2007-02-06 10:56:39 · 5 answers · asked by nannylaura 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
The way we prune our basil plants at the nursery I grow for is, wrap your hand around the top of the plant, cut the stems from the bottom side of your hand, we call this the four finger cut. If your basil is long and leggy do it two or three time till you reach your desired height. If it is pot bound, [to many roots for the pot] then you may want to bump up the plant to the next size pot, look at the bottom of your container to see what size it's in now, if it's a 6" pot, go up to an 8", do'nt forget the fertilizer.
2007-02-06 23:14:18 · answer #1 · answered by watergoddess53 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Immediately after planting, I prune my basils by cutting them back to just above the bottom two sets of leaves. This early pruning may seem drastic, but it actually stimulates growth. Depending on the weather and how quickly the plants are growing, I prune the plants back again to just above the bottom two sets of leaves about every four weeks, or sooner if they show any sign of flowering.
2007-02-06 19:08:03 · answer #2 · answered by Albertan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's an already-established plant (as I suspect), then weekly or bi-weekly pruning should suffice. I'm not aware that which leaf you take actually matters, but you can just pinch off leaves near the main stalk (the one that grows up). Be careful not to take too much or it won't have enough leaves to photosynthesize. Basil plants are pretty hardy, so you don't need to worry about surgery-precision in your pruning.
2007-02-06 21:04:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know what you're talking about as my Basil goes "nuts" and there's just so much of it!
After about 6 weeks of growth, I pinch off the center shoot to force side growth and prevent early flowering. If flower stalks do start, cut them off.
You also can cut the entire plant about 6 to 8 inches above the soil, leaving at least one node with a couple of young shoots intact. The next harvest won't be as big as the first...but will still be good!
You could also make a "pesto sauce" everyday and that would be called "natural pruning" ha!
Good Luck
2007-02-06 20:25:16 · answer #4 · answered by Kathleen G 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why would you need to prune basil? It's an herb used for cooking. Just normal usage will prune it.
2007-02-06 20:16:21 · answer #5 · answered by saaanen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