instead of knives or clippers. Pruning doesn’t have to be hard! There are many easy ways to prune herbs that don’t require any equipment whatsoeverģ. This will give your plant the best opportunity to create new leaves and grow back fasterĢ. ![]() It’s best to trim basil in small doses, so only prune a few stems at a time. Don’t prune all of the leaves off at once. ![]() You want to cut the main stem above that split, which will redirect the plant’s energy into growing two new stems instead of that main one.ġ. Then look down and locate the first place the stem splits off into two new branches. Locate the central stem of the plant, and find the highest point. You can continue to make the cut off the new “main stem” to give you big bushy plants. This pruning will cause new growth to come out from the cutting point for a fuller plant and larger leaves. If you let it go without pruning, the basil will get taller, but not wider, and won’t be as bushy. This will redirect the energy of the plant into growing those two stems, instead of just one main one. You want to cut the main stem when it produces two shoots out of the sides. Breaking the stems off with your hands could do more damage than good, as they generally won’t come off with a clean break. When learning how to trim a basil plant, you only really need some garden shears or scissors. Pruning basil when it’s fairly young will give it the most benefits (especially if you prune it properly).Ī good rule of thumb is to first prune the basil when your plant gets about 6 inches tall when your plant has 3-4 branches of leaves coming off of the main stem.Īfter that, you can prune your plant every few weeks to encourage growth. When to Prune Your Basil for the First Time Pruning your basil plant has the added benefit of giving you fresh basil leaves to use in the kitchen. While basil is a great companion plant, most of the time we grow basil seedlings to get leaves we can eat, add to dishes, or even create basil olive oil with. When a basil plant starts to produce flowers, it means that the plant is beginning to die and it will put all its energy into those flowers instead of foliage growth and creating new leaves for you.Īs pruning allows your basil to grow and produce more leaves, pruning prevents flowering from occurring. These basil flower buds can also be pink or lilac if you’re growing other types of basil. When basil flowers, it produces green buds first, and then tiny white flowers begin to appear. Without pruning or harvesting your plant regularly, it will begin to flower. So again, you don’t need to prune it, but it will help you get a more bountiful harvest and increase the life of the plant. A Better Basil HarvestĪ basil plant that is pruned regularly will generally have more vigor than those that aren’t pruned and live longer in general. Here are a few reasons to regularly prune your basil seedlings. You don’t need to prune your basil, but if you want to get bushy basil plants that have good growth and are healthy for a long time, trimming basil is a great way to do that. Reasons to Prune Basil – Is It Necessary? While you’re not purposefully doing this to stimulate growth, you are getting that added benefit as well. If you want to make pesto and need a bunch of basil, you can go harvest that from the plant. Harvesting is when you are cutting off leaves to use at the time. ![]()
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