Herb Of The Week - Stevia - Growing

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Below are some tips on growing Stevia, including a few mail order

sources for the plants ...

 

Have a great weekend folks!

 

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Chris (list mom)

 

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(excerpted from ) http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm

 

You need not be a South American planter to be a successful stevia

grower. While the herb's native locale may make it appear somewhat

exotic, it has proved to be quite adaptable and capable of being

cultivated in climate zones as diverse as Florida and southern Canada.

 

 

True, home-grown stevia may lack the potency of refined white

stevia extract; whole stevioside content generally ranges from 81 to 91

percent, as compared to a leaf level of approximately 12 percent. But

it can provide you with a quantity of freshly harvested stevia 'tea

leaves' to augment your supply of commercial stevia sweeteners.

 

 

Organic gardeners in particular should find stevia an ideal

addition to their yield. Though nontoxic, stevia plants have been found

to have insect-repelling tendencies. Their very sweetness, in fact, may

be a kind of natural defense mechanism against aphids and other bugs

that find it not to their taste. Perhaps that's why crop-devouring

grasshoppers have been reported to bypass stevia under cultivation.

 

 

Then, too, raising stevia yourself, whether in your back yard or on

your balcony, is another positive way you can personally (and quite

legally) protest the wrongheaded government policies that have for so

long deprived the American people of its benefits -- a kind of

contemporary Victory Garden.

 

 

 

How to start your own stevia patch

 

It would be difficult, at best, to start a stevia patch from

scratch -- that is, by planting seeds. Even if you could get them to

germinate, results might well prove disappointing, since stevioside

levels can vary greatly in plants grown from seed.

 

The recommended method is rather to buy garden-ready 'starter'

plants, which given stevia's 'growing' popularity, may well be

obtainable from a nursery or herbalist in your area -- provided you're

willing to scout around a bit. If you're not, or are unsuccessful in

locating any, there are at least three growers of high-quality stevia

who will ship you as many baby plants as you'd like.

 

 

Keep in mind that not all stevia plants are created equal in terms

of stevioside content, and, hence, sweetness. It's therefore a good

idea to try to determine if the plants you're buying have been grown

from cuttings whose source was high in stevioside.

 

 

Because tender young stevia plants are especially sensitive to low

temperatures, it's important that you wait until the danger of frost is

past and soil temperatures are well into the 50s and 60s before

transplanting them into your garden.

 

 

Once you begin, it's best to plant your stevia in rows 20 to 24

inches apart, leaving about 18 inches between plants. Your plants

should grow to a height of about 30 inches and a width of 18 to 24

inches.

 

 

 

The care and feeding of stevia

 

Stevia plants do best in a rich, loamy soil -- the same kind in

which common garden-variety plants thrive. Since the feeder roots tend

to be quite near the surface, it is a good idea to add compost for extra

nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy.

 

 

Besides being sensitive to cold during their developmental stage,

the roots can also be adversely affected by excessive levels of

moisture. So take care not to overwater them and to make sure the soil

in which they are planted drains easily and isn't soggy or subject to

flooding or puddling.

 

 

Frequent light watering is recommended during the summer months.

Adding a layer of compost or your favorite mulch around each stevia

plant will help keep the shallow feeder roots from drying out.

 

 

Stevia plants respond well to fertilizers with a lower nitrogen

content than the fertilizer's phosphoric acid or potash content. Most

organic fertilizers would work well, since they release nitrogen slowly.

 

 

 

 

 

Gathering autumn stevia leaves

 

Harvesting should be done as late as possible, since cool autumn

temperatures and shorter days tend to intensify the sweetness of the

plants as they evolve into a reproductive state. While exposure to

frost is still to be avoided, covering the plants during an early frost

can give you the benefit of another few weeks' growth and more

sweetness.

 

 

When the time does come to harvest your stevia, the easiest

technique is to cut the branches off with pruning shears before

stripping the leaves. As an extra bonus, you might also want to clip

off the very tips of the stems and add them to your harvest, as they are

apt to contain as much stevioside as do the leaves.

 

 

If you live in a relatively frost-free climate, your plants may

well be able to survive the winter outside, provided you do not cut the

branches too short (leaving about 4 inches of stem at the base during

pruning). In that case, your most successful harvest will probably come

in the second year. Three-year-old plants will not be as productive

and, ideally, should be replaced with new cuttings.

 

 

In harsher climates, however, it might be a good idea to take cuttings

that will form the basis for the next year's crop. Cuttings need to be

rooted before planting, using either commercial rooting hormones or a

natural base made from willow tree tips, pulverized onto a slurry in

your blender. After dipping the cuttings in such a preparation, they

should be planted in a rooting medium for two to three weeks, giving the

new root system a chance to form. They should then be potted --

preferably in 4.5-inch pots -- and placed in the sunniest and least

drafty part of your home until the following spring.

 

 

 

Growing stevia without land

 

Just because you live within the confines of an apartment or

condominium doesn't mean you can't enjoy the benefits of stevia farming.

This versatile plant can be grown either in pots on your balcony or any

sunny spot, or else in a hydroponic unit. Stevia plants also do quite

well in " container gardens. " A 10 " to 12 " diameter container filled

with a lightweight growing mix is an ideal size for each plant. A

little mulch on the top will help retain the moisture in the shallow

root zone. A properly fertilized hydroponic unit or container garden

can provide you with as much stevia as an outdoor garden, if not more.

 

 

 

 

Sources for mail-order stevia plants

 

The Herbal Advantage is a Missouri herb supplier offering 2 1/4 " pot

size stevia plants ready for planting in your garden. For information

and prices, call 800-753-9929, or write to them at Rte. 3, Box 93,

Rogersville, MO 65742

 

 

Richter's Herbs, a Canadian business, offers plants in 2 1/2 " pots via

courier to customers in the U.S. and Canada. For information and

prices, you can call (905) 640-6677 or fax them at (905) 640-6641 or

write them at 357 Highway 47, Goodwood, Ontario L0C-1A0

 

 

Well Sweep Herb Farm is another source offering plants in 3 " pots either

via mail order or to customers who stop by. It is located at 205 Mt.

Bethel Road, Port Murray, NJ 07865 or can be reached at (908) 852-5390