How can I trim a basil plant without killing it?

Question

It is a small house plant. I want it to grow bigger however the stem always turn black and dies after I trim it. I have been cutting about 2 or 3 inches from the top of the stem leaving many leaves below it. I have tried varying how close I come to the offshoots of leaves below my cutting line. However, the stem always turns black and dies after about a week. I am only cutting one stem every once in a while so the rest of the plant is flourishing, but that one stem, with all its fresh leaves, just begin to wither and die. Any advice would be of great assistance. Thanks.

Answer 1

Basil you do not cut but you Pinch the leaves off..as every stem comes up and produces leaves then you see a new set of leaves start under the top leaves..pinch the top leaves off right above the new set of leaves coming out(should be two sets of two under it...You keep doing this as it grows..every where you pinch one set off..two more grow back..Your black stem problem has nothing to do with the trimming..basil like "dry feet'..either improper drainage in the pot it is in  or overwtaering is causing the stem rot..they like water but not every day...water only as the soil goes dry..they literally smother or rot if the soil stays wet..

Answer 2

Strip it of its leaves, leave the stem. You severing the main growth. Strip the leaves only....

Answer 3

You could just pinch a bit to use for cooking. Pinch the stem just above two new leaves and that helps it grow thicker. Plants that don't get some pinching tend to get leggier. Basil likes sun and regular watering. Sometimes the black stems have something to do with fungus, but most likely it is a watering issue.When you water it, after about twenty minutes make sure it is not sitting in  any water, pour off any extra.

Answer 4

What I started doing is just pinch off the bigger leaves only leaving the stems intact. The stems are somewhat hollow and when cut and exposed will die away.

Try pinching the leaves and allow a day in the sun to simi-dry on a wire cookie cooling frame so air can circulate entirely around the leaves.

Happy cooking & harvesting.