As a feast for the eyes and the palate, chives are one of the most valuable garden treasures. The multifaceted attributes of the popular herbal plant benefit from a pruning at the right time. Read this tutorial on when and how to properly chop chives.

When cutting chives, it is important to delay the flowering period

Table of Contents

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  1. Chive blossom and rumor mill
  2. Cut care of kitchen herbs
  3. fall pruning
  4. Pruning care flowering perennial
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. Chive blossom and rumor mill

    Myths and rumors surround the splendor of chives. It is said that flowering chives are poisonous or at least inedible. We invite you to a short digression that clears up the errors and misunderstandings about the chive flower.

    When the picturesque flowering season begins in June, chives go through a process of change. Until then, the local herbal plant inspires with juicy, tender tubular leaves that give many dishes a special flavor. As buds begin to form, strong stalks rise above the grassy clump, carrying a heavy flower load. To this end, the tubes become thicker, stronger, and lignified. The fresh, spicy taste falls by the wayside. Anyone who tastes a stalk now will be disappointed by the bitter taste. This does not mean that the flower tubes are poisonous.

    Chives invest all of their energy in the flowers, so that neighboring leaves are affected. The characteristic aroma is gradually lost and the tubes take on a woody consistency. The straws are still suitable for consumption, but no longer in spring-fresh premium quality. The violet flower heads, which add a special pep to cold dishes, ensure a culinary treat.

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    Cut care as a kitchen herb

    If the focus is on the use of chives as a culinary herb, the care for the cut aims to aroma-destroying heyday to delay. As long as the plant does not form buds and flowers, the succulent tubular leaves benefit from the valuable plant energy. How to properly cut chives as kitchen herbs:

    • Cut regularly from a leaf length of 15-20 cm
    • Cut back the stalks to two fingers above the ground
    • Important: chives never pluck

    If you notice the first stems with buds when harvesting, cut back the shoots to 2 centimeters. Fresh leaves will sprout from each intersection. As long as no flower stalks sneak in, the delicately spicy herbal pleasure remains.

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    Cut chives with bypass scissors

    The smoother you cut the succulent tubular leaves, the better the harvest quality. A pair of scissors with a bypass mechanism should be available for every cutting measure on chives. In this version, the tool has two sharp blades that smoothly cut through the herbaceous tissue even when it is already becoming woody. Alternatively, use a sharp kitchen knife. Anvil scissors with one sharp and one blunt side are not recommended for cutting and harvesting, because bruising of the chives is inevitable.

    Autumn pruning favors winter seasoning

    As a native perennial, chives in the bed pull in their herbaceous plant parts before winter. Only the root ball with its many frost-resistant bulbs overwinters in the protection of the soil. So that you do not have to do without fresh herbal pleasure during the cold season, the following strategy has proven itself:

    • Cut off a piece with a hand shovel or knife and dig out
    • Cut back all shoots to 2 cm
    • Plant the ball piece with several onions in a pot with herbal soil and water

    On the bright, warm window sill, chives continue to grow happily. Adjust the water and nutrient supply to the reduced light conditions. Keep an eye out for flower stalks during harvest pruning. Where the herbal plant feels in good hands, the attempt to flower in winter is not uncommon, with all the negative consequences for spicy delicacies described.

    tips

    Delaying the flowering period by pruning often results in a harvest surplus that the kitchen cannot use immediately. By freezing the fresh leaves, you'll create a tasty supply. Rinse the stalks with clear water and cut them into small pieces. Filled into a freezer box and frozen in the freezer, the unmistakable aroma remains almost completely intact for many weeks.

