Stevia Live Plant – 2 Pack Sweet Herb Starter Plants, 4-6″ Tall, Well-Rooted, Outdoor

Overview

Introduce the delightful world of natural sweetness to your home with our stevia live plant starter pack. You’ll receive two healthy, well-rooted Stevia rebaudiana plants, each measuring 4-6 inches tall, ready to thrive in your garden or containers. Known as the ‘sweet herb’, stevia is celebrated for its intensely sweet leaves, offering a calorie-free alternative to sugar. These young plants are perfect for both seasoned gardeners and beginners eager to explore the benefits of growing their own food. Cultivating stevia live plant varieties allows you to have a fresh supply of this remarkable sweetener right at your fingertips, enhancing everything from teas to desserts with its unique flavor. Our robust starter plants ensure a successful beginning to your stevia growing journey.

Stevia plants are a fantastic addition to any edible garden, providing not only a sweet treat but also an attractive foliage plant. They are relatively easy to care for and adapt well to various growing conditions, making them a versatile choice for many climates. Whether you’re aiming for a healthier lifestyle or simply enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting your own ingredients, these stevia live plant specimens are an excellent choice. Prepare to enjoy the fresh, sweet taste of homegrown stevia throughout the growing season.

Key Benefits

Discover the numerous advantages of integrating a stevia live plant into your home garden. Beyond its primary use as a natural sweetener, stevia offers several compelling benefits for both your health and your gardening experience. These plants are easy to grow and provide a continuous harvest of sweet leaves.

• Natural Calorie-Free Sweetener: Stevia leaves are naturally sweet, providing a healthy, calorie-free alternative to sugar. You can use fresh or dried leaves to sweeten beverages, desserts, and other foods, supporting a healthier diet without sacrificing taste.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The leaves of the stevia live plant can be used in various culinary applications. Simply steep fresh leaves in hot water for a naturally sweetened tea, or dry and crush them into a powder for baking and cooking.
• Easy to Grow Herb: Stevia is a relatively low-maintenance herb, making it suitable for gardeners of all skill levels. With proper care, these plants will flourish, providing an abundant supply of sweet leaves throughout the growing season.
• Container and Garden Friendly: These starter plants are perfect for growing in outdoor gardens, raised beds, or containers on a patio or balcony. They can even be grown indoors as an herb garden accent, bringing natural sweetness closer to your kitchen.
• Attractive Foliage: Beyond its utility, the stevia plant features attractive green foliage, adding a pleasant aesthetic to your herb garden or mixed container arrangements.
• Supports Healthy Lifestyle: By providing a natural, zero-calorie sweetener, stevia live plant helps in reducing sugar intake, which can contribute to a healthier lifestyle and better blood sugar management.
• Sustainable & Renewable Resource: Growing your own stevia means you have a sustainable and renewable source of sweetener, reducing reliance on processed sugars and store-bought alternatives.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your stevia live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest of sweet leaves. These hardy herbs thrive with consistent attention to their basic needs. Start by providing them with the right environment. Stevia prefers a location that receives full sun to partial shade, ideally at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. If growing indoors, place them near a bright, south-facing window or under grow lights to ensure adequate light exposure.

When it comes to watering, keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out slightly before watering again. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot, so ensure your pots have drainage holes or your garden soil is well-amended. A well-draining potting mix or garden soil enriched with compost is ideal for growing stevia at home. During active growth, you can fertilize lightly every 2-4 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Pinching back the tips of young plants will encourage bushier growth and more leaves, which means more natural sweetener for you. In cooler climates, stevia can be grown as an annual, or brought indoors before the first frost to overwinter. Understanding stevia plant care will help you maximize your yield.

Stevia plants are generally resilient but can occasionally face issues like aphids or whiteflies. Inspect your plants regularly and treat any pests with organic insecticidal soap. Maintaining good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering can help prevent fungal diseases. For those interested in natural sweetener plant options, stevia is a rewarding choice that provides fresh, healthy leaves for many uses. Remember that while they are hardy, protecting them from extreme cold is essential, especially when growing stevia at home in USDA zones below 8.

Size & Details

This offering includes two individual stevia live plant starter plants. Each plant arrives well-rooted in a plug, ensuring a strong foundation for transplanting. At the time of shipment, the plants will stand approximately 4-6 inches tall, measured from the soil line to the top of the foliage. These young plants are an ideal size for immediate planting into larger pots, containers, or directly into your garden bed. When mature, stevia plants can reach a height of 1-3 feet tall and spread similar widths, forming a bushy, herbaceous perennial in suitable climates.

Stevia has a moderate growth rate, and with proper care, you can expect to begin harvesting leaves within a few weeks of planting. The plants are shipped in a protected manner to ensure they arrive healthy and ready to grow. They are suitable for USDA Growing Zones 8-11 for perennial growth, but can be successfully grown as an annual in cooler climates. These plants represent a fantastic start to cultivating your own source of this popular sweet herb plant.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this stevia live plant get? A: Each stevia live plant will arrive at approximately 4-6 inches tall. When mature and grown in ideal conditions, stevia plants can reach a height of 1-3 feet tall and a similar spread, forming a nice bushy plant.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor stevia plant? A: Stevia can be grown both indoors and outdoors. It thrives outdoors in full sun to partial shade during warm months, especially in USDA zones 8-11. In cooler climates or during winter, it can be brought indoors and grown as a houseplant.
• Q: How much sunlight does my stevia plant need? A: Your stevia live plant prefers at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the sweetest leaves. If growing indoors, place it in a bright, sunny window or supplement with a grow light.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, stevia is considered a relatively easy-to-care-for herb, making it suitable for beginner gardeners. Consistent watering, adequate sunlight, and occasional pruning are key for successful stevia plant care.
• Q: What condition will the plants arrive in? A: Your two stevia live plant starter plants will arrive well-rooted in plugs, carefully packaged to ensure they are healthy and ready for transplanting into your garden or containers.
• Q: When is the best time to plant stevia? A: The best time to plant stevia outdoors is in spring after all danger of frost has passed. If you’re growing stevia at home indoors, you can plant it any time of year, ensuring it has enough light.
• Q: Can I use stevia leaves fresh from the plant? A: Absolutely! The fresh leaves from your sweet herb plant can be used directly to sweeten teas, lemonades, or other beverages. You can also dry and crush them for a powdered sweetener.
• Q: What are the USDA growing zones for stevia? A: Stevia is perennial in USDA Growing Zones 8-11. In zones cooler than 8, it is typically grown as an annual or overwintered indoors to protect it from freezing temperatures.
• Q: What kind of soil does stevia prefer? A: Stevia thrives in well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. A good quality potting mix for containers or amended garden soil will provide the best environment for your natural sweetener plant.
• Q: Is this stevia plant non-GMO? A: While specific GMO status is not provided, typically, stevia plants grown from starter plugs are conventional varieties, not genetically modified.