Worth knowing:
The perennial Stevia rebaudiana, also known as sugar leaf or sweet leaf, has been used for centuries as sweetener with a liquorice-like taste. It is seen as the ideal alternative to artificial sweetener and sugar. The sweetness of the leaves is about 10 to 30 times stronger than sugar, it has 0 calories and, other than sugar, it is generally accepted as not having health-damaging effects, like causing caries. The Stevia is also known as suitable for diabetics and doesn’t cause high blood sugar. The around 50 to 80 cm small shrub is easy to cultivate in a pot. The flexible and hairy sprouts develop soft leaves and during autumn white blossoms on the tips.
Natural Location:
The Stevia was already cultivated in pre-Colombian times by the indigenous people in the semi-humid climate of the highlands of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, and was already known as sweetener and also as remedy.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. Just press the seeds gently onto moist potting compost and, since the Stevia is a light germinator, put only a very thin layer of compost earth on top. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out, but don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and very warm with a temperature between 25°C and 30°Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. Depending on the propagation temperature, the first seedlings will come up after one to four weeks.
Place:
The Stevia prefers a sunny place, but can also grow half-shaded. A light windy spot can be of advantage as well since it makes pest infestations less likely.
Care:
The Sweat Leaf develops strong roots and should be cultivated in a bigger pot right from the start. Water the plant regularly as soon as the upper layer of the substrate has dried out, and avoid water logging in pot and saucer. The shoot tips can easily be pruned to support a more bushy growth. During autumn you may cut the dead sprouts close to ground-level, and after blossoming or with beginning of spring the whole plant is to be cut back to a hand-breadth. Herbs actually don’t need fertilizing since they are rather sensitive to excessively nutritious earth.
During the winter:
The perennial Sweat Leaf of Paraguay is rather sensitive to frost and should be moved indoors to bright place near a window, as soon as the temperatures fall below 10° Celsius. Water the plant only modest during winter, so that the roots don’t dry out. If the plant is kept in a more dark and cool place, it will draw back the aerial parts and shoot again in spring.
Picture credits:
- © © Ethel Aardvark - CC-BY-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
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- © Ethel Aardvark - CC-BY-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
