How to Prune Basil Like a Pro
Basil is one of my favorite herbs to grow because it’s super flavorful, it’s versatile, and when it’s pruned properly, basil will continue to produce for you all year long. So today I’m going to show you how to prune basil so you can keep enjoying healthy, flavorful harvests.
Watch our Basil Pruning Tutorial on YouTube!
Understanding How Basil Grows
In order to properly prune your basil, it’s important to understand how basil grows. Basil leaves grow out from a center stem in sets. Depending on the height of the plant, there may be as many as 5 or 6 sets of true leaves on a single plant.
It’s important to take note of the bottom leaves in the picture below though. These are the first leaves that appear after germination and are NOT considered the first set of leaves.
How to Prune Your Basil
Once you’ve identified all of your sets of true leaves on your basil plant, the actual pruning is easy.
You simply take your pruning shears and make an angled cut about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above your first set of true leaves.
It’s important to leave one set of leaves intact so your basil plant can continue to perform photosynthesis and grow.
How Often to Prune Basil
The main thing you want to avoid when growing basil is letting your plants bud and flower. Once your basil flowers, the leaves become tougher and the flavor changes. This is where pruning comes in.
Basil grows fairly quickly so you should be able to prune and harvest your basil minimally every 2 weeks. As long as there are multiple sets of leaves, even if it’s just 2 sets, you can prune your basil.
And you don’t have to prune it all at once either. Depending on what you’re using your basil for, you can prune a few plants at a time as needed. It’s completely your choice.
What If Your Basil Has Flowered?
If you’ve been a little neglectful and your basil has already flowered, don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world.
You can see these basil plants in my tomato garden have gone too long without being pruned and now they are tall and leggy, and have buds..
To fix this, simply prune off all of the buds and flowers, as well as the top 6 inches or so of the upper stems. This will allow the basil plant to refocus its attention on leaf growth instead of stem and bud growth.
The new leaf growth should be healthier and more flavorful than the older growth that was pruned off.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember is to prune and harvest your basil regularly so it keeps reproducing for you. If you have any questions or comments about pruning your basil, you can reach out below or email us!
Happy Gardening!
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm