Tropica KR Stevia Sweet Herb

Stevia

Stevia, also known as sweet herb, sweet leaf, or honey herb, has a sweet taste. The plant originally comes from Paraguay in South America. Natural occurrences of stevia can be found in the highlands of the border area between Brazil and Paraguay. Europeans became acquainted with Stevia rebaudiana in the 16th century when Spanish conquistadors reported that the South American population used the leaves of a plant to sweeten herbal tea. It was first tested by the Swiss Moisés Santiago Bertoni from the canton of Ticino, who also wrote the first description in 1899.

Sowing and Cultivation: Sowing takes place at the end of March. First, start the seeds indoors, then the plant can be moved outside from mid-June. Place the seeds on the surface of a tray filled with seed compost and press them down lightly. Do not cover with soil, as stevia is a light germinator. The germination temperature is around 22 degrees Celsius. After about 10 days, the first seedlings will appear. High humidity is important, so keep the soil consistently moist.

Care: Stevia prefers warm conditions and does not like to be in the shade. Avoid waterlogging. With good care, it will grow between 70 and 100 cm tall and has foliage leaves that are 2 to 4 cm long.

Important: Sow enough seeds, as the germination rate is very low (between 13 and 15 percent).

Suitable Locations: Balcony, greenhouse, kitchen. Plenty of sunlight and no frost.

Harvesting takes place between September and October.

Seed packet containing 10 seeds.