Whats the best strategy for pinching a basil plant to produce the most leaves?
Proper pruning of your basil will determine how much of the herb you will harvest in the season. Whether basil is planted to provide for the kitchen or enhance the landscape, it benefits from regular pinching of its branching stems. Pinching off branch tips stimulates the plant to grow more bushy and compact and yield more foliage for cooking. The more you prune early on, in the first few months, the bigger and bushier each basil plant becomes. Start pinching off growing tips with your thumb and forefinger or clipping them with pruners when each plant is about 6 inches tall. Always pinch off blossoms as they appear, as they will affect leaf growth and the oil content of the leaves. Best to prune before it flowers by cutting the main stem from the top, leaving at least one node with two young shoots. Thereafter, cut back subsidiary branches every two or three weeks. If you want to follow the advice of an expert, follow the pruning technique of Susan Belsinger, co-author of Basil: An Her
