On 15 Apr 2004 11:54:07 -0700 in
,
(hjl) graced the world with this thought:

to promote new growth of herbs, i heard that you're supposed to
harvest herbs by pinching, as opposed to cutting. anyone know if
that's true?

I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to... quite often the two
terms are interchangeable, although, to me, "pinching" sounds like
breaking off, as opposed to cutting off. Cutting off the growth tip on
most plants causes them to branch. Pinching off (or cutting off) buds
can encourage other buds to produce larger flowers or fruit.
If I'm doing any mass harvesting, I'll cut. Less damage to the plant.