Stevia is a heat - loving herbaceous plant popular in the garden and kitchen for its zero large calorie fragrance . It can sweeten everything from teas to baked trade good with compound that are not metabolized by human beings . This means that they do n’t impact parentage sugar in the way that regular sugar , maple sirup , or agave does . It ’s easy to grow enough in a small garden to last the yr .
Stevia Seed and Variety
It ’s possible to plant stevia by seed , but most veteran gardeners would assort this task as ‘ difficult ’ in the least . Not only to stevia seeded player tend to have low germination rates , the resulting plants will have immensely diverge amounts of the sweet compound that most gardeners grow it for .
It is best to order showtime made from cutting . Because this flora is growing in popularity , most local nurseries will probably carry some starts . Otherwise , there are online options for ordering stevia cuttings .
Not all varieties of stevia are created equal . It ’s compounds call glycosides , namely stevioside , which make this plant so sweet . Some varieties of stevia will produce more glycosides than others . The most popular variety grown for bouquet is the Stevia Rabaudiana or Sweet Leaf Stevia . Another miscellanea that is less commonly found but perchance even sweeter is called Sweetie Star .
How to Plant Stevia
When you get your cuttings , keep them warm . Stevia come from the tropical zone and is specially sensitive to cold temperature when young . Keep the plant well above 50 ° F ( 10 ° C ) .
When choose where to plant , think sunlight , soil , availability , and photograph . Here is a checklist for selecting a planting site :
If you are in warmer climates zones , give your flora a few extra inch of place to fill out . While stevia can be recurrent even in USDA zone 8 and up , in cool climates it will not grow as large . outer space plants between 10 and 18 inch apart depending on climate .
Stevia Care
When industrial plant reach about 8 inches tall , it ’s prison term to crop them . Pruning will discourage rangy increment and advance bushiness , which produce more foliage . Cut back stem leave a down node from which the plant can branch . Continue to cut as needed to rule out long stalk and encourage branch .
If you populate in a climate colder than USDA zone 8 , bring stevia plants indoors through the wintertime . set up a pot with some all - purpose potting soil . Remove stevia plants from the primer coat and trim them back to around 6 column inch tall . Pot them , and bring them inside . Set them in a het up fix like a windowsill indoors or a heated glasshouse . Plants can be convey back out once all danger of frost has pass .
