Overview

Experience the joy of growing your own natural sweetener with the stevia rebaudiana live plant. This remarkable herb, often called sweet leaf plant or candy leaf plant, is renowned for its intensely sweet-tasting leaves, which provide a guilt-free alternative to sugar. Native to Paraguay, Stevia Rebaudiana is a tender perennial that can be grown in USDA zones 9-11 outdoors, or as an annual and container plant in colder climates. Each well-rooted plug arrives ready for transplanting, offering a convenient way to establish this valuable herb in your garden or home. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, learning to grow stevia plant is a rewarding experience, providing fresh, sweet leaves for a variety of culinary uses.

The Stevia Rebaudiana live plant thrives in full sun and develops an upright, shrubby habit, reaching 18-24 inches tall and 16-18 inches wide. Its small white flowers bloom in late summer, though for optimal sweetness, it’s best to harvest leaves before flowering. This versatile herb integrates beautifully into various garden settings, from dedicated herb beds to patio containers and even landscape borders. The ease of care and the significant culinary benefit make the Stevia Rebaudiana live plant a must-have for anyone interested in natural, healthy living.

Key Benefits

Adding a Stevia Rebaudiana live plant to your garden offers numerous advantages, from its unique culinary properties to its ornamental appeal. It’s truly a multi-functional herb that enriches any green space.

• Natural Sweetener: Enjoy the natural, calorie-free sweetness of stevia leaves directly from your garden. This allows for a healthy alternative to processed sugars in beverages and foods.
• Versatile Culinary Use: Fresh or dried stevia leaves can be used to sweeten teas, coffees, smoothies, desserts, and more. The flavor is pure and potent, making it a valuable kitchen staple.
• Attractive Foliage: The vibrant green leaves and upright growth habit of the sweet leaf plant make it an appealing addition to herb gardens, containers, and landscape designs.
• Easy to Grow: With proper care, the stevia herb plant is relatively low-maintenance, thriving in sunny locations with consistent moisture. It’s suitable for both novice and experienced gardeners.
• Container Friendly: Its manageable size makes it an excellent choice for growing in pots on patios, balconies, or indoors, especially in regions with cold winters.
• Pollinator Friendly: While primarily grown for its leaves, the small white flowers can attract beneficial pollinators to your garden, contributing to local biodiversity.
• Perennial in Warmer Zones: In USDA zones 9-11, the Stevia Rebaudiana live plant will return year after year, providing a continuous supply of fresh leaves.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Stevia Rebaudiana live plant is straightforward and ensures a bountiful harvest of sweet leaves. This plant thrives with consistent attention to its environmental needs. It prefers a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. When growing indoors, place it near a south-facing window or under grow lights to ensure it gets adequate light. The ideal soil for a sweet leaf plant is well-draining and rich in organic matter. A good quality potting mix works well for container growing, while garden beds should be amended to improve drainage and fertility. Space plants 14-16 inches apart if planting multiple plugs in the ground.

Watering is crucial for the stevia herb plant. Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. Allow the top inch of soil to dry slightly between waterings, especially in containers. Overwatering can lead to root rot, while underwatering can cause the plant to wilt. Fertilize lightly during the growing season (spring and summer) with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. For optimal sweetness, it’s recommended to snip off flower buds as they appear, as the foliage is sweetest before the plant flowers. In colder climates, if you wish to overwinter your Stevia Rebaudiana live plant, bring container plants indoors before the first frost and place them in a bright location, reducing watering frequency during the dormant period. The plant can also succeed as a houseplant in a location with full sun.

Size & Details

This offering is for a Stevia Rebaudiana live plant, provided as a well-rooted plug. Each seedling comes in a small plug-size container, approximately 1 inch by 1 inch by 1 1/4 inches. The plant size will vary naturally from one plug to another, but each is carefully selected for a strong, healthy root system, which is the most important feature for successful transplanting. These starter plants are ideal for immediate transplanting into larger pots (3-4 inch pots initially) or directly into your garden bed once established. The candy leaf plant typically grows to an upright, shrubby habit of 18-24 inches tall and 16-18 inches wide when mature, depending on growing conditions and pruning. Expect a moderate growth rate, with harvestable leaves often available within a few weeks of transplanting.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this stevia rebaudiana live plant get? A: When mature, the Stevia Rebaudiana live plant typically grows to an upright, shrubby habit of 18-24 inches tall and 16-18 inches wide, depending on growing conditions and how often it’s harvested.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Each seedling comes as a well-rooted plug in a small container measuring approximately 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 1/4 inches, ready for you to transplant.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The sweet leaf plant can be grown both indoors and outdoors. It’s a perennial in USDA zones 9-11 for outdoor planting, and can be grown as an annual or overwintered indoors in colder climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does the stevia herb plant need? A: This plant thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If growing indoors, place it in the brightest available location, such as a south-facing window.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Stevia Rebaudiana live plant is relatively easy to care for, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. Its primary needs are full sun, consistent moisture, and well-draining soil.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your stevia rebaudiana live plant will arrive as a healthy, well-rooted plug, ready for transplanting. While minor leaf damage can occur during transit, the strong root system ensures quick recovery.
• Q: Can I use the leaves of the candy leaf plant in cooking? A: Absolutely! The leaves of the candy leaf plant are its most prized feature, offering a natural, calorie-free sweetener for teas, coffees, smoothies, and various culinary dishes.
• Q: How long until the stevia plant produces sweet leaves? A: You can typically start harvesting leaves from your stevia rebaudiana live plant within a few weeks after transplanting, once the plant has established itself and started to grow new foliage.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Stevia Rebaudiana live plant is perennial in USDA zones 9-11. In colder zones, it should be treated as an annual or brought indoors for the winter to protect it from frost.