Overgrown Basil...

[hqueen13]

So I planted a basil plant a while back. It did super well (regretfully I never used near what the plant gave me!) and grew all kinds of big. However, somehow, it started to grow almost horizontally.... :-/ I have no idea what happened, or when, but it now leans at a very precarious angle. Can I hack it back and see if it will regrow? It is now in the house for the winter, anyway, and I will be putting it in front of some windows that get nice sun.
Hopefully I can have a more upright basil plant in the near future...
(I only have half of a green thumb...)

 

[mrscoyote]

I would think it would be ok to cut back. I haven't had any luck with basil. When it was in the house the cats started eating it, so I moved it outside then the turkeys finished it.
The rosemary is the only thing that gets left alone around here.

Nancy

 

[Mickey328]

The more you prune, the bushier it'll get. Nip stems off just above a leave node, and it'll send out two new shoots from them. A hard prune will likely do it good. You can dehydrate the clippings. You can also rotate the pot as it sits in front of the window...it'll grow toward the light. Mine ends up plastered up against the window, so I just turn it and it keeps going

 

[the funny farm6]

several years ago i planted some around our light post and that stuff went crazy! we wacked it off and it came back. so i would think you can prune it back pretty well before you kill it.

 

[Dawn419]

Seconding what Michey says about basil.

Cutting will easily root in water, too, and give you and endless supply of basil plants...ask me how I know!

We love using the leaves fresh on sandwhiches (in place of/or with lettuce) and chopped up in salads.

 

[hqueen13]

Wahoo! Something that I shouldn't be able to kill! I am thinking I'll hack it off almost to the base and see if it regrows proper. It shouldn't be out of space in the pot yet, and its losing leaves and being messy all over the place right now.
I'll hack it off and see what happens. Maybe I should put one of the cuttings into water just in case I do kill it.......