Set of 2 Stevia Live Plants (Sweet Leaf) – 2-5″ Tall Starter Plants – Unpotted

Overview

Discover the immense satisfaction of cultivating your own stevia live plant, a natural and healthy alternative to sugar. This offering includes a set of two vibrant starter plants, ready to transform your garden or kitchen into a source of pure sweetness. Stevia, scientifically named Stevia rebaudiana, is widely celebrated as the sweet leaf plant due to its intensely sweet foliage. Native to the warm climates of Paraguay and Brazil, this remarkable herb has been cherished for centuries for its unique ability to sweeten beverages, desserts, and meals without any calories or artificial additives. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just beginning your green journey, these plants are an exceptional addition to any home seeking a sustainable and natural way to enhance their culinary creations. Our stevia live plant is highly versatile and compact, thriving in various environments from sunny kitchen windows to outdoor garden beds. With proper love and attention, your stevia plants will provide a continuous, abundant harvest of fresh leaves, perfect for drying, brewing into teas, or using fresh to elevate countless recipes. Embrace a healthier lifestyle by integrating this wonderful natural sweetener plant into your daily routine.

Key Benefits

Growing stevia plants offers a multitude of advantages, making them a highly desirable addition to any home garden. From their health benefits to their ease of cultivation, stevia is a rewarding plant to grow:

• Natural, Zero-Calorie Sweetener: Enjoy the sweet taste without the calories or artificial additives. Stevia live plant leaves are an impressive 20-30 times sweeter than sugar, providing a healthy and guilt-free alternative suitable for various dietary needs, including diabetic-friendly and low-calorie diets.
• Versatile Culinary Use: Harvest fresh leaves to sweeten teas, lemonades, and baked goods. Dried leaves can be easily powdered for convenient long-term storage and used as a sugar substitute in almost any recipe, making it a perfect natural sweetener plant for year-round use.
• Compact and Adaptable Growth: These plants are ideally suited for small spaces, flourishing in containers, on kitchen windowsills, balconies, or within small garden beds. Their naturally bushy growth habit makes them an attractive ornamental herb as well as a functional one.
• Easy to Grow Indoors or Outdoors: Regardless of whether you have a sprawling garden or simply a sunny windowsill, the sweet leaf plant adapts remarkably well to diverse environments, making it accessible and enjoyable for gardeners of all skill levels.
• Continuous Harvest: With consistent harvesting and proper care, your stevia plants will reliably produce a steady supply of fresh leaves throughout the entire growing season, ensuring you always have a natural sweetener readily available.
• Enhances Flavor Naturally: The clean, fresh, and distinctively sweet flavor of stevia enhances recipes and beverages without the sometimes unpleasant artificial aftertaste associated with chemical sweeteners.
• Supports a Healthy Lifestyle: By providing a natural, unprocessed sweetener, cultivating this stevia live plant encourages healthier eating habits and significantly reduces reliance on refined sugars, contributing positively to your overall well-being.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your stevia live plant is remarkably straightforward, making it an excellent choice for gardeners of all skill levels. These plants thrive in warm conditions and require consistent attention to both watering and sunlight. For optimal growth and maximum sweetness, provide full sun to bright partial sun exposure. If you are growing indoors, position your plants in a south-facing window or under dedicated grow lights to ensure they receive at least 6-8 hours of bright light daily. When growing outdoors, select a location that benefits from ample morning sun and offers some afternoon shade, especially in hotter climates, to prevent leaf scorching. Understanding proper stevia plant care is crucial for successful cultivation and abundant harvests.

Consistent watering is vital for healthy stevia plants. The soil should be kept lightly moist but never soggy. Overwatering is detrimental and can quickly lead to root rot, severely impacting the plant’s health. Always allow the top inch of soil to dry out slightly between waterings, and ensure that your pots or garden beds have excellent drainage. A well-draining potting mix is essential; a blend specifically formulated for herbs or vegetables works exceptionally well. Fertilize lightly every 4-6 weeks throughout the active growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer to support vigorous growth and leaf production. Stevia prefers warmth and must be protected from temperatures below 40°F (4°C). If you reside in a region with cold winters, it is imperative to bring your plants indoors before the first frost to ensure their continued thriving. This commitment to proper stevia plant care will undoubtedly yield bountiful and sweet harvests.

Harvesting growing stevia leaves can be done at any time, though they are typically at their sweetest just before the plant begins to flower. You can pinch off individual leaves or snip off small branches as needed. Regular harvesting encourages bushier growth and helps prevent the plant from bolting (going to seed), which can reduce the sweetness of the leaves. For winter care, if grown indoors, slightly reduce watering and ensure they continue to receive adequate light. With these simple tips, your stevia live plant will provide you with a continuous supply of natural sweetness for many months to come. Enjoy the numerous benefits of your very own natural sweetener plant.

Size & Details

This offering includes two (2) healthy stevia live plant starter plants. Each young plant measures approximately 2-5 inches in height upon arrival, providing a robust and vigorous foundation for strong future growth. These young plants are carefully shipped bare-root or with minimal soil to ensure safe and stress-free transit. They are not potted, allowing for easy and immediate transplanting into your preferred container or garden bed upon arrival. While product photos may depict mature plants, you will receive young, healthy starters that are ready to establish themselves and flourish in their new environment. Stevia plants typically grow into compact, bushy forms, capable of reaching heights of 1-3 feet and similar widths when mature. This makes them perfectly suited for a variety of settings, including containers, kitchen windowsills, or small garden spaces. With proper care and attention, these plants will grow quickly, providing a continuous and abundant harvest of sweet leaves from your very own sweet leaf plant.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: Your stevia live plant starter plants will arrive 2-5 inches tall. With good care, they can grow into bushy plants up to 1-3 feet tall and wide, making them ideal for containers or garden beds.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Stevia is a versatile herb that can be successfully grown both indoors and outdoors. It thrives in warm conditions and bright light. In colder climates, it’s best to bring them indoors for winter protection to ensure continued growth.
• Q: How much sunlight does the sweet leaf plant need? A: The sweet leaf plant requires full sun to bright partial sun. Aim for at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and maximum sweetness in its leaves.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, stevia plant care is considered relatively easy, making it suitable for most gardeners. It requires consistent watering, well-draining soil, and plenty of sunlight. It’s a great choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners interested in growing stevia.
• Q: What condition will the plants arrive in? A: You will receive two healthy stevia live plant starter plants, measuring 2-5 inches tall. They are shipped bare-root or with minimal soil and are carefully packaged to ensure a safe arrival, but will require immediate planting once they reach you.
• Q: Is growing stevia safe for pets? A: While generally considered non-toxic to pets, it’s always recommended to keep plants away from pets if ingested in large quantities. Stevia is primarily intended for human culinary use.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these stevia starters? A: The best time to plant stevia outdoors is after the last frost in spring, when soil temperatures have consistently warmed up. If you plan on growing them indoors, they can be planted any time of the year.
• Q: Can I use the leaves immediately after receiving the plant? A: It’s best to allow your stevia live plant to establish itself for a few weeks after planting before you begin harvesting leaves. This helps the plant build strength, develop a robust root system, and ensure better long-term growth.
• Q: How often should I water my stevia plant? A: Water your stevia when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. It’s important to keep the soil consistently moist but actively avoid overwatering, which can quickly lead to root rot.
• Q: What are the main uses for natural sweetener plant leaves? A: The leaves from your natural sweetener plant can be used fresh in teas, smoothies, and desserts, or they can be dried and powdered to replace sugar in a wide variety of baking and cooking recipes. They provide a delicious, zero-calorie sweetness.