Do you pick basil from the top or bottom?

Harvesting Larger Amounts: Harvest the leaves from the top down, cutting back up to a third of the total plant height. Be sure to cut or pinch right above a leaf pair rather than leaving a stub. In a few weeks, your basil plants will be ready to harvest again.

When should basil be harvested?

How to Harvest Basil

  1. Start picking the leaves of basil as soon as the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall.
  2. Once temperatures hit 80°F (27°C), basil will really start leafing out.
  3. Harvest in the early morning, when leaves are at their juiciest.
  4. Make sure to pick the leaves regularly to encourage growth throughout the summer.

Where do you cut basil leaves?

Basil grows quickly, so even if you don’t want to use the leaves right away (gasp!), keep trimming back the plant when it gets large and bushy. To harvest basil, cut the herb back about ¼ inch (6 mm.) above a node, 3 inches (8 cm.) from the base of the plant.

Where should you pick basil leaves from?

Remove a few leaves from each section of the plant without cutting off any stems. Even this very light harvesting will encourage your basil plant to grow fuller. It’s best to harvest leaves from the top of the plant, which will lead to bushier, fuller growth.

Will basil grow back after cutting?

When you clip basil stems back to a fresh set of leaves, you force those leaves to grow, doubling the basil produced on that stem. And as those stems grow, you can pinch them back and double their production – it’s exponential!

Will basil regrow after cutting?

How do you pluck basil leaves?

Pinch off basil leaves at the stem. When picking basil leaves, be gentle to avoid tearing them or damaging the stems they are attached to. Pinch basil leaves at their base, where they meet the stem. Gently pull away the entire leaf from the stem. You can also cut leaves with a small pair of scissors.

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