    Pruning care as a flowering perennial

    Gardeners without a soft spot for the tangy taste of herbs still integrate chives into the imaginative planting plan. It is the lavish and colorful flowering period that sets decorative accents in the perennial border. Now the violet flower heads are welcome, so that a different cut comes into focus. This is how you cut chives as a flowering perennial in an exemplary manner:

    • The best time is in late autumn
    • Important: all parts of the plant must be completely retracted and dead
    • Hold the leaves in bunches with one hand
    • Use a perennial sickle or knife to cut back to 5 cm

    There is no doubt that wilted chives are only a shadow of themselves. However, you should be patient with pruning until all the leaves have dried up. In this transition phase, the perennial shifts all nutrient reserves from the above-ground shoots to the underground outlasting organs in the form of bulbs. The fuller the energy depots, the more lush the fresh shoots and the more opulent the blooms next year.

    Cut the onion like chives

    A close relative perfectly complements the flowering splendor of chives. Ornamental onions are also part of the versatile Allium genus. Its trademark are large, purple flower balls that float through the perennial bed at eye level. The first leaves are already drawing in during the flowering period. Chives are useful as underplanting so that the resulting gaps are closed decoratively. In late autumn, cut both perennials back to just above the ground in one pass.

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    Division preserves youthful perennial freshness

    Regardless of whether you cultivate chives as an herb or as a flowering beauty, consider dividing the perennial every few years. The best time is in autumn, when pruning is part of the care program anyway. Shorten all shoots to two finger widths above the root disc. Then dig out the root network. Pull the bale apart with both hands to gently separate the numerous onions. Plant each section in the new location. Thanks to this rejuvenation treatment, your chives will start again with fresh energy.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are chive flowers edible?

    Garden practice has proven that the flowers are edible and very tasty. The rumor persists that chives are basically no longer suitable for consumption once they have blossomed. In fact, the fresh stalks are particularly aromatic just before flowering begins. In the period that follows, the aroma is lost and the stalks become woody. Chives can still be used as a culinary herb, as long as you do not eat the flower stalks.

    I would like to plant chives as a flowering perennial, but also use them as a kitchen herb. Can this work? It is often said that chives should not bloom if you want to eat them.

    You can definitely flower chives. The flowers are not only decorative, but also edible. However, after the flowering period begins, the culms become slightly woody and lose their taste. Optionally, you can cut back the herb plant, after which fresh stalks will sprout and can be harvested. Alternatively, cut back half of the perennial and enjoy the blooms of the other half.

    I harvested my magnificent chives in the pot regularly, but did not cut them radically after the flowering period. Now the plant is wilted and blotchy. What to do?

    Premium quality chives depend on regular pruning. The plant thrives again within a week and provides aromatic supplies for the kitchen. Therefore, cut back all shoots and administer an organic herbal fertilizer.

    Are chives hardy and perennial?

    Chives are native perennials and are therefore reliably hardy. To this day, wild species can be discovered in the wild in wet meadows and river meadows. In winter, the above-ground, herbaceous shoots move in. Only the frost-resistant root ball with many bulbs overwinters deep in the ground and sprout again the following spring.

    Should I provide chives in the bed with winter protection after the last cut?

    In the year of planting, it is advantageous to cover the bed with a thick layer of leaves and needle brushwood. In this way, you protect the tender bulbs from severe frost and permanent moisture, especially in regions with harsh winters. From the second or third year, the herbaceous perennial has established itself to such an extent that it survives the winter on its own. This does not apply to chives in a pot. Behind the container walls, the onions are vulnerable to the bitter cold. A warm fleece winter coat effectively prevents frost damage.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Chives don't live up to their reputation as herbal treasures if you give them free rein to flower. This table sums up the other cutting errors that affect the premium quality:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    Budding shoots not pruned premature end of aromatic premium quality Cut off shoots with buds and flowers promptly
    tubular leaves plucked out lower crop yield, total loss always cut 2-5 cm above the ground
    use a blunt cutting tool bruised leaves, formation of rot use a sharp knife or bypass scissors

    tips

    Starting with the first harvest cut, young tubular leaves often sprout with brown tips. This is not a cause for concern, but a normal reaction to the previous cut into the succulent plant tissue. Anyone who is bothered by the purely aesthetic impairment simply cuts off the brownish tips of the leaves before eating.

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Vegetable garden