When to prune peppermint?

When should I prune a young peppermint transplant? I recently planted a peppermint transplant so it’s still pretty small , when should I prune it ? Should I pinch off the tops? Or wait till I see flowers developing and prune with the come again method ?
I’m in Los Angeles btw

same questions for tower Basil , should I pinch the tops at the time of planting ? Or wait till they get bigger or flowers start developing prune with come again method ?

and for sage when should I be pruning?
& how? Just pinch the tops?

here some pics

Most mint species grow and invade like crazy. Do you want them to use for cooking, etc? I usually grow herbs until they start to flower and then keep the flowers cut off or they'll go to seed. My weather is such I have to grow them as annuals however.

I would top the basil. Certainly I would prevent the buds from developing too. It's an annual and gets tired with too much growth and maturation.
Peppermint and sage tend to develop at nodes whenever they lean over and they're perennials so topping isn't really needed

BarnBuster said:

Most mint species grow and invade like crazy. Do you want them to use for cooking, etc? I usually grow herbs until they start to flower and then keep the flowers cut off or they'll go to seed. My weather is such I have to grow them as annuals however.

Click to expand...

I live in Southern California and yes I’d I would be using the mint for cooking with

I would like the mint to bush out or would tht happen in time without pinching the tops ? Or wait and get the same affect when harvesting

BarnBuster said:

Most mint species grow and invade like crazy. Do you want them to use for cooking, etc? I usually grow herbs until they start to flower and then keep the flowers cut off or they'll go to seed. My weather is such I have to grow them as annuals however.

Click to expand...

Well what I’m asking is should I wait till it gets bigger to pinch the tops to encourage it to bush up ? Is it to small to pinch the tops yet?

id like to pinch the tops to encourage growth but when should I do tht?

ill

cal150 said:

I would top the basil. Certainly I would prevent the buds from developing too. It's an annual and gets tired with too much growth and maturation.
Peppermint and sage tend to develop at nodes whenever they lean over and they're perennials so topping isn't really needed

Click to expand...

if i want to encourage more growth in the sage plant and Basil ,when should I be doing it ?
Would I have to wait till the get a bit bigger or can I go ahead an pinch there tops off?

would I have to cut it back to the ground before winter or do I even need to if I’m in Southern California?