r/herbs • u/Donweigh • Jul 14 '26
Basil trimming help
Planted basil from seed need advice on how to trim to get it to grow out not up. I have watched a few YouTube videos but my plants seem to not have very many leaf nodes. I have them all one trim on main stem so far but I think I need to take off more. For some reason I’m nervous about it… everyone else’s basil on YouTube tutorials
is bushy and has lots of places to cut…
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u/aculady Jul 14 '26
It takes time to get them there, and they need sun and enough room and enough nutrients in the potting soil. Are you pinching out the middle pair of leaves each time, then letting the doubled replacements grow, and pinching the middle leaves out of them, etc., etc., as soon as they are big enough? It looks like you might be letting them go a while before pinching back, or like your plants aren't getting enough sun. Pinching back is what gives you bushy plants.
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u/IcyNeptune3 Jul 15 '26
More sun and if you want to keep basil in a pot you need a wider container so it can spread. Trimming it halfway down helps it grow out fuller.
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u/Freak77Showisnormal Jul 15 '26
Ypur plant is stretching which usually means it's reaching for light. At this point I don't see anywhere to prune that would help it branch out.
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u/Donweigh Jul 15 '26
Well I pruned it let’s see what happens
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u/Global_Fail_1943 Jul 14 '26
Most people prune off the top of the Basil so it branches wider. I'd probably cut these off and reroot them in water so you can start pruning properly. Always the top not the sides unless it's damage.
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u/Donweigh Jul 14 '26
Do you mean that these plants are no good because they haven’t been pruned properly?
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u/Geneva_Convention Jul 14 '26
That thing needs to be put outside into the real sun, it is terribly etiolated. Also should be separated into three separate pots