I have had no problem seeding basil indoors. They come up easily. My plants grow fine. But after I pinch of all the god leaves, it produces a little more then stoppes producing altgether. What did I do wrong? Everone says to just keep pinching to help encourage new growth. That doesn't work for me. The plant just dies before producing god regrwth.
The only reason you should pinch basil is if it starts to get leggy. Let it grow and take the top leaves for your recipes. I plant lots of it and let it go to seed. The seeds restart themselves in the same pot.
Don't pinch or cut the leaves off. Instead use scissors to cut the *stem* just below the pair of leaves you intend to harvest. Then, in the kitchen, pick the leaves off the stem while washing them.
I had the same problem at first. Most instructions aren't very clear on the details. The trick is to wait until there are 3-5 sets of true leaves on the seedling. Then, only cut off the top pair of leaves. Also don't pinch or trim until it is transplanted or in its final pot for growing. For the second "pinch," wait until the suckers (like on tomatoes) have 2-3 new sets of leaves, at least. Always use scissors or shears, btw. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than 1/3 of a plant's leaves at a time, if you want it to keep growing. Once I figured out how to trim my basil plants, they went nuts within a couple of months. Now I have more basil than I can handle!
This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department.
The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.