Basil Cuttings:- flowering time?

[Mark Rand]

Since the basil seedlings in the greenhouse propagator under a growlight are only seedlings and the pots of basil in the kitchen (under a different growlight) are getting a bit tired, I took the tops off some stems from the kitchen pots when I made yesterday's bolognaise and stuck them in a pot of water with a mind to planting when they show some roots.

The question is:- Will the cuttings flower at the same time as the originals would have or will they flower later?

Expiring minds want to know!

[NannyGreen]

I am no expert Mark Rand but I keep my basil going most of the year from cuttings. I sow saved seed to kick them off and then just take cuttings every month or so. In my experience whether they are from seed or cuttings the flowering is governed more by heat, light (especially sunlight) and watering regime.

I always leave a couple of plants in the greenhouse at the end of summer to flower and set seed which they do more readily in hot weather with the minimum of watering to stress them.

Good luck with your experiment, life is all about experiments

[nick the grief]

... seed or cuttings the flowering is governed more by heat, light (especially sunlight) and watering regime...

Its not the SUnlight per se its the day length that triggers flowering. Some flower on long daylength and some short. I used to manipulate the flowering of CHrysanthemums by blacking them out for 13week before I wanted them to flower. Stress (shortage of water) will force them to run to flower too but if you see flower buds forming stopping by about 4 or 5 pairs of leaves down from the apical bud should get it to bush out and not reform flowers