I have several herbs in a hydrocultural system. I have recently noticed several budding flowers on some of my basil plants. Since my goal is to maximize leaf yield, should I trim them off to conserve energy?
I have learned from some instructions that I should aggressively prune the top to allow side leaves to come out and to curb its height. I wonder if I should trim off most of the upward shoots.
If I get your question right, should you pinch the buds of the basil plant before they flower in order to maximize leaf production?
Answer yes. If you don't trim the buds off, then they will flower, growing up into a tall stalk on your basil plant and producing a tower of seeds. Producing seeds will become Basil plant's "Job 1", and it will neglect leaf production. If you pinch off the tops of the little stems where they are about to flower, the stems will branch into two at that place, and the plant will fill out and you will have lots of leaves.
