BASIL is a great little plant for people who like cooking with fresh herbs.
Keeping a basil plant alive may seem simple but there is a trick to helping it grow forever.
When should basil be pruned?
Wait until your basil has grown to at least six inches before trimming it back.
There is no particular time to prune basil as it is just when your plant has grown enough to handle being pruned.
How do you trim basil so it keeps on growing?
Basil is a delicate plant that's why it is so aromatic and good for flavour.
Knocking leaves will release the scent easily so you must be careful when trimming.
The best way to make sure your basil grows well is to cut the top three quarter inch off an immature plant once it has reached six inches tall.
This encourages the plant to grow outwards and bushy rather than gaining height.
By doing this your plant is less vulnerable to knocks and damage but yields lots of leaves for your cooking.
If you see any flowers pinch them off so your basil does not waste energy.
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When should you trim a basil plant?
This is the best part of growing fresh basil, you can trim whenever it suits you.
Cutting one or two leaves for garnish on your dinner will not be detrimental to your basil if it is a healthy plant.
You can dry out the leaves if you wish to use them at a later date, basil grows quickly so you may find you do this often.
Fresh basil is nicer for flavour but dried basil is still useful for seasoning at a later date.
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