STEVIA REBAUDIANA SEEDS | SWEET LEAF SEED

Stevia Seeds - The sugar sweet herb of the Inca.

If you enjoy Stevia, you can also grow it yourself from Stevia seeds. The Stevia seed needs a lot of care in the first time.

Also, in our latitudes the cultivation of Stevia rebaudiana is possible. The plants are normally perennial but cannot tolerate frost. You can get Stevia plants in nurseries, well-assorted garden centres, at weekly markets or online.

You can also grow Stevia plants from seeds. Some things have to be considered when growing from seeds, a germination temperature of at least 22 degrees Celsius must be maintained. The seed is sown in a bowl filled with soil, the seed is pressed on the surface of the soil and not covered with soil. Stevia is a light germinator!

Moisten the soil well and cover the bowl with glass or foil. Important: Leave a gap for ventilation. Place the bowl on the windowsill, in a bright and warm place. The first seedlings often come after 10 days. When the individual seedlings are about 4-5cm tall, plant them in a pot. It loves very permeable soil, mix some coarse sand under the planting soil and fertilize very sparingly.

Ideal is a sunny place on the balcony, the terrace, but also at home on the windowsill, these thrive splendidly. The Stevia plant loves light and warmth, make sure that the pot is large enough (18 to 20 cm in diameter) so that it has enough space to form its storage roots.

The Stevia leaves contain a sweetener Stevioside and have practically no calories and therefore also suitable for diabetics. The sweetener Stevia is traditionally used for mate tea in South America. In Europe it is used by tea lovers to sweeten herbal and black tea.