In the last couple of articles, we gave you an overview of what bolting is about. It is a natural seed-producing mechanism of the plant at the end of its life cycle. Sometimes, however, this mechanism occurs much earlier due to various reasons, which we discussed in our article last week.

The eventual outcome of early, unwanted bolting is that it reduces the fruit production of the plant, both in quality and quantity. In such cases, the growth, size, taste and texture of the harvest are inhibited, which ultimately leads to the premature removal of the plant by the gardener.

In normal circumstances, at the end of the season, the plant bolts after undergoing its entire life cycle. It is a win-win situation for any gardener who optimally uses the growing space.

The parent plant ends up producing the characteristic, flower-laden, woody stalk having seeds within, for the next cycle of the same crop to be grown after a few months. Not only that, the bolting phase is sometimes visually appealing as well.

Early bolting in plants can impact the quality and quantity of the fruit it produces, inhibiting the growth, size, taste and texture of the harvest

For instance, as summer commences, the growing space dedicated to the greens — such as dill, lettuce and other herbs — begins to wilt away under the scorching heat and sunlight. The gardening area for these leafy herbs and vegetables, which would otherwise remain green throughout the season, will then be aesthetically intertwined with flowers of white, yellow and other colours during the bolting phase.

Yet another benefit of the presence of bolting flowers is the attraction of pollinators to your garden. As bees, butterflies and other insects make their way to the bolting flowers of the greens, they help in pollinating the buds and flowers of the summer season herbs, vegetables and fruits as well.

This is especially beneficial for the likes of the family of gourds, including bottle gourds and apple gourds, and even cucumbers, okra, beans, eggplants and many more. The advantages of bolting are, thus, maximally utilised, when they are obtained in a timely manner at the end of the plant’s life cycle.

Many people question whether chopping off the characteristic bolting stem would stop the bolting from occurring in the first place? Sadly, that’s not the case. You cannot stop the bolting of a plant once it has started. Period. The one thing that you can do is to delay it. And, yes, chopping off the stem is likely to delay the bolting.

The pruning of the stem and pinching of the flowers is one of the most common steps that gardeners undertake to delay bolting. Other than pinching the buds and pruning off the stem, regular harvesting of produce is also recommended to delay bolting.

Gardeners adopt many other ways to delay the process of bolting from occurring earlier than anticipated. Let’s see what else can be done to avoid unwanted and untimely bolting from taking place.

Watering and hydration, or lack of it, is one of the most important and crucial factors when it comes to untimely bolting. While overwatering may kill the plant, reduced or lack of watering may push it towards bolting, as it is a shocking condition for the plant.

During heat waves and dry spells, it is critical to water your plants accordingly. Boosting the soil surface with mulch and manure to ensure water retention and covering the plant with shade from direct sunlight exposure in extreme heat, to avoid water evaporation, may go a long way in ensuring plant hydration.

Mulch may include wood shavings, dead leaves and compost. To a certain extent, mulch provides insulation between the approaching sunlight heat and the plant soil. The plant with a potential for early bolting should be regularly watered.

On the contrary, summer season herbs and vegetables love direct sunlight exposure. The plant might grow lanky, if it is not provided with the recommended sunlight. This stressed climate may also induce early seeds, resulting in bolting.

In this scenario, the potted plant should be brought closer to the sunlight exposure. Fluctuation in temperature and climate variation should also be adequately addressed.

When purchasing seeds from the nearby stores and nurseries, always check the instruction part on the back side of the packet. Some packets highlight the fact that the seeds within the packet are heat tolerant or bolting resistant. You should opt for them if you have the option.

Similarly, from germinating to thinning out the weaker seedlings, from growing the selected seedlings to transplanting to a new place and boosting the plant with required nourishment, always give preference to the strong seedlings, while discarding the weaker ones in the compost bin. While purchasing seedlings, always opt for the stronger ones as well.

Moreover, try to ensure better spacing between the plants. Too many plants growing in close proximity to each other, or within the same pot, is likely to cause a struggle for nourishment and be a stress factor for the plant.

Finally, the most important and logical way to avoid untimely bolting is to sow the seeds and grow the plant at the exact recommended time of the year, according to the region you reside in.

*Please send your queries and emails to . The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening*

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 19th, 2024