Do I need to pinch Thai basil?
Pinching or cutting Basil regularly promotes full, bushy plants. Pinch from above to allow parallel development. Basil leaves are quite fragile, so don’t prune the Thai Basil when it is still young.
How do you maintain Thai basil?
Caring for Thai basil
Harvest regularly and remove flower spikes to delay your basil running to seed. Thai basil prefers a moist soil, so enrich with compost and manure, water regularly, and mulch to reduce water loss through evaporation. Always water the soil and not the foliage, especially in hot weather.
How do you pinch Thai basil?
One of the secrets to growing big flavorful basil plants is learning to pinch, When seedlings are 6 inches tall, pinch the central stem back by half, about 1/4 inch above a leaf axil, to force the plant to branch and make more leaves.
Do you cut back Thai basil?
Thai Basil likes to be cut! You can start trimming your plants in about one month after planting. You may remove single leaves occasionally, however for more thriving growth pinching off the whole tip is recommended – it will grow two new shoots in a week. Cutting and pruning your plant will also delay its flowering.
Does Thai basil grow back?
Also known as common or sweet basil, basil (U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 11 for outdoor gardens) is a true annual, which means it needs to be replanted each season. In most circumstances, it does not grow back after a year. … Basil plants are sensitive to cold weather and frost.
Do you need to cut basil flowers off?
Check your basil plants frequently for flowers, and if you see any, pinch them off right away. If the flower stems are too woody to pinch (often the case with Thai basil), cut them off with shears. A plant allowed to flower will soon go to seed, stop growing, and die, so be vigilant about removing flowers.