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1Will it grow where I live?
Stevia is only hardy to zone 8, so outdoors year-round it needs the mildest spots in Central Europe – wine-growing regions, the Rhine valley, coasts, Lake Constance, Ticino – or a container overwintered under cover. Most of the British Isles and the Pacific coast of North America qualify.
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Profile
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- annual
- Height
- 0.6 m
- Spread
- 0.6 m
- Growth
- medium
- Lifespan
- 3 years
- First yield
- after 1 year
- Hardiness
- zone 8–11
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Soil
- Sand, Silt
- Soil moisture
- moist – very wet
- pH
- 5.3 – 8.6
- Synonyms
- Stevia, Sweet leaf-of-Paraguay
Flowering & harvest
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowering | ||||||||||||
| Leaf harvest |
Uses
Growing
Stevia prefers full sun to partial shade and requires moist, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral, organically rich, loamy or sandy soils. It is a tender perennial native to humid tropical regions of Brazil and Paraguay. Plants should be spaced about 18 inches apart and benefit from regular watering without waterlogging. Propagation is best done by stem cuttings or seeds started indoors before transplanting after the last frost. Prune flower buds to improve leaf sweetness and harvest leaves just before flowering for best flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Stevia: how big does it get?
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) grows as a annual and reaches roughly 0.6 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 0.6 m. Growth is medium.
Stevia: what site does it need?
Stevia tolerates light shade. Suitable soils are Sand, Silt. Soil moisture should be in the range moist – very wet. The pH may lie between 5.3 and 8.6.
Stevia: is it hardy?
Stevia is listed as hardy in zone 8–11 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Stevia: will it grow in Central Europe?
Stevia is only hardy to zone 8, so outdoors year-round it needs the mildest spots in Central Europe – wine-growing regions, the Rhine valley, coasts, Lake Constance, Ticino – or a container overwintered under cover. Most of the British Isles and the Pacific coast of North America qualify.
Stevia: when does it flower?
In a temperate northern-hemisphere climate it flowers from July to September.
Stevia: is it poisonous?
Individual parts of Stevia are noted as mildly problematic — the plant does not count as poisonous. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone, only on a confident identification.
Stevia: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 1/10, Medicinal 1/10, Other uses 1/10.
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Community experience
What Permaplans users wrote about this plant – taken from the app as is. 1 post.
Ich trockene die Blätter und mixe sie zu Pulver als pflanzliches Süßungsmittel (sehr konzentriert), d. h. Zuckerersatz in Getränken. Im Gewächshaus fühlt sie sich relativ wohl. Überwinterung ist mir noch nicht gelungen. Also kaufe ich sie jährlich neu von der Kräutergärtnerei.
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