Stevia

Looking for a natural sweetener? this maybe your ideal plant.

Stevia rebaudiana
About Stevia: The plant itself has been grown for hundreds of years in South America and was first discovered by a Swiss botanist named Moises Santiago Bertoni when working in Paraguay. The leaves have been used traditionally for hundreds of years in South America to sweeten local teas and medicines. Whilst it's possible to grow Stevia from seed we prefer to take cuttings. As a plant the germination rates are not very good from seed. At the nursery we take cuttings almost all year round resulting in good strong plants. Stevia is a plant that likes a fair bit of warmth we grow ours around 15-20 degrees making it a perfect plant for indoors. In the summer months it can be grown outside and makes a nice talking point at barbecues. When it comes to choosing compost for your plants a good multi purpose soil is ideal. Stevia enjoys a well drained open compost making sure that the plant does not sit wet. If you can find a multi purpose compost with added john innes that would be ideal. You can always add some grit or perlite to the compost yourself to help open up the soil. I like Stevia as a house plant. It'll happily grow on a sunny windowsill or in the conservatory but make sure it gets adequate warmth over the winter (15-20 degrees centigrade). When potting your plants up make sure you bare in mind where the plant will be living. There's no point in choosing a giant pot if it won't fit on the windowsill. The plug plants that we grow pot on very nicely into a 9-12cm pot which can be plastic, ceramic or terracotta whichever style you prefer. Once you've potted the plants on it'll take them a little while to settle into their new home but after a few days or weeks you should start seeing some fresh growth.

Grows to a height of around 50cm and spreads to around 40cm.

FAQ's

Is this plant "garden ready"

No, we prefer our plug plants (also known as starter plants) to be potted up before going into the garden. The ideal size is a 9 cm pot, but it can be slightly smaller or larger if you would prefer. In the warmer months you may get away with planting straight out, but it is probably not worth the risk.

What compost should I use?

A good quality multipurpose compost is idea for this especially if you can add a bit of John innes. You can use your own compost but make sure you know that it is not too high (or low) in nutrients.

Will I get the plants in the picture?

Yes, In the main picture. As this plant is a starter plant it may not look exactly the same at the moment but will grow to be the same as the picture. The plug plant picture is used to give you an idea of size and may not be the same variety.

Are all of these plants Hardy?

No, although it is tougher than it appears. We suggest bring it in during the winter.

What is a plug plant?

A plug plant is a small starter plant that is perfect to pot up in to a larger plant. We grow and sell so many of these because the allow us to do it for such a good price.

Is the plug plant in the picture the one I will get?

No, we use this picture just to give you an idea of the size of the plant.