Cutting a Basil

Question

I have successfully grown basil from cuttings immersed in water. What I am unsuccessful with is this — the part of the stem (of the original plant) from which I got the cutting turns brown and doesn’t grow anymore. Is that how it really goes?

Answer 1

Basil should grow quickly from nodes. Make sure you leave 2-4 nodes along the stem before you cut. This encourages branching. If you don’t leave a node the plant can’t branch. Have you tried rooting basil in potting soil?

Answer 2

i think i phrased the question wrong.. i usually cut from the upper branch/stem. the problem is, that part where i cut off turns brown and doesn’t grow, meaning the basil doesn’t grow taller anymore. branching, however, occurs successfully in the lower stem/branches.

Answer 3

Yes, this is how it’s supposed to work. Once you cut the growing tip out of a plant, that particular stem or branch cannot grow anymore. But the plant wants to grow, so it pushes out new growth from nodes below the cut.
Personally, I wouldn’t worry too much about basil getting tall. I’ve found the plant to be somewhat brittle, and will split if too much heigth or weight is on a particular stem. I try to keep basil “short and fat”, that way there is always an abundance of tender new growth to use.
Hope this is the information you need, if not, we’ll keep on trying.

Answer 4

ahh yes! that answered my question, thanks. i was a bit worried because i was planning to propagate more out of cuttings, and so where would i get my cuttings if the plant would not grow taller anymore? i want my basil in a small pot – compact enough but not too crowded, that is why i asked this question. yes, short and fat indeed.

another question. someone gave me basil plants, and when i transplanted to a pot (carefully, i might add), after a few days, the stem (from the roots up) have slowly been turning brown. now THIS has me worried. i was wondering whether i should cut the upper stems before everything turns brown!!!

my thai basil is sturdier, thankfully. and to think they have thinner stems and smaller leaves than sweet basil. but they just use the same soil,so what gives?

Answer 5

good! About the main stem turning brown…this is normal if the plant is older. But if it is a new plant, there might be some problems. My first question is always about the soil, but if another basil is groing successfully in it, that shouldn’t be the problem. Then, how long has it been transplanted?

Check out this article about basil: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/how-to-grow-basil-plants.htm
At the end of the article, there are links to others…also a search window.