I should add that I'm in USDA zone 10 (Phoenix), aka Sunset zone 13. Also known as Hades in summer. I have had limited success with herbs here. Basil does really well, but my thyme and most other herbs crumpled up and died as soon as the temps soared. So, if you've grown this successfully, please pass on your best advice.
Stevia: do you grow it?
Stevia should grow well in your area.
I have grown it in Z8B.
It starts easily from seed.
What are your average high summertime temps? I have transplants and the planting instructions say to plant in "full sun". Well, full sun here at 110 degree plus is different from full sun somewhere else. (Usually where the plant was grown.) And have you grown it in a container? I thought about using a container as I could move it.
I grew it in zone 8B, on the Alabama border with Florida. We got about 100 degrees in full sun where it was growing. It did great there but It was automatically watered on a daily cycle.
A container sounds like a good idea in your area--make it a large one as the root system of Stevia is extensive.
My area 8B was very humid.
Try it--it should do well
I may have to set up a mister for my herbs. It's 'humid' to us here in summer when the humidity reaches 30+ percent. Nothing like the humidity down south. I think I will plant the stevia in a big container and set it on some wheels.
TF--It's just a guess but I think a 2gal. container would work well.
It really tasted good and I am going to try some in N. Texas. I just moved. Good luck and let's compare notes later.
Info from market growers:
Besides being sensitive to cold during their developmental stage, the roots can also be adversely affected by excessive levels of moisture. So take care not to overwater them and to make sure the soil in which they are planted drains easily and isn't soggy or subject to flooding or puddling.
Frequent light watering is recommended during the summer months. Adding a layer of compost or your favorite mulch around each stevia plant will help keep the shallow feeder roots from drying out.
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Stevia should be planted in the spring after the soil temperature reaches 65 deg F., with neutral pH. In southern states, stevia will require some filtered afternoon shading. Use a standard garden fertilizer. Do not use a lawn fertilizer or fertilizers with high nitrogen. Adding extra Boron will help keep the Stevioside level high. apply a layer of mulch, such as grass clippings, or bark mulch. This will help keep roots cool, preserve water. Avoid weeding around mature stevia plants as their brittle branches are easily broken. Avoid overwatering after transplanting and in winter as houseplant. Keep evenly moist during summer heat. Drip or soaker hose are very effective for summer watering.
Harvest entire plant as flower buds appear. Harvest only in the morning for highest glycoside /sugar content, whether pinching tips or entire plants. The full harvest will occur in late September or early October. Because it is a member of the “Aster” family, once flowering has begun, not a single normal leaf will be produced. Removing flower heads is not effective. Failure to harvest plants before several flowers have opened, will allow these flowers to impart a bitter/dirty flavor to the leaves. Harvesting is done by cutting the entire plant at the base. With a rubber band, tie loose branches together and hang upside down to dry under warm, dark, drafty conditions for 2-4 days. Avoid using food dehydrators or open oven doors as this will also tend to cause a bitter flavor. “Rake” fingers through branches to remove crisp-dry leaves. Remove any small branches and grind leaves into powder using an electric coffee grinder for 25-30 seconds. Food processors are not as effective because of their slow RPMs. Store green powder in “Mason” jars, “Zip-lock” baggies etc. Dried green stevia powder will last almost indefinitely or at least until the next harvest.
we have discovered that if you select the very dark seeds and plant only them your germination should exceed 85%.
Wow, that's fantastic info! I had no idea. Maybe the best soil is that designed for cacti or succulents? Or maybe I'll take some bagged garden soil and add perlite and sand. I don't think I've ever added Boron to anything so I'll look for some of that. I always mulch heavily around anything I plant; otherwise they dry out in no time flat with our heat. Guess I'll have to be careful not to overwater.
Thanks so much and let's do compare notes. I take it you haven't gone through a summer where you are?
No summer yet.
Boron can be found in the laundry section as "Borax" Use about 1 tsp per gallon and only add about a quart around the plant and only use it once.
I had great luck in Alabama (Botanical Gardens) with 1/2 sand and 1/2 compost.
