Do Basil Plants Have Suckers That Need to Be Removed?

Flower Buds

• Prune your basil plants to remove developing flower buds. The production of flower buds uses energy that the plants would otherwise use to produce foliage. Basil plants with flowers create less foliage, and the flavor and texture of the leaves produced is negatively affected, too. The Ohio State University Extension recommends you prune basil every two to three weeks. Monitor your plants for the formation of flower buds starting in late July.

Habit

• Pinch back your plants to encourage them to develop a more dense growth habit. Remove the terminal growth from your plants. This will cause your plants to branch. According to the Colorado State University Extension, pinching away half of each stem of new growth from mature plants will cause the plants to form a greater number of leaves.

Harvest

• Select individual leaves as needed for immediate use. Cut the top 2 to 3 inches from the plant to harvest a larger quantity of basil at each picking. This convenient method of harvest provides you with the greatest number of leaves and the least amount of stem, and the harvested portion of the stem will tend to be more tender. Make your cut slightly above the next leaf pair. If you find you need a greater quantity of basil, you can cut your plants back 1/3 to 1/2 their height without damage, according to the Mississippi State University Extension Service. This leaves the plants with enough foliage to recover and begin to produce new leaves.

Temperatures

• Basil plants are tender, warm-season plants. They produce best during summer weather and with full sun exposure. You may safely transplant basil outdoors when the daytime temperatures remain above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees F. Your plants will continue to provide foliage until frost kill them, but cool weather may slow their rate of growth. Iowa State University's Reiman Gardens warns that, while immature purple basil plants are more intolerant to cold than other basil types, any basil plants exposed to cold temperatures early in the season will not perform well.