[ garden ] :: how to prune herbs

I'm growing quite a few perennial (and annual) herbs in the garden and they are getting a little overzealous in their growth this Spring. It is necessary to trim herbs like basil, oregano, bee balm, and mint every few weeks to keep their growth bushy and compact. There is a method for trimming herbs that works quite well!

Here is my oregano from this morning. I purchased it a few weeks ago and placed it in poor-quality clay soil. I was a little worried about it until it almost quadrupled in size over the past two weeks. That means for this plant, it's time for a haircut!

See those cute little leaves at the top of the stem?

Pluck them off!

 

I usually take off the top 2-4 leaves by gently pinching them off. This will cause that particular stem to branch into two new stems. This will prevent the plant from getting "leggy" looking and will encourage bushy growth.

You can see here how the stem has branched after about two weeks of new growth. In a few more weeks, these stems will continue to grow independently of one another. (I apologize for the fuzzy picture - it was windy!)

If one stem becomes much too long, like the one shown in the picture below, or if you would like to harvest a sprig or two, snip the stem just above a leaf node. Like before, this will cause the new stem to split its growth into two new stems.

I try to give my herbs a "haircut" every few weeks, making sure never to harvest or cut off more than one third of the plant at a time. If more than a third of the leaves are removed it can shock, or even kill, the plant. Herbs like mint and lemon balm, however, are a bit more resilient and benefit from a weekly cutting to train them into a nice shape. I find that they tend to quickly get very leggy and "stemmy" if left on their own.

- Maggie White