I've been growing it for years here in zone 9b. I'm in Sarasota, FL and it gets very hot here, as well as very humid. My stevia reappears every spring and always more than the year before. I have it on the east side of my house and it is in a fairly shady area -- only gets sun a couple of hours, at most, a day.
Good info mommy--thanks
OK, that's a good clue. Maybe I'll plant #2 in the shady bed. It will get some morning sun but not much of the hottest afternoon blazes. The plant in the pot is doing well, so far. Fingers crossed.
I planted my Stevia in part shade in the ground zone 7b. It comes back bigger every year, 8 years now.
ants
Wow! Great info everyone. I grew some plants last year. I will start some from seed this year...I should have saved the seeds. I will have to remember to harvest the leaves first, before letting it go to seed, as I did not do that last year. Thanks a lot VORTREKER.
Evelyn
No smiles here. The plant I put in the pot that looked sooooo good is now shriveling up into crispy leaves. What gives? It isn't even hot yet. I still haven't planted #2 and now I'm not sure what to do with it. Guess I'll try to find a perfect spot to plunk it in the ground. Darn plants...
Don't give up.
Did you let the top of the soil dry out? Remember that Stevia has very shallow feeder roots. Add a layer of mulch on top of some good draining soil like 1/2 sand-1/2 compost and water frequently.
Plunk it in the ground. It will be happier :)
ants
Well, plant #1 is deader than a doornail. I'm going to plant the second one in the ground - just as soon as I find the spot. Wish I knew just where it would like to be... Thanks for the advice about adding sand; I'll do that. I don't think I let the soil dry out but maybe I did. Wish me luck; I'd really like to grow this plant.
Tomatofreak, I don't know how much help this will be, but this has been my recent experience.
My first plant, I cut back last fall and overwintered in an unheated greenhouse. It is now growing in a 8" x 8" container in an east facing kitchen window and is doing well.
The second 8" tall plant was bought at a nursery 4-6 weeks ago in a 4" x 4" nursery pot and has been on the same kitchen counter. It wilted daily, even sitting in a tray with 1/4" of water. I transplanted it to a 6' pot a week ago and it is sitting beside the other one. It is now more than double the size it was, has now outgrown the first plant and is no longer wilting. When I pulled it from the original pot, it was bone dry and appeared to be rootbound. I barely loosened the outer roots and plopped in the new pot with a potting mix that had a fertilizer additive.
If you haven't tossed the first plant yet, you might try cutting it back and repotting it, loosening the soil around the roots. It might start putting out some new growth for you.
Ok folks I have my first plant and I've had it outside and under overhang of the house so it is protected from frost (which we have had several, but not hard frosts) so I'm thinking I read here that this plant likes filtered sun and really does better in shade with some sun??? I'm hoping to pot mine up this weekend as I spent this last weekend getting my hoop house frame put together.... now to get it covered so I can move the 300 tomato plants out into it and out of the house....LOL
Janet
Mine get long and leggy if they don't get enough sun.
I plant my stevia in the herb bed and it gets no special attention.My herb bed is full sun I have had it flower once but the season here is short so no seed. It does dot come back here Zone 5a.
I have grown stevia for 8 or 9 years now, I use the dry leaves in my homemade herbal tea mix.
I have noticed the last two years there seem to be two types . one has a wider leaf. the newer stuff.
Originally it's leaf was like lemon verbena (narrow) .
Last year I purchased both types the wide leaf grows slower but produces more volume because of the wideness. Both seem to taste the same.
Funny, I noticed the same thing about the leaves--the plants I grew this year have wider leaves than those I grew last year. My packet didn't seem to indicate any specific variety, but as popular as stevia is getting, it wouldn't surprise me if we started seeing some differentiation.
LOL! Just went and looked at my 2...1 from last year and one from year...same thing here! One leaf wider than the other.
Last year I planted some stevia, as I mentioned before. I went to clean out that bed, which is a raised 4'X4' bed, in sun for most of the day. I had 5 plants overwinter there, as I was hoping when I left them in the ground. During the winter we had a few days of 17° weather after a big snow storm where we lost power for 4 days. I was quite surprised to see the green rosettes just forming, yesterday, as our weather has been quite unsettled, to say the least.
