Why is my basil’s stem not growing again after cutting it off before the other leaf?
by Fartikus
Why is my basil’s stem not growing again after cutting it off before the other leaf?
by Fartikus
10 Comments
I water it once every other day, I used to do it every day; but it wasn’t sucking up all the water and was turning a bit yellow, so I started doing it like this. The soil is damp, and it doesn’t look like it’s overwatered any more?
Just confused why it’s not growing the stem more like people mentioned.
You cut the stem, and it branched out twice. Looks like it’s working. You can cut higher up on the 2 branch outs to create more
Cutting the stem redirects resources to the other branches. It seems to be working as intended here…9”
Did you think the actual cut itself was going to grow two stems out of it? That’s not how it works.
Its like a hydra😈😈
It won’t. The plant has been topped so instead of one main, you get two tops.
Basil won’t grow from the cut. I grows from the point between the vertical stem and the branch next to it. Do you see those little buds starting in the v between the branch and the cut stem? That’s where your new growth will begin. I can see little buds starting there. Just be patient 🙂 You’ll have new leaves coming out in a couple weeks, it just takes time.
At the base of each leaf is a node/bud. That bud is kept dormant by the cascade of auxin hormone flowing from the growth above down to the roots.
When the stem is cut, that flow of hormone stops and the bud is then triggered to begin growth, creating a new branch.
Basil has pretty strong apical dominance and wants to grow mostly straight up without branching, so cutting the stems like this is how you get bushy basil.
The remaining stem above the bud will just die. Next time, try to cut just above a node to prevent that extra dead stem; it can be a place for disease to enter the plant.
Thought I was in a different sub for a second
I have a question. How tall should you let your basil get before doing this?