has anyone tried growing Stevia?

[jeffpirkey]

I was thinking of raising Stevia 1) to use as a natural sweetner and 2) to resell the seedlings or dried leaves. Has anyone had any experience with this herb?

[justdoit]

I have three if them in pots. Meant to plant them out in the herb garden, but didn't get around to it. They are tropical and must be brought in during cold weather here. You may be able to winter it over in AL with some mulch. I have read some reports that it is hard to start from seed, but haven't tried it. I started my extras from cuttings placed in small pots inside plastic bags for a humidity chamber.

[johno]

I bought a stevia plant from the herb store and put it in my garden several weeks ago. I was a little worried because the tag said not to keep it too well watered, then I planted comfrey right next to it, which needs a lot of water. Everything's fine, though. It's as sweet as can be!

I think the bigger problem will be overwintering it. I probably should have put it in a container... We generally can expect a few days of single digit weather each year, and it can get to ten below - yikes! Does anybody know if mulch will protect stevia under these circumstances, and if not, how particular is it about being dug up and repotted?

[littlechickenfarmer]

I would love to grow stevia, is it hard to grow from seed, or are plants the way to go.

[johno]

I've never tried growing it from seed. I don't usually have much luck growing most herbs from seed, but surely somebody out there knows a few tricks of the trade?

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Johno,

I am not a master on it but stevia does not survive well in cold conditions...grew it a few years back and was not impressed with the flavor. (Tastes like Nutra Sweet to me....YUCK!) I do not think that you will be able to save it by mulching. Here is what I do with all my tender annuals. I take cuttings before fall (Lots!) I keep these potted in the green house or in a sunny window. As they get leggy I take cuttings from the cuttings...I do this all winter and then set them back in the garden to do it all over again. I have had good success with Lemon Verbena (which can be a booger to root and is very cold sensitive) along with my basils and vietnamese cilantro that does not seed. I keep them all going this way. I think it would be a little more sure for you to take cuttings than to chance losing your whole plant by mulching.

Another thing that you can try if you want (seems like a waste to me) is to plant it close to an area with an outlet and prep the soil out with soil warming cables and plug her in. Mulch on top of that and your plant should survive. (Unless the power goes out.)

Just some thougts.

Chad

[johno]

Thanks Chad,

That sounds really good. Would you mind going into a little more detail about how you take cuttings and propagate them? I don't know why I didn't think of that, maybe because I haven't done it in so long... never even tried it with herbs...

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Super easy man...

What I do is this:

Get a pot (I prefer a longer one as opposed to a short one) and fill it with perlite or vermiculite. I have been using vermiculite that looks an awful lot like perlite.

Wet it down really good. Then take cuttings from your plants. Preferably from the top growth. (The softer the cutting the easier the rooting. Stay away from woody growth...it can be done but is a bit tricky...)

Now you can use organic rooting hormone or the stuff from the nursery or from wally's place. Or make your own from willow. The easiest is to use the stuff from Walleys. But I will leave that to your preference.

Wet the stem (about an inch or two of stem works best for me.) and dip it in the hormone or whatever you have chosen. Make a hole and stick it in your growing medium. Do this to all the cuttings that you want to make.

Make sure you keep the medium moist and out of direct sun. In the shade or in a shaded green house is the best. Depending on temps and what you are rooting most should have roots in about 2 weeks. Basil and other things I have gotten to root in a matter of days. Practice on mints and things...I think that stevia is a mint realtion...I am not sure...But I am pretty sure that it should be one of the easier things to root. Lemon Verbena has a hit and miss success rate. But using the method above I have been able to root about 95 percent of my Verbena cuttings.

When I started in the beginning I kill more than I saved so I hope my experiece saves you some plants.

Rooting is pretty stinking simple. In fact rooting mint members can be done in a glass of water in your kitchen window. Other things are harder but give it a shot. It is not as hard as what it might seem. I am by no means a master and I can do it. Also remember that when you get done rooting your cuttings DO NOT put them straight out in the garden. (They will die.) The need to be somewhat hardened off just like anything else. Once they root I start hitting they with a strong P and K fertilizer of the organic kind.


Oh...be sure to remove any excess leaves from the plant down where your stem is going to be. You want to find the right balance of leaves for the new plant...do not take to much off but do not leave to much on as well...remember that those little roots will have to supply all those leaves for a while and you don't want to over work them. I remove some of the bigger ones at the bottom to make room for the new stem and then use the leaves I remove to make tea or whatever. You can also root quite a few plants and start selling them. In arkansas you do not have to have a state license to sell herbs or veggies. Just shrubs and trees.


You can do it man! No problems....

Later!

Chad

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;The stuff I use is called DipnGrow which is liquid rooting hormone.
www.dipngrow.com It is highly flamable and NOT organic but it will get any plant to root including hardwood cuttings from fruit trees and every exotic plant on the planet.Cost is $8.99.Will make several hundred cuttings.I usually use two packages a year.-

[johno]

Thanks chad - thanks zebraman,

Chad, What do you use for an organic source of P and K? Just curious... Otherwise I think I'm all set.

Z, dipngrow looks like good stuff. It sounds like the gibberelic acid we used in botany class, but I didn't see that listed. Do you know offhand if gibberelic acid IS an auxin?

[zebraman]

Hey Johno;It is similar but synthetic and not fungus derived.
Also auxin stimulates cell elongation and if gibberlins are also present the effect is stronger.Auxin does pertain to root swelling but it is also for triggering germination in seeds
And if the Space-Cadets,that huff paint ever discover this stuff it will become their
Dom Perignon!-

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Alaska makes a 0-10-10 which I sometimes use. When I do not use that I use Age Old which comes in a 5-10-5. I also use alot of Neptunes 3-2-2 fish and kelp. Though sometimes I will use a 5-1-1. But not usually on cuttings. Man that is alot of numbers.

