Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), also known as holy basil, is a species of basil used in Hindu religious ceremonies. The plants grow 2 to 3 feet tall, have furry gray-green leaves and bloom in the summer, producing spikes of small pink flowers. Tulsi plants are highly frost-sensitive. They can be grown outdoors as annuals in warm Mediterranean climates, similar to other types of basil, but you can also grow a tulsi plant from seed indoors.
1
Pour potting mix into a seed flat or other shallow container. Pour room-temperature water over the potting mix to moisten the soil. Sow the tulsi seeds 1/4-inch deep. Place a plastic cover over the container or place the container in a large plastic bag and seal it.
2
Put the container in bright, indirect light where the temperature is 75 to 80 degrees F during the day and 5 to 10 degrees cooler at night. Check the potting mix every few days and spray it with room-temperature water if it begins to dry out. Keep it moist at all times.
3
Transplant the seedlings into separate small containers after they develop two or three sets of true leaves. Continue to keep the soil moist but not muddy. Expose the plants to brief periods of direct morning sunlight. Increase the length of direct sunlight exposure gradually over eight weeks. Place them in front of a south- or west-facing window after eight weeks. Set up a grow light with four 40-watt fluorescent bulbs placed 6 to 12 inches above the seedlings and leave it on for 12 hours a day if a south- or west-facing window is not available.
4
Transplant the tulsi plants into 6-inch deep containers with holes in the bottoms when they begin to outgrow the smaller containers. Water them when the top of the potting soil just begins to dry slightly. Empty the catch saucer under the tulsi plants after the water runs through. Do not leave the containers sitting in water. Give them a 5-10-5 ratio liquid plant fertilizer at half the manufacturer’s recommended dilution rate every four to six weeks.
5
Pinch the tips of the branches off once or twice a month to encourage bushier growth. Move the tulsi plants outdoors in the summer. Set them in a location that receives direct morning and evening sunlight with shade in the afternoon and protection from strong winds. Move them back indoors to a sunny window or under grow lights in the fall.
