Sunlight requirements

Tulsi loves light and needs it to grow.

My experience is that a sunny window in my apartment is enough. She might be a bit more sensitive and have more troubles throughout winter but aren't we all like that?

We are actually renting our apartment in the city and when we were looking for it, the major feature we were looking for is a place where our Tulsi would have enough sun. It took us a bit longer but we found what we were looking for, an apartment that has a sunny side lounge.

Before moving here she had the whole room for herself and that was amazing. That room was our little meditation space and according to Vastu each household should have one of these rooms in North-East section of your house.

Important thing related to natural light coming through window is the fact that Tulsi grows TOWARD light source. So, if you are living in a house and your Tulsi is placed close to a window she will grow on the side looking at window resulting in her being leaned on one side, almost horizontally.
If this already happened to your Tulsi simply replant her in a new pot adjusting her complete soil  to sit on side and her stem and branches to look vertical.

Then, to prevent future side-growth you need to turn her around at a rate of approximately 1/3 or 1/4 of a full circle each day so she will grow evenly on each side.

When you look closely you will see how young small branches develop/turn daily towards sunny side. As you keep turning her you will notice how part of these small branches maintains this position making the branch look a bit spiraled, especially if you forget to turn her on some days ;)

Another thing coming from our practice; If you sometimes stay up late and will need to wake up late you need to keep in mind that Tulsi needs sun throughout the day so please open any dark curtains before you go to bed.
This way although you might be 'sleeping in' she will have maximum hours of light necessary for her growth which is of utmost importance in the WINTER. Ideal would be that you go to sleep at same time but who is perfect?

In the SUMMER you have to provide her with protection from direct sunlight in the afternoon to prevent her from drying out and burning her leaves. As you can't really put her a sunscreen place her behind a white curtain, lower your blinds a little or simply move her away from a window enough to prevent her from being burnt.

Simply treat her as another member of you household.


So, to summarize:
1. Sunny window should be enough for her to grow
2. Make a routine of turning her around for about 1/3 to 1/4 of a circle to prevent side growth
3. Make sure she gets maximum sunlight in the winter time
4. Protect her from sunburns in summertime


If you don't have a sunny window she might need some artificial lighting so I suggest you  consult the Tulsi Handbook and search it (Ctrl+F) for housing to get more details or Google for more info on artificial lighting.

Please ask any questions you might have about this subject.