Stevia
Stevia rebaudiana · Tender perennial
Grown for its intensely sweet leaves. Needs a larger pot than most herbs and dislikes both drying out and sitting wet.
What it needs indoors
- Light
- Full sun6+ hours sun
- Water
- Keep moistKeep evenly moist, never waterlogged
- Temperature
- 65–75°F
- Growing medium
- Commercial potting mix or coconut coir; 12-inch pot
- Native range
- Subtropical highlands of Paraguay and Brazil
- Difficulty
- Enthusiast
What usually goes wrong
Wilts hard, and some stems never stand back up
One dry-out is enough. Stevia comes off damp wetland margins with a shallow root system that gives no warning before it collapses.
Fix: A 12-inch pot holds enough moisture to buy you a day of forgetfulness. Check it daily through summer and water before the surface goes dry.
Leaves yellow from the bottom and the stem softens at soil level
The other half of the same problem. It rots as readily as it wilts, and evenly moist sits very close to waterlogged with this plant.
Fix: Use a free-draining mix with plenty of coir, never leave the pot standing in water, and water little and often rather than in floods.
Small white flowers, and the leaves lose their sweetness
Sweetness peaks as the buds form and falls away once the plant flowers.
Fix: Pinch buds out as they appear, and pinch the growing tips through the season to keep it bushy. Harvest for drying in the run-up to flowering, when the leaves are at their strongest.
Guides that mention stevia
Wants the same conditions
Grow these alongside stevia and one watering routine will suit them all.