How to grow Stevia from Cuttings?

There are several plants out there, but no one is like stevia. It is a natural zero-calorie sweetener that you can grow in your own garden or home. The plant stevia is not very difficult to grow at all. It can be easily grown in your garden, containers, or pots. To learn how to grow stevia from cuttings, read full.

What is Stevia?

stevia plant or “stevia rebaudiana“ is a natural sweetener that can be used for various purposes. It grows with leaves that are sweet and has been used for sweetening teas, food, and drinks for a long time. Moreover, It is estimated that one stevia leaf tastes a hundred times sweeter than sugar.

It is recommended best for diabetic patients. This is a perennial plant that comes back year after year. There are other ways of growing stevia like from seeds but the best way of growing stevia is by cutting.

The plant of stevia is very easily propagated through cuttings. Read the complete article to learn about how to grow stevia from cuttings.

What is the difference between stevia plants and Stevia powders?

The stevia products that are easily available at stores are mostly refined powders known as stevia powders, used as a substitute for sugar for many diabetic people and in many drinks, processed foods, etc.

Whereas, home grown stevia, whether it is grown in pots, containers, raised beds or garden will give you a wonderful sweet harvest of pure stevia leaves that can be used in the kitchen and daily use. Also, because of its low calorie-feature, it doesn’t add up to body fat.

When to Plant Stevia?

Stevia plants are preferred to grow when the danger of frost passes. It cannot tolerate cold temperatures. And, if you are living in a colder area; try planting them indoors through container gardening or pots. You can place your pot in the sun when it shines on cold days.

Sunlight is mandatory for the stevia plant to grow. Hence, place it on a location where it gets a minimum 6 hrs of sunlight. You can easily grow stevia indoors through seeds and once, the temperature becomes suitable (50-60 degrees) you can transplant them into your garden outside.

How to Grow Stevia From Cuttings?

Stevia can be grow from cuttings effortlessly by using the following steps.

1. You need a sharp scissor to cut the stem. Make sure that the stem you chose for cutting should not have any flowers. During winters, stevia plant produces small white flowers. Cut the stem that are 6 to 8 inches long just below the node of leave. Make sure the plant you chose is healthy.
2. Remove all the leaves from the bottom of the stem of stevia. Branches of stevia can also be found in grocery stores, easily. But before using these cuttings, cut the bottom of the stem bought from store. Now, you can grow these cuttings in water. Once, the roots are developed you can plant them into your desired container, pot or directly in the garden. Also, you can directly plant them in the prepared soil.
3. The third step is using rooting hormone. It is used for the fast growth of the roots and stem and help them to adjust to the new surrounding of your pot or garden. To apply rooting hormone by taking the end of the cutting and dab them lightly in the powder or gel of rooting hormone. Still, there are maximum chances of successfuly growing stevia plant from cutting if you don’t want to use rooting hormone.
4. Take a pot or container and fill it with high-quality potting mix. In terms of soil, the cuttings of stevia will grow best in soil rich in organic matter. Avoid putting fertilizers in the soil as it can affect the sweetness of the plant leaves. Hence, it is better to use a high-quality potting mix that contains moss, peat, pertile, vermiculite and other organic matters. Also, do not use garden soil. And make sure that the container or pot has a drainage hole in the bottom large enough so that the roots do not rot and air circulation can happen.
5. To plant the stevia cutting in the soil, make a hole in the soil of pot and place your cutting in it. Keep watering the soil and keep it moist for 3-4 weeks. Do not let the soil dry, spray water gently on the surface to keep it moist. To make the cutting grow faster, place the pot where it get minimum 6 hours of sunlight. A south-facing window would be best to place your container for maximum exposure of sunlight. When the frost season pass, you can place your container outside to thrive more.
6. Once the root system is developed and the plant shows some growth, you can transplant it into a larger pot or In your garden.

How to Grow Stevia from seeds?

To grow stevia from seeds use the following steps.

1. Select the container. it is advised to select a small pot in the beginning.
2. Soil Preparation. Stevia grows best in the soil rich in organic materials. Hence use potting mix for growing stevia from seeds as it contains peat, moss, vermiculite, and other organic material.
3. Sow the seeds. Make a hole in the soil of about 1/2 inch and put the seed in it. Cover it with a thin layer of the soil.
4. Watering. Keep the soil moist. Water the soil immediately after planting the seed. Regular water the pot and wait for the germination of seed.
5. Care. Take good care of the seedling. Make sure that it gets enough water, sunlight, air, etc.
6. Transplant. Once the seedling grows into 2-3 inch plant transplant it in the large pot for more space. And if the weather is warm, you can directly plant them in your garden.

How to Transplant Stevia Cuttings?

As mentioned earlier, stevia could not tolerate frost. So when the weather outside is warm enough, you can start to transplant your stevia plant in the garden or larger pot. To ensure a good transplant, keep note of the following steps.

1. To plant the stevia in the garden, make sure there is 20-24 inch gap between every two plants. So that when they grow they get enough space. Stevia plant can grow up to 24-30 inches tall.
2. The soil should be loamy and well-drained. The soil should also be rich in nutrients so that the plant can grow fully. Add compost to make the soil rich in nutrients. The best time to add compost to the soil is 2 weeks before transplanting.
3. The pH of the soil in which you are going to transplant should range from 6.7 to 7.2 to check the pH of the soil, a pH kit is available at gardening stores.
   
   
   

Growing stevia at-home care

When to water the stevia plant?

Every plant needs regular water but you should avoid overwatering the stevia plant as it can cause the roots to rot and harm the plant. So provide water as much as needed.

First, to know if the plant needs water or not check the soil with your finger. It is the simplest and easy way to know. Put your finger in the soil and if it feels dry then it needs water otherwise wait.

Second, if the leaves of the stevia plants start wilting, it means it needs water. Water your plants to avoid wilting as it can develop stress in the stevia plants.

Fertilizer

You should feed water-soluble fertilizer to your plant. Stevia plants are known for their leaves and using organic water-soluble fertilizers will enhance the growth better and healthier leaves. Read proper instructions on the packet of fertilizer before using it.

When To Harvest Stevia?

Being a houseplant you can pick the leaves of stevia whenever you want but the best time to harvest stevia leaves is the fall. During the fall, the temperature goes down and it helps in enhancing the sweetness of the leaves of stevia plants. The first and second harvest is productive as they stop producing leaves after 2 years. Hence, you have to replant them after every second year. And for replanting, you should use the cuttings of healthy plants and follow the steps mentioned above. Also, note that you should harvest the stevia leaves before opening the buds of this plant.


Thanks For Reading.