Starting Stevia from Seeds and where to buy them?

[GuppyGardener]

I realize it is best to grow from cuttings but I enjoy the challenge of growing from seeds. Does anyone know a good supplier of seeds for the stevia plant?

[imafan26]

Hi George.
Stevia can be a challenge to grow since its germination rate is about 15% I usually put down at least 30-50 seeds.
Know also that stevia from seed may not be sweet. I never had that problem but I did read it somewhere.

Stevia from cuttings are easier. The trick is to get the cutting early enough so it can make good roots because the stevia will die back after it blooms but the roots will live and regrow.

https://www.localharvest.org/stevia-seed ... oom-C25358
https://stevia-plant.com/

[GuppyGardener]

Thanks! I'll have to overwinter them indoors because I live up here in the great plains:)

[Susan W]

Guppy, looks like you want to start everything from seed. Commendable but not always practical or do-able. If you want stevia, try seeds, and also get yourself a couple of starts.

This goes for other herbs as well. If there were a magic wand to have instant herbs/veggies, we'd all be doing it! Given your zone, have a limited season, and I can't comprehend, being in 7, though this winter was a killer.

FWIW, most herbs are heirloom, though check if you're getting a new variety. Do a quick check on origin and history along with growing conditions.
Have fun in your journey!

[GuppyGardener]

Guppy, looks like you want to start everything from seed. Commendable but not always practical or do-able. If you want stevia, try seeds, and also get yourself a couple of starts.

This goes for other herbs as well. If there were a magic wand to have instant herbs/veggies, we'd all be doing it! Given your zone, have a limited season, and I can't comprehend, being in 7, though this winter was a killer.

FWIW, most herbs are heirloom, though check if you're getting a new variety. Do a quick check on origin and history along with growing conditions.
Have fun in your journey!

I have decided against growing stevia until I am a more experienced gardener. And yes I already have checked my herbs and have separated the annuals from the perennials. The herbs that I have appear to be fairly easy to grow from seed from my research. BUT, I have taken the advice to not grow all my plants from seed and will be purchasing tomato seedlings:)

[applestar]

Wow 15% imafan? I've been trying for three years now using my own harvested stevia seeds and have not had luck. I guess I REALLY have to sow them thick!

I'll give it a try again later this year. I don't think I have any seeds left from last year.

There are many herbs that propagate pretty easily from cuttings. If you can get really fresh sprigs at your grocery store or farmer's market, etc. -- give that a try. It's *almost* as fun as growing from seeds. Very satisfying when the roots take hold and you see new growths starting. Search the forums or post for further discussion of individual herbs.

[ElizabethB]

Found seeds through Park Seeds, Burpee and Seedrack. I have hear the same thing about very low germination rate and the lack of sweetness when grown from seed.

Maybe try cuttings or even one starter plant then harvest seeds and cuttings to plant and over winter indoors.

Good luck

[applestar]

I found my stevia seeds collected in 2012.... Well, no point in keeping them any longer and might as well see if they are still any good -- so I sowed them today... But I had trouble getting them out of the plastic zip bag -- static cling in the WORST way I got frustrated and left about 20 seeds still in there... But reviewing this thread, I think I'd better go get them all out of the bag and in ..er.. PRESSED ONTO that moist seed starting mix.

[imafan26]

I have only had luck with stevia from fairly fresh seeds. My stevia plant will self seed better than when I try to plant them.
When I do plant them, I do plant them thickly and the seeds are very fine so I just leave them on top and water gently. They can take up to three weeks to germinate and usually only a few come up. It might work better grown in a mini green house.

Stevia takes fairly well from cuttings but unless the plant can develop a very good root system it will bloom and then die back. If the roots are still alive they will come back again, but if the root did not have time to develop it is just dies.

I have found stevia from several sources. I forgot where I got mine from. I have also found plants on sale at Walmart, you just have to keep looking around for them. Be careful not to get the Aztec sweet herb which apparently is similar to stevia except it does not have the same properties so is not used as a sweetener.

https://www.horizonherbs.com/search.asp?mode=results
https://www.rareseeds.com/stevia/
https://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8160-stevia.aspx

[applestar]

Thanks for posting those links @imafan26

...and regarding germination of these seeds... Yeah I'm not holding out much hope, but I'd rather try than just throw them out. I do have a container stevia overwintering, but I didn't start back up cuttings last fall, so....

For the rest of the seeds -- there were 32 left in the bag ...I counted ... I decided to try adapting the germination zip bag method:

image.jpg (28.07 KiB) Viewed 2259 times

[imafan26]

That may work out well. Stevia is in the sunflower family. It might do better at at different times of the year and elevations.
Stevia likes the sun but not the heat. In my zone, I have to plant stevia where it will get afternoon shade in summer.

[applestar]

So, THOSE didn't sprout last year, but I'm trying again with some seeds that I left to mature. They were blooming outside last fall and should have been insect pollinated, and the few seeds I plucked off for germination test look much more filled out than the ones from last year.

...we shall see...

I'm going to get around to properly storing the rest of the seedheads this week, trimming the dried up mother plant to the soil level, then putting the basal root system/pot in the unheated garage for the rest of the winter to hopefully recuperate. (But as I mentioned elsewhere, I have several cuttings that are growing well, so I WILL have replacement plants if this one has reached its lifespan.)

Subject: Indoor organic herb gardening

Here are photo collages of my Winter Indoor Herb "Garden". I grow all of these outside during the warmer months -- some in containers, others in the ground and then dug up and potted for winter. These are mostly ones that don't survive the winter outside here. The ones that normally survive outside or are "borderline" (sometimes survives and sometimes not) are harder to keep indoors during the winter.

[...]

Rooted cuttings of Stevia behind marjoram in V8; Dormant stevia in Green Room


[...]

[imafan26]

Somebody cleaned up my bench and threw my mother pot of stevia away. They did not know it was just dormant.