PlotPal

Holy Basil

Holy Basil is listed botanically as Ocimum tenuiflorum. It may also be listed as brush-leaf-tea, holy basil. Warm-season basil relative with fragrant leaves and upright flower spikes, grown in herb gardens and containers for its distinctive aroma and culinary use. PlotPal's canonical care record lists full sun and moderate water needs. The current taxonomy reference places it in the genus Ocimum and in the family Lamiaceae. Its source-backed growth habit is listed as forb/herb. PlotPal currently carries Holy Basil as an outdoor growing and herb reference. Growing note: Give holy basil warmth, sun, and evenly moist but well-drained soil. Pinch tips often for a bushier plant and harvest regularly before heavy flowering if leaf production is the goal. Propagation or sowing note: Start indoors after the danger of cold has passed or direct sow into thoroughly warm soil. Plant-health prevention note: Provide airflow, avoid prolonged wet foliage, and rotate basil-family crops where soilborne disease has been a problem. Pest-prevention note: Inspect tender shoots and leaf undersides frequently and use low-impact controls early rather than waiting for large infestations. The current reference lists an average harvest time of about 60 days, where harvest timing applies. Common pests in the reference include Aphids, Whiteflies, Japanese beetles. Common plant-health issues in the reference include Downy mildew, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot. Use this guide as practical growing context, then adjust decisions to the actual weather, soil, container or bed, variety, and conditions in your garden.