Should I remove tarragon flowers?

Eliminating tarragon flowers is key for quality leaf yield. Flowering steals vigor from the fragrant leaves you want for cooking. Once you see buds, it's usually due to heat stress or not enough pruning. I know this because that one summer, my plants yielded very few, and the leaves were bitter.

Pinch buds when they show at the junctions of the stem. Use your fingers for small buds and sterilized shears for woody stems. Cut just above the leaf nodes to promote branching. I keep a small pair of scissors in my garden apron for easy removal during my daily visit to check on the plants.

Learn about flowering triggers to stop the same situation from happening again. High temperatures above 85°F (29°C) often start flowering/budding. Lack of adequate pruning also indicates stress of maturity. I now prune once monthly during the growing season. It works to prevent the plants from flowering, therefore keeping them vegetative longer.

After removing them, I will water thoroughly and apply compost tea. This will help the plants recover but not create too much new growth. Do not use nitrogen fertilizers that could generate more flowering. My plants recover in days when I use this routine!

Maintain the culinary integrity of your harvest. Flowering diminishes the essential oils in leaves by up to 40%. Frequent pinching back preserves the signature anise flavor. My Béarnaise sauce vastly improved once I started managing buds.

Read the full article: How to Grow Tarragon: A Complete Guide