Yes herbs grow back when you cut them off, here it is important that you cut the herbs in the right way and take care of it.
How nice it is to use homegrown herbs in cooking, herbs can be a perfect addition to almost any dish.
However, it is very important to properly care for herbs so you can optimally enjoy your cultivated herbs.
You can grow herbs in your garden or greenhouse, on a balcony or even in the kitchen. But make sure that the herbs get plenty of sunlight in order to grow well.
Many herbs grow faster when you cut them, when you cut the herbs regularly (and thus add them in your delicious dishes) you will notice that the plants become fuller and grow back quickly.
Herbs that grow back quickly after cutting are for example:
- Coriander A strong plant that has no problem with a little cold in the winter, just a few weeks after sowing the leaves can be cut.
- Chervil A plant that grows very easily and quickly grows wild, the leaves have a licorice-like flavor that goes well with salads.
- Anise The anise plant is grown mainly for its flowers, from which the seeds are used in the kitchen. Make sure that the plant is cut in half before winter to increase the chances of survival.
- Parsley Parsley can be used in very many dishes and grows back very easily.
Cutting or pruning herbs
The cutting (or pruning) of herbs is actually very easy, you remove leaves or stems to use and immediately ensure that the herbs can grow again.
For each plant it can differ how to cut it, some plants need to be cut completely short where as with other plants only the flowers need to be cut off. It can therefore be useful to obtain some information in advance about the herb to be cut.
Cutting the herbs is very important for the growth of the herbs, without cutting the herbs away nothing new will grow. By pruning every now and then the herbs will grow well and become strong plants.
IS it possible to grow herbs from cuttings?
If you would like to learn how to grow herbs from cuttings, go check out “grow herbs from cuttings“!
What type of herb will you grow?
There are roughly two types of herbs, the Herbaceous and Evergreen herbs.It is important to know which type of herb you are growing because each type requires a slightly different approach to trimming.
Herbaceous herbs
Herbaceous herbs are very tender herbs, there is no stem or branch in the plant, partly because they are not very resistant to cold winters and you will have to sow them again in the spring after a cold winter.
Do Herbaceous herbs grow back after cutting?
This type of herb can grow flowers, you want to cut these away to make sure the plant puts its energy into producing the herbs instead of the flowers. Carefully cut the amount you need, and the plant will soon grow again.
Examples of Herbaceous herbs that grow back quickly are:
- Basil Basil is an annual, or sometimes perennial, herb used for its leaves. Sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions.
- Mint A Fast growing plant, which grows great at cool moist spots in partial shade. But can also be grown in full sun. These plants tolerate a wide range of conditions and grows all year round.
- Chives Chives are widely used in the preparation of various dishes, but the flowers are also beautiful. Besides the stems are often used, the flowers are also edible.
- Parsley Grows best in moist, well-drained soil, with full sun. And it is usually grown from seed.
Evergreen herbs
A big plus of evergreen herbs is that these herbs can survive the winter. A disadvantage of these herbs is that you have to be more careful with cutting these plants. Where Herbaceous plants grow back very easily and you can cut them all year round when you need the herbs, with the Evergreen herbs you will only need to prune once a year.
Do Evergreen herbs grow back after cutting?
With this type of herb you only remove dead branches and cut the plant back into shape once a year, so the plant does not overshoot.
When the plant has bolted you will have to cut it back almost completely. You will then leave only about 30% of the plant so that it can regrow and become healthy.
So:
Yes, Evergreen herbs will grow back after cutting, they will even become healthier and stronger by pruning them once a year.
When should you cut evergreen herbs?
It is important to prune back an evergreen herb plant once a year. In this way you reduce the chance of overshooting of the herbs, and you ensure that the plant remains healthy and strong.
Cut the plant preferably at the end of the growing season, if you go to another time of year to cut back the herbs completely, then the plant will make a new growth when it really should not.
During the growing season you can cut the Evergreen herbs according to your needs. These herbs actually grow better when you harvest and cut them from time to time.
By cutting away the older and weaker stems, the plant will become more balanced and full.
Examples of Evergreen herbs that grow back quickly are:
Rosemary
Lavender
Sage
Thyme
Harvesting and pruning
Harvesting and pruning are two things you should not confuse. Harvesting the herb plant is done from spring to fall periodically when the herbs are needed to make a dish. Pruning is done at the end of the growing season before winter, when you prune the plant back to about 30% to make sure it can start growing abundantly again after winter.
How do you cut herb plants?
It is very important that you know how to cut your herbs and how to take care of them. This way you can enjoy the growth to the fullest. You can cut herbs too far back and they will not grow back as they should.
Harvest your herbs at the beginning of the day, and water the plant afterwards to make sure the plant recovers as well as possible from the harvest. This is how the plants will grow back best and continue to thrive.
You can often “cut” many herbs (especially herbaceous herbs) by hand. Removing the desired stems gently with your fingers keeps the plant in good condition and eliminates the need for pruning shears.
Dead stems and stems that you want to remove from the plant to maintain its proper shape can also simply be removed with your fingers. Never pull too hard on the stems, you could damage the plant and who knows if the herbs will ever grow back to their full potential. If you are not sure if you can do it properly with your hands, choose to use scissors. You will then easily and very precisely cut what you need. You can find special pruning shears for your herb plant, with which you can work very precisely.
In short:
Most herbs will certainly grow back after pruning and harvesting, many herbal plants will even grow better and become fuller. But be careful how you proceed. And take good care of your plant. This way you can enjoy your homegrown herbs for a very long time!