Is it sweeter dried or fresh? I tried to grow it from seeds I bought off of E-bay last year and nothing happened. Is it worth my time to find plugs? Can you make more plants from stem cuttings?
2007-03-18 12:57:24 · 5 answers · asked by Stephanie D 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Botany
Growing Stevia from scratch can be difficult (from seeds that is). Even if you could get the seeds to germinate, stevioside levels can vary greatly from plants grown from seeds.
You should try to get Stevia plants that have been grown from cuttings of plants that where high in stevioside. Which is to say that it is best to buy "proven-sweet" starter plants.
Young Stevia plants are sensitive to low temperatures, so you should wait until any chance of frost has past and soil
temperatures are into the 50`s and 60`s before transplanting them into to your garden.
Your plants will grow a height of around 30 inches with widths of 18 to 24 inches.
Stevia Seeds and Plants are available at the link below.
Stevia plants enjoy a rich loamy soil. Stevia`s feeder roots are near the surface, so it is a good idea to ad compost for extra nutrients if your soil is sandy.
Stevia roots are sensitive to excessive moisture. Be careful when watering and make sure their soil drains easily. Frequent light watering is best during the summer months.
Dip cuttings in your preparation and plant in a rooting type soil for 2 to 3 weeks.
Once the root system has had a chance to form you can plant in a 4.5 inch pots.
Place plants in a sunny, non- drafty location until spring.
You can grow Stevia indoors. Hydroponics systems work well or a 10 to 12 inch container filled with a light weight growing mix. Again, adding some much around the top for the swallow roots is always a good idea.
2007-03-22 05:20:09 · answer #1 · answered by john h 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I don't know the answer to any of that, but what I can offer is that I purchased some from a health food store as a sweetener substitute. The result was disappointing. Some think its really sweet, but it didn't sweeten my coffee. It just make it taste "different". It came as a finely ground white powder, and I just ended up throwing it away after a major, "yuck!" came out of my mouth.
2007-03-18 13:06:45 · answer #2 · answered by puppyfred 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stevia is great for your colon, and great if you like the taste of licorice, but as a sweetener, I also found it disappointing.
It's not very expensive, I don't think you'd save money by growing your own.
2007-03-18 21:14:02 · answer #3 · answered by mischavee 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's sweeter dried. I would just buy it dried if you can find it. Growing it is really hard. It takes all kinds of special conditions, and generally it's easier to just purchase it dried.
2007-03-18 13:02:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I haven't found anyone that had the same thing happen, but when I tried it it had undesirable psychotropic effects. It wasn't all that sweet either. I tossed it out.
2007-03-22 07:41:41 · answer #5 · answered by NitramDivad 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