For woody cuttings take the bottom part of the stem and cut the length of it down to the bottom to the center of the stem. What you are trying to do is open the stem to its center so the center would be exposed an inch or so up from the bottom of the cutting. This allows rooting to be much easier done. As the roots "escape" or whatever from the cutting easier. Doing this you can buy the cheap rooting hormone and make it work nicely.


Later!

Chad

[johno]

Very interesting. Thanks guys!

[johno]

I took some stevia cuttings and used the rooting powder, etc. So far they look just as perky if not more so as they were on the plant.

[jeffpirkey]

Wow!!!! You guys are great!!! I am learning a lot here. Where can I go to get cuttings from Stevia plants? Is Stevia sold at nursery's?

[johno]

I bought mine at an herb store that sells both plants and dried herbs.

Update on the cutting: All but two have turned to a black mush. I think I went overboard on keeping up the moisture...

[johno]

Now they are all dried up. Could it be too hot in the shade? I wonder why the cuttings didn't live?

[justdoit]

I read somewhere that the best cuttings should be ripe enough to snap off and not just crimp. I used rooting powder and a large cell 6-pack. Placed in the bottom of a gallon sized plastic bag in good light, but no sun. I believe I partially closed off the top, but not all the way. I saw some leaves turning to mush...removed than and gave them more air circulation. Another trick is to keep a quart spray bottle of water with 1/4 t. of baking soda and a couple of drops of dish soap handy. That mix will kill mildew and mold that starts to develope on cuttings. They rooted in a fairly short period of time...maybe 3-4 weeks. (Seemed short to me because I usually root woody ornamentals, roses, etc.) Don't forget to remove all leaves except 3-4 at the top of the cutting, and keep them short.

[justdoit]

PS... Johno, did you dig any of those cuttings to see how well rooted they were? Sounds like they couldn't take up enough water to support the tops. If the mother plant is still alive...try again after the weather breaks in the fall. I usually keep my cuttings inside under lights, so I can keep a close eye on them. The only outside rooting I do is dormant over winter (in the garden) and under a homemade "fog" rig in full sun.

[johno]

I didn't pull them up, but that's a good idea. I will shortly.

[Orgarden]

I started growing Stevia from seed last month (I plan on growing it as a houseplant). I had read that you can't really tell the sweetness that you will get with plants from seeds but I guess I'm lucky or I just have low standards ;) because I just tasted one of the leaves from one plant and it's very sweet. The only problem is that I had a 33% germination rate (2 out of 6 seeds sprouted) but then again, I had expected this... that's why I planted six seeds at once. I think next year I will try planting more to experiment on sweetness. Hope this helps.

[johno]

PS... Johno, did you dig any of those cuttings to see how well rooted they were? Sounds like they couldn't take up enough water to support the tops. If the mother plant is still alive...try again after the weather breaks in the fall. I usually keep my cuttings inside under lights, so I can keep a close eye on them. The only outside rooting I do is dormant over winter (in the garden) and under a homemade "fog" rig in full sun.

I dug them up. Some small roots evident... :confused:

[Vera_EWASH]

Johno,

I have great success rooting everything in straight perlite. You avoid all possible stem rot diseases often associated with potting up cuttings in potting soil...especially for those slow to root cuttings. I take my pot, fill with perlite and then sit the pot in a pan of water until it is thuroughly moistened. Then I take my finger, poke a hole and insert the 2 to 5" cutting at least 2 nodes in (leaves removed from the nodes of course) and them make sure the perlite is in good contact around the stem. Let the pot drain a little. Then I usually I will insert the pot into a large Ziplock bag and blow air into it as I zip it up; this prevents the baggie from laying on the leaves. Set out into indirect light and blow new air in maybe every other day....shouldn't take long for roots to start forming. You can up-zip the bag partly if too much condensation is occuring before roots form. Weather rooted or not, cuttings might wilt when exposed to the drier air outside the bag, just close it back up and repeat opening a little longer and a little wider each day until it remains turgid find with the natural air. Be sure to re-set the pot in a dish of water to keep the moisture up. Actually a pot of perlite can be left to sit in a dish of water and only wick up when needed with no ill effect :D


Best of luck which ever methods you choose and enjoy your herbs :D

Vera

[johno]

Most helpful. Thanks Vera!

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Hey man,

most likely your problem was to much light and maybe to much water. Make sure the tub that you have them in is deep enough to let the water seep out. The one I use is about 8 inches deep. (8 inches of perlite in it) Keep it in the shade with a fan blowing on it (that might help) and keep moist not drenched. I have rooted in 100 degree (shade weather) before and been successful. The direct light I found is the key. Course you may have flooded em. But try it again. With rooting you only kill a few before you become a master at it. It really does not take long to get "good"

I will give you some rooted herbs when you get to my place if you want. I will show you what I do....

take care,

Chad

[johno]

Thanks Chad. Sounds like maybe my medium was too shallow? maybe a little rich, too...
Sounds good - see you Saturday.

[Orgarden]

I guess to answer my own question, I just tried the other stevia plant of the two that sprouted for me (the second finally grew enough leaves to take one to test). It was like eating a leaf with a slightly sweet taste to it. This was completely unlike what I experienced with the first sprout! The first was like eating a candied leaf.

I guess what they say about the varying degrees of sweetness from plant to plant is very true. But I have to say, 2 sprouting from 6 seeds planted and 1 out of those two with the sweetness that it has, I'm not disappointed that I tried starting from seed.