We had snow on March 31st, April 5th, 12th, and 20th, and they are predicting that today's rain storm may produce snow in the overnight hours. Has everyone put out their tender annual herbs? I am raising some tomatoes and basil, and have brought them out during most days, except for stormy days... in between the storms we have had a variety of weather ranging from 40° to 75°, as some of my seedlings on the back porch on shelves were dry when we got home...
This picture is from the 20th....
Waiting for spring....
Heavy frost this morning .
I did put a couple things out and had to cover them last night.
I forgot about mine last night and we had a heavy frost too, I'm hoping when I get home tonight it isn't dead, maybe the clematis starts I have were covering it enough for it to survive... I've not had time to get the plastic over the frame of my hoop house... so tonight that is the priority..
My leaves are rather wide but then I don't have anything else to compare it to.
Janet
I finally gave up hauling plants in and out, in and out! They'll be okay in the basement under flourescent light (though not enough) for awhile. I sure wish winter would make up it's mind to finally leave us alone, lol.
I also gave up hauling plants in and out, and mine have remained under lights. My tomatoes, peppers, and most herbs still haven't seen the light of day!!!! With nights in the 30s and 40s, just not worth the chance yet. Please hurry, warm weather!!!
Me, too....
Whoops! Did not mean to post twice..
This message was edited May 6, 2010 1:40 PM
One thing for sure I don't think we will have any more snow..... checked on the Stevia and how my gosh it has tripled in size.... it will be repoted for sure this weekend... as I'm doing a lot of transplanting, I've go about 700 flower seeds that all germinated at the same time so got to get them going as well as all the Winter seed sowing transplants...
Well made a make shift cover on my greenhouse last night so I could leave the tomato plants outside... I didn't look in them this morning before heading out to work, as I didn't want to see them laying down dead or that maybe the rabbits had gotten in and eaten them.... I'm leaving work early today so hopefully will find everything ok.
Janet
Whoops! Sorry! That was just supposed to go thru once!
Janet, I'm hoping my little plant will behave like yours! I've been reading your notes on leaf size and shape. Yesterday as I was browsing the herbs, I noticed that both the narrow and fat leaf plants were on the same shelf, labeled the same. And looked like they came from the same grower. Go figure...
I did not know the Stevia would winter over...they are doing great.
I wonder how hardy they really are. Our low was 17 degrees, possibly lower in the garden beds, as that was the temps on the protected porch, but surely not lower than 10 degrees, and they were not disturbed in their raised beds, and possibly protected by the snow, so that might have been a factor in their survival over winter.
I just though you all would like to know. I will let you know how they do later on.
VORTREKER ~ Thanks for your helpful info. Maybe these plants won't give such sweet leaves...I'll let you know when the time comes, as last year I did not harvest the leaves at the right time, since I wanted them to go to seed and save the seeds...
This message was edited May 5, 2010 10:15 PM
Great information everyone! I grew Stevia, in a pot, in Montana. It did fine for the summer. I am now in TX and want to grow it in the ground. Any idea where I can find seed? I've read that it needs to be fresh seed. Thanks for the great information and experiences.
Right here in the DG marketplace:
http://davesgarden.com/products/market/view/10384/
thanks KYwoods I too was interested in some seeds.
Janet
You're welcome...I noticed it when I was just browsing what was for sale there. I like to tempt myself that way once in awhile, lol.
My stevia that wintered in the basement under lights is loving the outside sun! I cut the long leggy pieces off (have them in water where most are doing fine) and it's resprouting nice and bushy-like!
I thought I had read something about stevia not starting well from seeds so I went looking for info. I found it in several places that noted stevia has a very low germination rate and that propagation from cuttings is much more successful. This site is very good, I think. http://www.stevia.com/Stevia_article/Growing_Your_Own_Stevia/8077 Of course you need a plant to get a cutting but mine were $1.99 at Target so I didn't think that was too expensive.
thanks tomatofreak for posting that useful information
Janet