How long can a basil plant live for?

The basil plant’s lifespan differs depending on how you take care of it. If it is grown inside where there is less threat from cold winters, it may survive for six months. However, if grown in the ground, basil lives for about four to five months in warm, sunny conditions.

Does basil die after bolting?

Once a plant has fully bolted, the plant is normally inedible. The plant’s entire energy reserve is focused on producing the seeds, so the rest of the plant tends to become tough and woody as well as tasteless or even bitter. In some plants, like basil, the plant will resume producing leaves and will stop bolting.

Can you keep a basil plant alive year round?

As previously mentioned, basil is an annual in most cases. You can try to keep basil through the winter. However, sweet basil is meant to live its life cycle within one year and thereafter go to seed. At the end of the season, though, you can try to keep it alive by moving potted basil indoors.

How do you keep basil from bolting?

For plants like parsley, you can cut the flower stalk off and pinch back the plant to encourage foliage growth. The same goes for basil. Snipping off flowers encourages the basil plant to resume producing leaves, halting further bolting.

Will basil reseed itself?

A vigourous basil plant can certainly reseed itself if left to flower. It’s natural annual lifecycle is to germinate, sprout, flower, and produce seeds. Basil seeds that fall into garden soil sometimes germinate without any help from a gardener.

How do you keep basil from flowering?

Just pinch the flowers off! Pinching off these flowers helps keep the plant growing. I pinch them off at their base and put them in tiny bud vases in the kitchen, where they both look and smell beautiful. While pinching off the flower buds will help, it’s even better to harvest half the plant and make pesto.

Can basil be a perennial?

Annual herbs like basil and dill must be planted anew each year, but most other commonly used herbs qualify as perennials. Early spring is the best time to plant outdoors, but you can put the herbs in the ground any time of year that it’s not frozen.

Why does my basil keep flowering?

Basil produces flowers if they are not pruned regularly. The flowers and leaves are edible and safe to eat. The flowers heads produce seeds which can be collected and grown next years.