How to Grow and Harvest Tulsi / Holy Basil with Michael Pilarski "Skeeter"

Permaculturist and avid medicinal herb farmer Michael Pilarski "Skeeter" talks about growing Tulsi / Holy Basil. Botanical Name- Ocimum africanum
Filmed near Port Townsend, Washington. October 1, 2020

[@andrewwalton6535]

I’m near you in Bellingham growing the same species, my plants are quite a bit bigger and I take cuttings once a week. My technique is picking the flower buds by hand right as the first flowers are opening otherwise I find it quickly gets woody and less aromatic as it starts forming seeds. I just pick down to the fist node and sometimes there’s a leaf set before the stem node. I would say if you want maximum seed, the more the plant has been picked the more nodes, the bushier it gets and therefore more flowers producing seeds. Thanks for your video!

[@beecee9139]

This holi tulsi we indian use for prayer, then you can use it for tea, juice it when you have cold it's the best medication to have you are blessed to grow it

[@Pi-Web3]

Tulsi is a precious medicine. Thanks you very much.

[@bongsbeastie]

This definitely is our African basil. I'm growing this one and the taller Indian one

[@satsadhu]

I just got back from India and brought back some tulsi seeds. Namely from a variety of tulsi that grows in Badrinath (about 3000m altitude).
This Tulsi is hardy. So it can be left outside.
The plant from which my seeds came was over 2 meters high and had a stem with a diameter of about 4 - 5 cm. (In Rishikesh)
The taste of the leaves is many times stronger than that of ordinary tulsi.

[@satsadhu]

@@NamaSika
RamRam
Now I have to find the seeds again. I had misplaced them.
I could send you some - I need an address for that.
RamRam

[@oliverbruce1702]

All plants should be harvested just before sunlight, when their medicinal properties are the highest ( to prevent fungal and insect attacks at night)

[@StillOnTrack]

Cool. I started some this summer (2022) in Central Texas and it's been healthy but not growing out into a small shrub like yours. Probably because we had such a hot dry summer. I'm seeing more growth now in the fall so hopefully it gets bushy like it's supposed to. Wasn't sure whether to harvest due to the sparse stems and after seeing yours I think I made the right call not to harvest and stress the plant any more than it was already. I'll wait till it looks more like yours, more stems and leaves, more material to photosynthesize and re-grow.

[@NamaSika]

Very nice video. Thank you for this

[@trish3580]

Oh Michael I wish I had seen this video sooner! I've been fumbling on my own this year and seems I've been harvesting wrong. There is so much info on yt about everything that sometimes the info is contradictory :) So I will definitely cut down my plants as you suggest. And seeing that you are in a similar zone to me, can you tell me how to keep the Tulsi over winter? I don't have a proper greenhouse but would like to keep it over winter somehow if possible since I've not always been lucky with starting the seeds. Kapoor is the Tulsi I have - 6 in a pot right now about 12" high. thanks for your help.

[@fouroakfarm]

Also one of my favorites to grow! Species is ocimum americanum (which is indeed from Africa despite the confusing name)

[@nelesound]

Thanks Michael!

[@jwkill21]

For me it's a very herbal berries scent and my gosh is it absolutely my favorite smell in the garden and since I use it for companion planting it's spread throughout so the whole space smells like it if you've got a strong nose.. I don't have to get my face in it to smell jt

[@basicbiotic9044]

Help me brothers and sisters !
I am a farmer from india we are growing basil ..three types vana ,krishna, rama ..pls let me know what is the use basil herbs in usa..we are largely cultivating..i need buyers

[@cherryswachan]

You need a marketing team.

[@paigeproffitt4488]

Do you have collinsonia root for sale? Thank you for all the awesome videos

[@robertmorrison3140]

What do you w/ the flowers?

[@ckj324]

There is also another basil variety known as Cinnamon basil. It too has purple flowers. But from what I see on the web it looks like African basil has purple color mixed in the inner part of the leaves. Is this what yours looks like?

[@ing5088]

Mine are quite seedy, is it too late to make a tincture? Or it doesn’t matter?

[@neelimarao7412]

African basil is Kapoor tulsi in India and is the 4th popular tulsi type

[@paigeproffitt4488]

💚💚💚

[@drrahilakurdi5943]

🌷🌷💚💙💚🌷🌷

[@dianthaweilepp5294]

Cultivate herb tulsi

[@deanna.and0n]

Can you send me some seeds

[@PlantWizardSkeeter]

Order here-
friendsofthetreesbotanicals.com/pages/seeds