Whether you are an avid gardener or just starting to grow plants, it’s essential to know what you are doing when it comes to growing herbs. If you want them to grow correctly, you need to know how to care for them to ensure they grow back after harvesting.
Do herbs grow back after cutting? Yes, herbs can grow back after cutting. It is imperative to make sure you are pruning your herbs correctly to promote new and continuous growth.
In this article, you will learn if herbs will grow back after cutting them, what pruning is and why it is essential for continued herb growth, details about different kinds of herbs, and what tools you should use when pruning your herbs.
Do Herbs Grow Back After Cutting?
Herbs are a great addition to your garden, whether you use a greenhouse, care for an outdoor garden, or have a window inside of your home to place small plants. When it comes to most plants, it’s safe to say that a mature plant will grow continuously if it is correctly trimmed or pruned.
The same goes for your herbs. Some herbs will continue to grow until they are practically taking over the area that you have them planted in. If you want your herbs to grow more evenly and fuller, you are going to want to prune them often (or as recommended by the type of herb).
Some herbs will grow back more quickly after pruning than others. The three fastest-growing herbs are mint, basil, and dill. They tend to grow faster, resulting in more harvesting of the herbs. Keep this in mind if you are looking for a slower-growing herb or an herb that you can harvest more often.
What is Pruning?
If you aren’t sure what pruning is, it’s the removal of leaves, stems, or other parts of a plant to ensure new growth. The type of plant determines what exactly you want to remove and how. The safest bet is to do a little research on the specific type of herb you are growing to know precisely what is recommended for that type of plant.
Pruning is crucial for a plant’s overall health. It allows the plant to keep producing quality herbs and enables you to have the freshest possible herbs. If you don’t prune your plant, it could overgrow, and it won’t thrive as much as it can.
Why Should You Prune Your Herbs?
Aside from wanting your herbs to thrive, what other reasons are there for pruning your herbs? According to Urban Cultivator, pruning your herbs allows you to spend more time with your plants. This extra time helps you notice any changes that happen with your plants.
One advantage of spending more time with your plants is that you can notice if you have a bug problem or any other diseases that are affecting your plants and their growth. Finding these issues early can help you identify the problem and fix it before it gets out of hand, and you must dispose of the whole plant.
Different Types of Herbs
If you are curious about the correct way to prune your herbs, you must first know the difference between the two major types of herbs. Herbs are classified as either herbaceous or evergreen. “Why & How to Prune Herbs: Everything About Pruning Herbs” discusses each type to make sure you understand the difference and the correct way to care for your herbs.
Herbaceous
Herbaceous herbs are green and soft. They don’t have much wood as far as the structure of the plant goes. They tend to grow fast and produce flowers as they grow. Depending on the climate where you live, these herbs can be considered annuals. You will have to plant them each spring since they won’t survive during the winter.
The best way to prune these herbs is with a light hand. You don’t want to prune them too much. You want to snip away any dead parts as you go. They will grow more after each harvest or pruning, resulting in more herbs that you can harvest in the future. You will also want to snip off any new blooms as they grow to allow the plant to focus its energy on growing the herb versus producing flowers.
Examples of herbaceous herbs are:
Evergreen
The best part about evergreen herbs is they can grow all year round! However, one disadvantage is they require more attention during pruning than herbaceous herbs. The best time to prune an evergreen herb is at the start of the growing season. You should only have to prune them once a year unless you are trying to keep them in a specific shape.
The growth of your herb during the year will determine how much pruning it requires.
- If you have a healthy plant, you will only need to cut all the dead and decaying stems.
- If your plant is overgrown, you will need to cut back about one-third of the plant to allow new, healthy growth to occur.
One tip for evergreen plants is: do not cut or prune them when they are about to go dormant for the year. This will cause the plant to have new growth when it shouldn’t be having new growth.
Examples of evergreen herbs are:
- Thyme
- Lavender
- Sage
- Bay Leaf
Knowing what kind of herbs you are growing, and the correct way to prune them will help your herbs to develop and produce the best quality results. If you over cut an herb, you could kill the plant or cause it to not grow to its full potential.
What Tools to Use When Pruning Your Herbs
You can prune your herbs one of two ways. The first way is to use your hands to remove any dead or unwanted parts of your plant. If your herb is delicate enough, your hands might be all you need to get the job done without needing any additional support or tools.
Make sure you never rip or tear the stems off your plants. Use your fingers to pinch the stems or dead leaves away, or you could introduce your herb to disease that could kill it.
If you don’t want to use your hands to prune your herbs and wish to use a tool designed for pruning, try the Fiskars 91095935J Steel Bypass Pruning Shears.
These shears have a full lifetime warranty. Anyone that uses tools regularly will be happy knowing that, regardless of what happens while using these shears, the company will replace them. They are perfect for pruning your herbs since they can cut stems up to 5/8 inches thick.
The shears have a non-stick coating that helps glide the blade through the wood for the perfect cut each time. It will also help keep sap and other unwanted debris from sticking to the blade. This helps to extend the life of the blade and prevent the blade from rusting.
In Conclusion
If you were worried that your herbs wouldn’t grow back after you cut them, fear not. If you follow the guidelines for the herbs you are growing, they will grow back better and stronger, allowing for more harvests. Remember that correct pruning is vital for your herbs to grow again, so always be careful when snipping your herbs.
Herbs are a great addition to any garden. Not only is gardening a thoroughly enjoyable hobby, but the herbs that you produce can be used to add fantastic flavor to your cooking!