What is basil plant flowering?

Basil plants produce green herbal leaves throughout the growing season, but they produce thin flower stalks when the plants have six pairs of leaves on a single branch. If the flower stalks are left to grow, the plant stops producing.

Flower stalks can be pinched off when they first appear, forcing the plant to keep growing. Individual branches also can be trimmed to only two or four pairs of leaves to prevent flower formation as the National Gardening Association recommends. Another way to prevent flower development is to pinch off the center stalk of the plant when it is 6 weeks old. This also encourages the plant to grow horizontally, providing a more productive plant.