Basil Flowering – What happens to Basil after it Flowers?

I once grew a basil plant in my garden, and after a few months, it started to flower. Surprisingly, I didn’t know what to do with the flowers. I’m not lying, I was unaware that basil plants flower, although flowering is a natural part of the plant’s growth cycle. The main question that puzzled me was what should I do with them? Does flowering give benefits? If not how to stop basil plants from flowering?

To find answers to these questions, I delved into research, and fortunately, I found solutions to my queries.

Don’t worry, to help you understand basil flowering better, I’ve shared all my research findings. This will provide you with comprehensive information about basil flowering. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s uncover all the answers.

Quick takeaways:

• Basil Flowering will make the plant dull which is one of the reasons that are not good for Basil Flowering.
• The seeds have the ability to make new plants when sown and come in contact with moist soil.
• The science behind plant flowering is that when plants are under environmental stress and continue to live and exist, they start to flower as a part of reproduction.

Why is the plant basil flowering?

Usually, basil plants start to flower in the summertime when the temperature is too high and they are getting too warm and dry. There are various types of basil plants you can grow in your gardens such as Lemon basil, Purple basil, Holy basil, Greek basil, Cardinal basil, etc.

Basil plants flowers in the condition of stress mentioned just now, which usually happens in the summer season. 

How to know if basil plants will flower?

As we mentioned above the plants show flowers when they are under stress or when they are mature and about to die. Mostly the basil plants will produce purple-white flowers with a decrease in further leaf production and ultimately will die. 

The first thing that you will notice in a basil plant that is about to flower is the leaves’ production or new leaf buds will not be visible. Another one is that the plant will start getting dull. The tiny flower buds will start to appear. You need to keep an eye regularly on the basil plants for these signs and do as we mentioned below. 

How do I stop basil plants from flowering?

Basil can be stopped by pinching off those flowers. Pruning these plants will also hinder the flowering of basil plants. The unwanted flowering is due to high stress as well as too much heat on the plant. Basil plants being annual varieties need to be pruned otherwise naturally they will flower after they get mature or in an early stage due to environmental stress.

It is seen that pruning the basil plant regularly in the summer season on a lighter note will prevent the basil plant from flowering. If not regularly, prune at least half the plant once every two weeks to stop the flowering phase and grow refresh.

What to do with the basil flowers?

Do you know basil flowers are edible? Yes, they are for eating purposes as well just like the basil leaves. The fact is that the leaves might turn bitter with a light flavor after the flowering has occurred. The basil plant contains essential oil. So do the basil flowers though their flavor is lighter than leaves but can be taken in salads, in pesto sauce, used for garnishing, making organic tea, etc.

Even the seeds of basil plants are taken in water in the early morning by many of the Indian people who follow Ayurveda. The flowers have a cool flavor with little sweetness. Eating basil flowers also has many health benefits reducing anxiety, strengthening memory, and healing anxiety. 

Can I eat basil after it has flowers? 

The basil leaves develop when the basil plant starts to flower. The taste of basil leaves also starts to get better as the plant gets into the flowering phase. Though the nutritional value and the properties of basil stay the same.

If you don’t want the bitterness of basil leaves just prune the plant by cutting back the stems once a week or every two weeks by about 7 inches. Pinch off the flower buds as soon as you see them on the plants. 

How to grow basil from flowers?

The seeds of basil plants can be obtained from the head of the flowers which can be stored and used in the next season. Just sow the seeds in the moist sandy soil and sunny area with good drainage. For example, growing Thai Basil.

Does basil die after flowering?

The basil plant when flowers means it has migrated to the reproductive phase and not anymore in the growth phase. The flowers take more energy than plants and the leaves get very little energy to develop due to which the leaves start to form less and the flavor also reduces with bitterness.

The level of essential oil in the basil leaves also starts to decrease. The plant is getting mature and the flowers will take over the new life by forming the seeds. The basil plant star gets dull after flowering. In some cases, the basil plant might die when flowering. 

You should again pinch off the flowers to avoid such conditions. The plant will keep growing and staying bushy which is not the case when it flowers. Though the flowers are safe to eat. 

How long does a basil plant last?

The basil plant is an annual plant that grows for a season and needs to be regrown the next season. With the proper care, the basil plants can live for 6 months even to one year. The basil plants indoors can live more than outdoors.

The cold weather and moist conditions make the survival of the basil plant hard. In dry conditions let them live up to 6 months or even a year. Otherwise, they usually survive for 6- 5 months. Just remove the flower buds, remove aphids and prune the plant well to keep them growing and save the energy of the plant for leaves. 

Wrapping up the context

We hope you like the information in this article and that we helped you understand the various facts related to the flowering of basil plants. It’s simply that the leaves and flowers can be eaten but the leaves might turn bitter with the flowering. Pinch off the flowers and prune well, the basil plants will not get into the reproduction phase. Happy planting! 

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