How to grow Tulsi plant from seeds

Planting is an art and plant propagation from seeds can be tendered by a polished artist only. Basil, also called Tulsi, is the most loving and found plant. In this write-up, each and every key point will be detailed to make every Tulsi plant fondant a maestro of sowing it from seeds.

Tips to GROW TULSI FROM SEEDS

1. WEATHER

The ideal temperature to grow seeds is 15-25 ℃. It should not be either too hot or cold. Ideally, in India this temperature range falls thrice in a year –

1. Spring Season (February – March) – Specially for the North India region.
2. Monsoon Time Period ( June – September)
3. During Autumn (October – November) – Not recommended for the North India Region because winter would start soon here at this time. Sapling would not survive in cold winters.

2. QUALITY SEEDS

• Brown-colored dried flowers grown in tulsi plants can also be plucked up as seeds to grow new tulsi plants.
• Basil seeds become dark brown in color after maturing. These seeds should be naturally matured then only new plants would grow.
• Sometimes, flowers get mature if excess chemicals or fertilizers are fed to the plant. Moreover, if proper sunlight or water is not provided to the plants then also seeds get dried and matured but they are not fruitful.
• Choose the seeds carefully not from any random plant of tulsi.
• From Nurseries or Online – Many different online platforms are available to get good quality seeds.

  

3. GROWING MEDIUM

Seeds would not propagate in clayey soil. The perfect soil mixture to grow the Tulsi plant is-

1. Local Soil – Collect local area soil, sieve it, clean it, and remove all the debris from it.

2. Neem Cake – Add a small portion of neem cake to the soil.

3. Compost– Take compost in half of the quantity of the soil. Cow Dung compost, kitchen compost or Vermicompost are preferred over here.

4. Coco Peat – Take half of the soil. It helps in maintaining the moisture level of soil for a longer duration.

5. Sand– Add sand 1/4th of the soil.

Mix all the ingredients properly and the growing medium is ready.

 SOWING SEEDS

If you want to sow multiple seeds then opt for a seedling tray.

 If these trays are not available and the requirement is also less then pots can also be used to sow the seeds. The procedure of sowing, germinating, and transplanting seedlings is the same for both.

• Fill the tray with the above prepared growing medium and give water properly. The soil will settle down easily and will not be dry.
• After that place the seeds in the tray at the appropriate distance.
• Cover the seeds with coco peat or the same soil mixture prepared above. Cocopeat will lock the moisture for a long time period, again and again watering would not be required.
• Now, spray some water on the top of the seedling tray. Always use spray, do not pour water directly otherwise, seeds would get displaced.

  

• Maintain a gap of 2-3 days in watering, overwatering will lead to fungus and bacteria in the plant.
• Keep the tray in a bright light area, not in direct sunlight otherwise the top layer will dry up fast and the seeds will not germinate.
• Generally, it takes 10-11 days to germinate the seeds.
• All the seedlings can be shifted to other pots approximately after 1 month as they get stronger meanwhile.

Process Of Separating The Saplings

• Gently, press the seedling tray from the bottom and the sapling will come out as it is along with the soil from the tray.
• Place the sapling in the big size pot so that the roots get proper space to expand.
• Keep the same growing medium in the new pot also. Preferably use the same soil mixture and coco peat to grow the saplings. Be gentle while handling them as they are very delicate and small.
• Do not place these pots in direct sunlight at least for 3-4 days. Show them sunlight once they get settled properly in the new pots.
• After 3-4 days, place them in early morning sunlight only. Make sure, the plant is kept in bright light. If placed in the dark it might become leggy.
• Give water whenever the top soil is dry otherwise no need for regular watering.
• No fertilizer or manure is needed to be added at this point.
• In any case, if plants not showing any growth then give cow dung or mustard cake liquid fertilizer well diluted with water ( at least diluted with 10 times more water than liquid fertilizer).

After 10 days, the leaves would grow big in size and all the saplings could be shifted to another big size pot.

• Separate them because the roots of each and every sapling need space now to grow properly.
• Pruning needs to be done from the start to make the plant more dense and healthy.
• As you see the flowers on the plant pluck them from the bottom of the flowers. If pruning is not done, the plant will become more tall, not dense.

  

Tulsi Plant is an Aura, a sacred plant having multiple medicinal uses and uncountable benefits. Now, after following all the instructions and precautions you all can sow it at your places.

Tulsi Plant is a true blessing of nature and we all can have it easily.

Happy Gardening !!