Tuesday, June 23, 2009

making Bushy Basil and Full Fuchsias!

A basil plant on it's way to tall and leggy

Basil is wonderful to grow and great to eat but if you don't learn how to pinch it all you will have is a big tall leggy plant. Fuchsias will be full and lovely if pinched as will many plants you love.

Here is how to do it.

Of course it's best when done with a young plant or starting in early spring for Fuchsias.

Find the center two leaves. Pinch them out.

Yes, good-bye, gone!

Do this all over the plant.

The plant will grow two little branch offs in that spot now.

Leave it be to just grow for a while.

But when those new two branches form their inter double leave, PINCH IT TOO.

Here is a test run, where would you pinch in this photo?

If you keep this practice up every few weeks you will have nice bushy plants with lots of nice Basil to eat!

YUMMY

This is one of my pinched fuchsia. See the two red stems at both east and west. Inside these stems I pinched out the two leaves as in the Basil. Now two week later you see two new stems starting. Two new stems. The branch now has four instead of two. That makes a fuller bushier plant.

2 comments:

Isabella said...

Great article! I've been reading in various places about basil pruning but your pictures and instructions have been the most helpful. My basil seeds have just germinated!! :) Thanks again!

Fonnell/Grammie/mom said...

Isabella,
we are putting our plants in the barns for the winter....lucky you.
enjoy some pesto for me!
Don't over water your Basil.