Stevia-Sprouting from seed tips... please >>>

December 15, 2012

I just ordered some Stevia seed from Johnny's. I am interested in growing it and learning how to make Stevia oil [as a sugar substitute].
I have never been able to get Stevia to sprout from seed. Does anyone here have any seed-sprouting wisdom they can pass on?
I live in Southwest Michigan. Does anyone have any experience with bringing Stevia indoors for the winter? How small of a pot can I use [from garden to pots for indoors?]
Basically this could be a thread for All Things Stevia. I am serious about growing a bunch of these.

Redbaron · December 15, 2012

stevia growing tips

growing, drying, making stevia extract

The key is warmth. It is a tropical/semi-tropical plant. To get the seeds to sprout you need heat! They also are more like a wild plant. Meaning seeds that don't sprout this year may sprout next year.... Lots of wild plants use this strategy. That's why you have weeds every year in a garden...even when no new weed seeds have been added. They simply are dormant and waiting for the right opportunity.

So you can take 1/2 the seeds and direct sow them in an area of the garden with lots of sun and heat. Then if one sprouts, transplant it where you want. And take the other 1/2 and try to sprout them in very warm sunny locations indoors. Either way LOTS of heat and sun, but without drying the soil out! Then once you get a couple to sprout, you have it made, because cuttings with stevia are easy.

mcsee · December 15, 2012

I found it quite slow (2 weeks) to germinate and then fairly slow to get growing, although I have no faith in the seed vendor as the packet only contained 11 seeds for my $7.00.
It is a plant that dies down for the Winter here, so I'll be just keeping it in the greenhouse until it regenerates in Autumn. I haven't looked at making oil from mine at this stage.

Deborah · December 15, 2012

Here's something that happened to me: One day I was running errands and had just bought a stevia plant. While I was driving I got the most terrible heartburn.
On impulse, I reached over and picked a couple of leaves off the stevia in the passenger seat.
I remember walking into Target later and being amazed that tne heartburn was completely gone.
I have never heard of stevia being a cure for anything but it must have been what cured my heartburn that day.

Tracydr · December 15, 2012

I grew one last summer from HD. It struggled through our heat but survived and I think it's doing okay now, last I checked. Reminded me of a salvia.
I use stevia leaf from my herb store, just cut and sifted. I also buy extract, for things like yogurt, where I wouldn't want the leaf. But the leaf is great for my tea, just dried, in my strainer. Very sweet! Hoping my little plant will grow enough to bother dehydrating next summer.

biscgolf · December 16, 2012

germination is always slow and iffy... the baron is correct about the heat. i've also found it helpful to only cover the seed minimally- don't bury it. once you have one successful plant it will produce a lot of seed so you can simply overseed the dickens out of it the following years to get what you want.

SleestaksRule · January 18, 2013

I've been growing it from seed for quite a few years. You need good seed and the only places I have been able to get good seed is Burpee or Cooks Garden. Both over priced but they work. Germinated within 7 days. I see that Seed Savers is now carrying stevia, 100 seeds for about $3. I'd like to give that a shot. I have some going that I planted in November and made a "how to" video about it. I have them in soil and hydroponics.

How To Germinate Stevia

livinonfaith · January 18, 2013

Grew three plants two years ago. Honestly don't remember how they germinated, probably in potting soil, because that's what I was using for everything then.

They really didn't do well that dry hot Summer, and I just put them down as a failure. This Spring, cleaning out that area to put in some fresh herbs, I realized that it was covered in little Stevia plants! Apparently, at least one of the sad looking little guys had actually matured enough to flower and had spread seed all over the place.

I thinned them down to about five and this year they grew great. (moist year) Between them and the Pineapple Sage, it was a contest to see who would take over the world!

I just need to learn how to process them in order to use them!

Crandrew · January 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by livinonfaith

Grew three plants two years ago. Honestly don't remember how they germinated, probably in potting soil, because that's what I was using for everything then.

They really didn't do well that dry hot Summer, and I just put them down as a failure. This Spring, cleaning out that area to put in some fresh herbs, I realized that it was covered in little Stevia plants! Apparently, at least one of the sad looking little guys had actually matured enough to flower and had spread seed all over the place.

