can I still use sweet basil if gone to flower?

This is my first time growing. I notice some wispy white flowers so I'm wondering if it is still usable or will be bitter. I was stunned this summer when grocery shopping and seeing that a few basil leaves cost a king's ransom. Immediately made a nursery run and got a plant (not that it was cheap but at least more cost effective). Is this a perennial? Has been an easy plant to grow in pot. not too thirsty in my area.

thanks for your help.

Pinch the flower off.

Remove the flowers and the plant will branch and produce more leaves. You can use the leaves after the plant has started to flower, some people say the taste changes when basil flowers but my taste buds aren't sensitive enough to tell. Basil is a frost-sensitive annual up here, not sure how perennial it is in frost-free areas.

thanks both. will do as you recommend.

I also heard the same thing and diligently snip off those flowers when I can! I've had basil last through the winter if it's very mild but usually they die. I live near Katy. And if you want free basil forever, just let them go to flower before frost, wait until they brown and dry out and gather the seeds each year. I had a lemon basil once that was practically invasive! It came up in cracks, on my pebble walking path, everywhere. I currently have "regular" basil and Thai. I don't use them much but love having them and other herbs available when I want them. It's so much fun to go "shopping" in the backyard!
Good luck! Janet

Vossner, it is so easy to root in water in a window that you can multiply your plants that way and also save it over the winter if it gets cold. Roots in about 3-4 days.

Hiya M!! So it would die in winter. So once rooted do u think I can overwinter in garage I
Or does it need to stay subside

I have clumsily stumbled into Thai cooking and basil is essential. Don't wanna pay $4 for those stupid clams with 5-6 leaves

You're welcome to come on over and dig up several Thai basils I have growing! They are just getting well established. I don't need them all. D-mail if interested. Janet

You just keep pinching off and rooting if it gets too big. I always have something rooting under the flourescent over my sink in the kitchen. Do it like coleus. Just keep some vases of it on a window sill until spring.

Hey I have oodles Thai basil seed from this year. I let it go to seed because I just love the flowers and the bees it attracts! Clipped off all the seed heads and it's already bushing out again. I know the seed is viable since I already have hundreds of baby Thai basils sprouting all through my herb bed (guess I let it dry a bit too long and they started dropping!) I'd gladly send a packet of seed to anyone who wants it. Just shoot me a Dmail. :)

Thank you ladies. I think I will go w/ Marty's advise and root by water. Growing 1-2 plants should be enough for me.

V, how about a pot of Thai ginger? I got a huge pot from bariolio in one of our RU's. Ive divided and shared it with several people. I have an extra pot if you are interested.

M, just dmailed you

Why would you want to mess around rooting cuttings when seed sprouts in only a couple days.
If you cut the plants back you have new growth shortly.
We have a row of basil we have been cutting all summer to sell. It always has more than we need.
We sell 30 or more bunches at every market. $1 a bunch, which is about 7 to 10 stems.

I have two beautiful rooting vases so It'd b pleasant to see cuttings by kitchen window. I do have a ?, would basil be rampant like mint? I would not want to do battle w/ another thug. I think my sweet basil is a pretty plant so that'd be an argument for growing more than a couple of plants

We root the basils that DONT reseed for next springs' plants, allow to flower for the bees, and the kitchen window is where they grow all winter, They help the window a lot and smell great. My daughter and I have several varieties- cinnamon, blue, lime, and red leaf(which stinks to me, but is a diff color) have tried a couple others(smells like bubblegum, but name escapes me at the moment) We do grow them seperately since they crossbreed so happily.

In my experience, basil doesn't send root shoots out like mint. Mostly it'll spread by letting the seed pods dry and seeds drop. It's easily pulled out so I wouldn't worry about planting it straight into the herb garden. As for my mints, I've sunk a couple of clay pots into the ground to grow the mint. But ya have to watch those sneaky guys. If the stems land on the ground, they root and take off! It's a good thing they smell so good :) If you have time to tend your garden weekly, you can catch any unwanted spreading. Janet

Basil and mint are not in the same league when it comes to spreading. Ive never had basil even re-seed. Might be too hot here to get volunteers. Ive experienced that with Cowpen Daisy.

I grow Greek Columnar Basil because it doesn't go to seed- I have never had it flower at all. It makes a tall 2-3 foot strong plant and is intensely flavored. I plan to keep several cuttings in water this winter along with some small rooted pots in my tiny 4x6' greenhouse. I found plants the last 2 years at Fred Meyers garden shop.

It can be used while flowering, wont seem to hurt it, our basils root as fast as mint, thyme and oregano does. mints do spread runners out as well as seed- like the oregano and thyme we have, the oregano n thyme looks like its dying right abt now, but i throw a pot of dirt on it and ignore and it goes to growing come spring from the roots. Basils mostly if left out will die to the roots in freezes, but never had it send runners out and we had an extremely dry summer here while neighbors were getting flooded, chuckl.

Basil kept in water will have a weaker flavor won't it?

podster, I find it is just as intensely flavored when it is in water-

I *can't* tell the difference between flowering basil and not flowering basil and water-grown basil. Cuttings in water are the same as cuttings in earth.....THEY don't "know" that they're rooting in water.

And basil would NOT take over like mint. It's botanically related but also to coleus and it's a lot more similar to coleus.

I agree with carrielamont. My thai basil went to seed, I harvested the heads and was ready to pull the whole plant. Decided to do a taste test and they were still very yum! Whacked them back and wow have they filled out again.. Even rooted a woody stem cutting in water and now have cute little basil plant happily growing away in a mason jar in my kitchen window. I still have oodles of seed for any takers..

Well, my basil DOES try to take over, I get plants popping up as far as 6' from where they were, just not by roots, and this includes years I thought they were all pulled and I didn't grow them, they showed up next spring. Remembered the Blue spice as well as blue basil, spicy globe (with a licorice smell to me), lime, sweet, compact box sweet basil, cinnamon, and red leaf basils. Ha! Now I want some seeds of your greek columnar- ah well, nex season.

The drawback on letting them all bloom at one time is that next years seeds will be for mystery basil. They cross freely.

The two basils I'm growing this year are wonderful. Sweet Genovese which has not bloomed at all and New Guinea basil which is beautiful with purple accents and a licorice aroma. It has bloomed nonstop and I will probably have tons of volunteers as well as seed.

Mine are seperated by yard spots, so I can remember what i planted. Or else i dont save seeds. good luck