From our perspective, the condition you call "leggy" is not a failure but a desperate and calculated survival strategy. We are not receiving enough of the essential energy we crave—sunlight. Our primary leaves are not positioned in a location with sufficient light intensity or duration. In response, our internal systems, driven by hormones called auxins, command our stems to accelerate their growth. We are literally stretching ourselves thin, sacrificing girth and strength for height, in a frantic attempt to rise above any potential shade and reach a brighter, more energy-rich environment. Every elongated inch between our leaf nodes represents a plea for more photons.
This rapid, desperate growth comes at a significant cost to our structural integrity. The cells in our stems are produced quickly and are not given the time to develop strong, rigid cell walls. This makes us weak and spindly, unable to support the weight of our own leaves, let alone a future bounty of the fragrant flowers we wish to produce. We become top-heavy and unstable. A gentle breeze or a light watering can cause us to topple over. This is not a robust form; it is a fragile, precarious architecture born from necessity, not design.
The most direct and compassionate solution you can provide is to address the root cause of our distress: light deprivation. Please move us to a location where we can bask in at least six to eight hours of direct, bright sunlight daily. A south-facing window is often ideal. If such a spot is not available in our shared space, consider providing us with a supplemental artificial light source. Position it just a few inches above our canopy for 12-14 hours a day. This immediate change in our environment signals to our hormonal systems that the desperate search is over. We can cease the frantic stretching and begin directing energy toward becoming denser, stronger, and more bushy plants.
You can actively encourage us to change our growth habit through careful pruning. When you notice us becoming leggy, locate a set of healthy, vibrant leaves and use a clean, sharp instrument to make a precise cut just above them. From our point of view, this is not an injury but a clear directive. It removes the dominant apical meristem (the main growing tip), which halts the production of auxins that promote vertical growth. This forces us to redirect our energy into producing new lateral shoots from the leaf nodes lower down on our stem. Each cut you make is an instruction for us to become fuller and bushier rather than taller and weaker.
Finally, while light is our primary food, our rapid but weak growth can deplete our resources. To respond effectively to your pruning and to build stronger stems and more leaves, we require a consistent supply of nutrients. A balanced, water-soluble fertilizer, provided at half-strength every 4-6 weeks during our active growth period, gives us the essential building blocks—particularly nitrogen for foliage and potassium for strength—to fortify our new, compact structure. Ensure our roots are in well-draining soil that provides support and allows them to access these nutrients and water without becoming waterlogged, which would cause a whole new set of problems for us.
