pruning basil

Pruning back new growth in basil is what creates a full, bushy plant. I'd heard that you could cut basil back very aggressively, and that as long as you left at least one set of true leaves, the plant could recover. My basil plants, grown from seed, are still fairly small, but they are healthy looking. I will be transplanting them outside in about a month, and I want them to be well on their way to leafy, bushy, productive plants by then. So, despite the fact that they are still quite a bit smaller than what many people recommend for their first pruning, with a little trepidation, I cut back one of my pretty little seedlings to its first set of true leaves.

As an experiment, I thought I'd also try to root the cutting I had pruned off in a glass of water. This works fairly reliably for larger cuttings, but I wanted to see if I could get a cutting with only a couple leaves to grow roots. If successful, this technique could be an easy way to multiply my basil plants while making my existing plants as productive as possible. Fantastic, because, although basil germinates easily and grows fairly quickly, it takes basil about six weeks to become a  decent sized seedling on my windowsill. Win-win. (And yes, I knoooow I already have dozens of basil seedlings, but never underestimate my huge freaking love of Italian food, or my ability to eat oddly large quantities of food in one sitting. Worst case scenario, I have some extra to give away!)

basil seedling with all but its first set of true leaves snipped off

the pruned top of my basil seedling

letting the cutting sit in water
(see how the leaves have kept growing!)

A week later, the pruned back plant has, as it should, sent out two branches of new leaves where formerly, there was only one.

At about a week, I also start to see little bumps form along the stem of my cutting.

tiny little diseased-looking bumps along
 the stem are the beginnings of roots

the roots begin to form

Although I haven't transplanted my cutting into soil yet, I think the whole process has (knock on wood!) been a success. The roots seem to be growing almost half an inch a day, despite the fact that the weather has been poop and they haven't gotten much in the way of sunlight. I think it's time to start pruning some of my other basil seedlings...

*to see photos of the results: pruning basil - update!