Most gardeners growing these herbs get confused about the right procedure on how to cut parsley. If your herbs are growing at a faster rate and you have no clue as to how to cut them back. Then you need not worry. This article will be focusing on some of the most common questions asked about the parsley herbs.
Parsley is one of the most lovely and unique herbs you can find. Hardly does it miss in most kitchen settings and can be used in a variety of dishes. Parsley is flexible enough with light and water. Which makes it easy to grow by almost anyone who desires these herbs in their gardens. Parsley is very popular all over the world, and gardeners have been cultivating the herbs for a very long time. Making among the most popular herbs around the globe.
When is the Right Time to Prune Parsley?
Parsley has a life span of two years. Meaning it is a biennial plant, and it is mostly treated as an annual plant. Having a full understanding of the growth aspect of these herbs. Will help in knowing the right time to cut back parsley.
Frequently, annual plants are cut back during harvesting. What this means is that you can concentrate on harvesting your parsley herbs on schedule. This will help in maintaining the shape of the plant.
As one of the fastest-growing herbs, you can prune parsley as many times as you wish in a single season. When you prune each stem of the plant, it usually grows back in a matter of weeks. It will take the stem about three weeks to grow again in full size.
Learning how to cut parsley is all about timing. You should trim your parsley when the herbs have grown to a length of 6 inches or so. Since this is when you will get the most out of your parsley herbs in terms of flavor.
It is highly recommendable that you cut back parsley stems after they have developed a plenty number of leaves. This simply means that you can only prune parsley stems. That have fully grown and have produced three or more segments of foliage. If harvesting is done late. You need to remember that you are cutting those stems that are yellow in color and are overly mature.
The Right Procedure for Cutting Parsley
Cutting parsley (pruning) is easy. The parsley is a very resilient plant, which makes it possible to cut back with extreme force. Pinching off the top leaves of your plants’ stem will leave them dry in a couple of days, all the more reason to prune the parsley plant heavily.
The younger growth of parsley plants occurs in the centre, and it’s often shielded by longer stems. To support the plant to grow back quickly, you need to cut the long stems that are blocking the younger stems from accessing light.
Besides this, any stems that are overlapping need to be cut back, seeing as they are overcrowding the plant. Overcrowded branches create a humid and hot environment, and this is a hotspot for fungal pathogens that will eventually spread all over the parsley plant if not controlled.
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Important
An important step on how to cut parsley begins with locating the longest stems growing at the outer boundaries of your plants. Prune the matured stems by cutting at the base of each stem, leaving about an inch at the bottom unaltered with to allow new growth. When cutting parsley, you need to concentrate on stems that have a full stem, fully matured, and longer than 8 inches, and they are yellow in color. These are the stems that blocking sunlight and should, therefore, be removed.
Keep in mind that parsley stems and leaves may become rigid and weak with age, so you can take enough amount of them to use in the kitchen. Therefore, you should be keen on removing these stalks that have matured well. Under no circumstance should you cut back all the stems of the parsley plant at a go, as this will lead to stunted growth and will prevent your plants from growing again?
Since parsley is a biennial plant, it grows for two seasons. During the first season, the plant will not produce seeds, so halting flowering in your plants should not be a big concern. Incidentally, you should prevent your parsley plants form flowering since if not,they will shed their seeds and die. When your herbs bloom, they will become stiff, affecting the flavor.
If your parsley plants grow into the second season, they will start producing flower buds. When this happens, you should simply pinch off the flowers and then cut back the entire plant to the ground.
Conclusion
The parsley plant has a life span of two years, meaning it is a biennial plant, and it is mostly treated as an annual plant. Having a full understanding of the growth aspect of these herbs will help in knowing the right time to cut back when pruning. As one of the fastest-growing herbs, you can prune parsley as many times as you wish in a single season.
Learning how to cut parsley is all about timing, and it is highly recommendable that you cut back parsley stems after they have developed enough number of leaves. The parsley is a very resilient plant, which makes it possible to cut back with extreme force. Remember that the younger growth of parsley plants occurs in the center, and it’s typically shielded by longer stems. Also, the parsley stems and leaves may become rigid and weak with age, so you can take a sufficient amount of them to use in the kitchen.
Since parsley is a biennial plant, it grows for two seasons; therefore so halting flowering in your plants should not be a big concern during the first season and watch out for the second season where the plants develop flower buds. That has been it on how to cut parsley! Enjoy growing your plants.
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