If your basil plant has flowered , the question of what to do depends on what you are growing the herb for. Basil is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, with over 40 known varieties.
Some have found that If you leave the blooms on a basil plant it will shut down and go from growth mode to reproduction mode — and stop producing yummy basil leaves so the plant can focus its energy on flowering and reproducing. To keep your basil plant in its growth cycle and producing lots of leaves, the flowers and buds will have to be removed from the plant.
What do basil leaves look like?
The leaves of common sweet basil have a glossy green appearance and grow between 2 and 4 inches long. The leaves often have a slight curve downward with a slightly bumpy or grooved appearance along the veins in the leaves. Like the branches, the leaves grow in pairs opposite of one an other .
You may be wondering “Do basil plants have purple leaves?”
The most frequent answer is; Varieties that grow purple leaves are available . Other than the color difference, the leaves grow similar to the sweet basil plant. As the basil plant matures, it begins to flower. The tiny flowers are typically either white or purple and grow up in a spiky structure from the center of a stem.
Is Basil edible?
Basil is an annual edible herb that produces flowers, if it not regularly pruned. If basil is left to grow then it will produce purple or white flowers (depending in the variety) which look beautiful and are a favourite for bees and pollinating insects as well as for ornamental purposes.
Another common question is “Is it safe to eat basil after it blooms?”.
Basil produces flowers if they are not pruned regularly. The flowers and leaves are edible and safe to eat. The flowers heads produce seeds which can be collected and grown next years. Basil leaves often taste mild or bitter after flowering so pruning flower heads is important if you are growing basil leaves for culinary purposes.
How can you tell a basil plant from a leaf?
This continues up the plant so you have stems growing from all sides to fill out the plant. The appearance of the leaves is another way to easily identify the basil plant. Basil leaves are solid and oblong with a point at the end. The leaves of common sweet basil have a glossy green appearance and grow between 2 and 4 inches long.
While it has a bushy growth pattern, the basil plant typically doesn’t become overgrown, especially with regular harvesting of the outer leaves. The basil plant typically grows to a height of 2 to 2 1/2 feet. You can either grow basil from seed or transplant a seedling into the garden.