Tall Basil

[theduck7]

Oh no. I think I did a bad thing. We bought a basil plant quit a while ago and it's always seemed kind of spindly to me. I'm not a very knowledgable gardener so I never thought of pruning it. I think that the plant is about a foot and a half tall. Just three skinny stalks with leaves here and there.
Now have I gone beyond redemption??? Or can I still prune it back and have an nice little bushy basil plant?

 

[Beth_B]

First off, where do you live/USDA growing zone? And is this in the ground or a container?
Photos really help.

Basil loves being pruned. I pinch off the top leaves and deter it from going to flower by pinching off the buds as they happen too. You can prune yours back, it surely will not hurt. Your soil may not be very good, or the plant might get insufficient light. That would make it get spindly. I plant basil every year in containers and it's pretty much bomb proof here, gets big and bushy.

 

[marlingardener]

Basil is an herb, which means it is to be used. Spindly basil happens when it is not harvested. Cut your basil back by about 1/2, making sure the cut is just above a set of leaves. It will grow new stems with leaves.

Most herbs don't appreciate rich, fertilized soil--lots of growth, very little flavor. If the basil looks wilted, water it.
The type/variety of basil you have be part of the problem. We grow the Genovese large-leafed basil, and from three or four plants have more basil than we can handle!