Sat, 2010/09/25 - 2:13pm
I kept reading to be "courages" when pruning Basil and that its never too early. Even a customer service rep recommend a prune my 3 inch tall red basil plant. I received some other advise to prune them at the bottom.
So here it is, I'm an idiot. I cut all the leaves off. I have a spare pod, should I just replace it now or is there a change it will come back? I now understand the science behind it and I know not to cut below the bottom leaves :)
I'd toss it. Yes, unless it's a perennial, you don't cut off all the leaves.
It's actually conceivable that a basil could come back. But it takes about 2.5 weeks to grow back from seed, and the plant will be healthier.
Next time, what you want to do is pinch the top of a basil when it has about 6 leaves. That means you pinch off only the center of the topmost growtip. And take no more than 1/3 of the leaves, unless you want a smaller plant.