bolting diagram - Gardening Tips
Bolting is the process by which a plant flowers and produces seeds earlier than desired. A plant that goes to seed late in the growing season usually isn't a problem, but when a vegetable decides to go to seed prematurely, it can curtail the harvest of the edible portions of the plant. Bolting is a horticultural term for when a plant prematurely develops a flowering stalk (in a natural attempt to produce seed) before the crop has been harvested.
Understanding the Context
In horticulture, bolting is the production of a flowering stem (or stems) on agricultural and horticultural crops before the harvesting of a crop, at a stage when a plant makes a natural attempt to produce seeds [1] and to reproduce. Bolting is when a plant prematurely sends up a flower stalk and begins producing seeds, usually triggered by heat or long daylight hours. Once a plant bolts, its leaves typically turn bitter and tough, and the plant redirects all its energy toward reproduction rather than producing the leafy greens, roots, or herbs you were growing it for. What Is Bolting in Plants: Why It Happens and What to Do Learn why plants bolt, how you can prevent premature bolting in your favorite herbs and leafy greens, and what to do once your plants are going to seed.
Image Gallery
Key Insights
Are Your Plants Bolting? Here's What That Means & What to Do Bolting is when a plant produces hormones for flowering, but doesn't produce harvestable fruit. Bolting makes herbs and vegetables without harvestable fruits to embitter, spoiling their taste as ingredients.