I thinned them down to about five and this year they grew great. (moist year) Between them and the Pineapple Sage, it was a contest to see who would take over the world!

I just need to learn how to process them in order to use them!

Bah! I wish my pineapple sage would have lived. It died pretty quickly last year. I couldn't find the sweet spot.

December 15, 2012	#1
WillysWoodPile Guest Posts: n/a	Stevia-Sprouting from seed tips... please >>> I just ordered some Stevia seed from Johnny's. I am interested in growing it and learning how to make Stevia oil [as a sugar substitute]. I have never been able to get Stevia to sprout from seed. Does anyone here have any seed-sprouting wisdom they can pass on? I live in Southwest Michigan. Does anyone have any experience with bringing Stevia indoors for the winter? How small of a pot can I use [from garden to pots for indoors?] Basically this could be a thread for All Things Stevia. I am serious about growing a bunch of these.

December 15, 2012	#2
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	stevia growing tips growing, drying, making stevia extract The key is warmth. It is a tropical/semi-tropical plant. To get the seeds to sprout you need heat! They also are more like a wild plant. Meaning seeds that don't sprout this year may sprout next year.... Lots of wild plants use this strategy. That's why you have weeds every year in a garden...even when no new weed seeds have been added. They simply are dormant and waiting for the right opportunity. So you can take 1/2 the seeds and direct sow them in an area of the garden with lots of sun and heat. Then if one sprouts, transplant it where you want. And take the other 1/2 and try to sprout them in very warm sunny locations indoors. Either way LOTS of heat and sun, but without drying the soil out! Then once you get a couple to sprout, you have it made, because cuttings with stevia are easy. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

December 15, 2012	#3
mcsee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Victoria. Australia Posts: 543	I found it quite slow (2 weeks) to germinate and then fairly slow to get growing, although I have no faith in the seed vendor as the packet only contained 11 seeds for my $7.00. It is a plant that dies down for the Winter here, so I'll be just keeping it in the greenhouse until it regenerates in Autumn. I haven't looked at making oil from mine at this stage.

December 15, 2012	#4
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	Here's something that happened to me: One day I was running errands and had just bought a stevia plant. While I was driving I got the most terrible heartburn. On impulse, I reached over and picked a couple of leaves off the stevia in the passenger seat. I remember walking into Target later and being amazed that tne heartburn was completely gone. I have never heard of stevia being a cure for anything but it must have been what cured my heartburn that day.

December 15, 2012	#5
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I grew one last summer from HD. It struggled through our heat but survived and I think it's doing okay now, last I checked. Reminded me of a salvia. I use stevia leaf from my herb store, just cut and sifted. I also buy extract, for things like yogurt, where I wouldn't want the leaf. But the leaf is great for my tea, just dried, in my strainer. Very sweet! Hoping my little plant will grow enough to bother dehydrating next summer.

December 16, 2012	#6
biscgolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 353	germination is always slow and iffy... the baron is correct about the heat. i've also found it helpful to only cover the seed minimally- don't bury it. once you have one successful plant it will produce a lot of seed so you can simply overseed the dickens out of it the following years to get what you want.

January 18, 2013	#7
SleestaksRule Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: IL & WI Posts: 37	I've been growing it from seed for quite a few years. You need good seed and the only places I have been able to get good seed is Burpee or Cooks Garden. Both over priced but they work. Germinated within 7 days. I see that Seed Savers is now carrying stevia, 100 seeds for about $3. I'd like to give that a shot. I have some going that I planted in November and made a "how to" video about it. I have them in soil and hydroponics. How To Germinate Stevia

January 18, 2013	#8
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	Grew three plants two years ago. Honestly don't remember how they germinated, probably in potting soil, because that's what I was using for everything then. They really didn't do well that dry hot Summer, and I just put them down as a failure. This Spring, cleaning out that area to put in some fresh herbs, I realized that it was covered in little Stevia plants! Apparently, at least one of the sad looking little guys had actually matured enough to flower and had spread seed all over the place. I thinned them down to about five and this year they grew great. (moist year) Between them and the Pineapple Sage, it was a contest to see who would take over the world! I just need to learn how to process them in order to use them!