I tried to grow stevia once, but it just shrivelled up and died on me!! Maybe it doesn't like the subtropics??

Pebbles, stevia comes from parts of South America where the temperature ranges from 21 deg.C - 43 deg. C so it should do well in sub-tropical areas.

It does require to be kept well-watered, but not soggy. If the area is too hot it can be grown in a little shade.

As the plant is shallow-rooted, keep it mulched to prevent it from drying out especially if growing in pots.

Thanks - it died pretty quickly, so was possibly unhealthy when I bought it??

I'm in the subtropics and stevia does well for me. I keep it under shade, on the edge of a pergola just where the afternoon sun can get at it a little. It's one of those temperamental beasties which can keel over even in optimum conditions for no apparent reason just to spite you. It usually dies after flowering, so I always nip off any flowers which appear. And to be on the safe side, I'm forever taking small cuttings and striking them (I just dip the cut ends in honey and put them straight into the dirt) just in case the mother decides to turn up her toes. I've also found that occasionally, the plant will die right down to nothing, but if you keep the water up to it, it will resurrect, sometimes up to a year later - if you're lucky. It's a cow of a thing, really, with a mind of its own.

Pebbles..I thought mine had died too, but I doggedly left it with my other potplants 'just in case'...lo and behold, it sprang back to life when the warmer months came around, so it just seems to go dormant over winter.

Yep, it dies down over winter.....don't throw it out hang on to it. It's one of the dearer herbs.. about $7 from memory.

Hi there Stevia Growers,
I bought a stevia plant/s yesterday & was advised to repot it forthwith. Which I did - after a battle with a knife to reduce some of the root system. It looks like it could be a very invasive plant it planted in a garden bed. Is this so???

Sorry 'bout that. Being a newbie at this web-ing & herb-ing, I had my Stevia mixed with my Tansey.
Denis

grrr I would really like a stevia plant.. anyone have seeds??

Purr, Stevia seeds can be obtained from www.australherbs.com.au, however, they do have a minimum order of $10.00. They also have plants.

One fact that you should be aware of is that stevia seeds have a very low rate of germination so you might be better of trying to get a plant if you can.

Stevia is suseptible to a couple of mildew diseases; often by the time a plant arrives, it already has some die-back on it, and this will lead to the demise of the plant, though sometimes they manage to regrow from below ground even after this problem. I have been growing them for a while and haven't watered it much this year even through the drought (i watered it on maybe 3 occassions when it wilted somewhat, but it has been small until recent rains. It had seeds last season, but they never germinated; said to need 30-35oC and are notoriously difficult. The plant prefers average moisture, not too high humidity, and it is even grown in Canada as an annual, and replanted each year. Here it goes underground for winter, but without fail regrows again in spring. I have divided the crown once, but it is a less then acceptable form of propagation, the divisions kinda sulk and just sit there. Haven't had much luck with cuttings so far, though i used potting mix, so I might try again with sand and dirt as two separate mediums.

Have you all tried Aztec Sweet Herb?, its not quite as nice, but is still fairly sweet, and is easier and faster to grow (it could become a weed if not managed)- good in a hanging basket in light shade. I gave some to a friend, who inturn passed some on to a friend of hers who is a diabetic; he uses it to sweeten his tea, though stevia is better for this as it is very low in calories.

Father Thyme, I have heard of Aztec Sweet Herb (Lippia dulcis?) but it is not an easy herb to find but I have found a nursery on the south coast that has seeds and am going to give it a go. Is it easy to grow from seeds?

I have heard of suppliers selling seed, but i have also heard they are hard to grow from seed- something like stevia in that respect. It is easily propagated from cuttings which strike in a week or less. I have this plant should you want to try....reply personally by email

NEXUS magazine has an article on stevia in a current issue (at least its still on the shelf at my local newsagency).

The article talks about why it is not classified as a sweetener in Australia and the USA- mostly due to sugar heavy weights breathing down the neck of the authorities.

My Stevia seems to b sulking in its pot - now I know it is not unusual behavious I shall pot it on ..

Sweet Aztec Herb (Phylla scaberrima, Lippia dulcis, Phylla dulcis). Dried leaves have been used as a sugar substitute, but is no longer recommended due to its potential carcinogenicity and high camphor content. Use it with extreme caution if you must, but it's one herb I WON'T use, or even have in my garden, though it's easily available in SE Queensland from any number of herb nurseries (many of whom use labels with warnings on them about its cancer-causing properties, which should indicate something to you!). If you can't get stevia to grow, it can be purchased in dried form from most health food stores. It's not cheap, but a little goes a long way, and it's far, far safer than Sweet Aztec Herb.

Just to let you all know,my stevia plant is quite large,hasn't succumbed to the drought,and so far is doing well, although very leggy. Judie