The best way to harvest basil without damaging the plant itself
Basil is one of the most popular aromatic plants used in the kitchen - especially in the summer. Many also grow basil on their balconies or in their gardens. When picking basil, however, it's important to do it correctly. Ideally, you should pick basil in such a way that it stimulates growth and you end up with a bushy, healthy plant.
How to prepare to pick basil
There are certain "rules" that should be observed every time you harvest basil (and which can also be considered as a form of pruning):
- Use sharp blades: whether you use shears, a special knife or scissors, these tools must be sharp enough to ensure a precise, clean cut and without "hacking" at the stems. The goal is to limit, as far as possible, the extent of the "wounds" inflicted on the plant;
- Sterilize the blades: sterilize the blades that will come into contact with the basil to avoid transfer of any bacteria, fungi or diseases that may have remained on the metal from another plant. To do this, clean the blades with alcohol, or heat them up over a flame briefly.
Check the height of your basil plant - especially if you bought it recently: it is advisable to wait to harvest the plant's leaves until it has reached at least 20 cm (or more) in height. Cutting the plant back to less than 20 cm high, will cause it to struggle to recover. As a general rule then, no more than one third of the length of a branch/stem should be removed.
How to pick basil correctly
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Many gardeners use their hands to pick basil leaves, basically tearing them from the plant. But no matter how gently you do this, it is not the recommended method.
You must first understand which portion of the plant you can pick/cut off: go to the tip of the stems and move down to the first node (where there are usually two small leaves visible on the sides of the stem) - this is the spot you want to find. A cut must be made here, just above these two leaves (ie. immediately above the node).
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Make a clean cut, perpendicular to the stem, and you're done. If you harvest more leaves from your plant, it is always best to do so proportionally from around the entire plant (to preserve overall consistency in height). With each cut, you must always use the next node as a reference/cutting point. Remember, it is best to stop harvesting from your basil plant once you have removed one third from the length of its stems/branches.
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Cutting your basil plant as described above, will divert its resources to the pairs of young leaves that you left just above the nodes. In turn, this will ensure your basil recovers quickly and remains healthy and lush.
This technique is valid for harvesting from all species of basil (including the Artic species, shown in the above photos). And it can also be used to harvest from similar-looking aromatic plants, like mint, for example!
