Stevia Plant Care, Uses and Benefits
Stevia is a small green leaves plant from sunflower family.Stevia is native Brazil and Paraguay. Stevia also know as sweetleaf and candyleaf because their leaves have 200-300 times sweetness of sugar, this is the main reason people growning it home and also Grown widely to sold its leaves to companies that manufacturing products from leaves. Stevia have white and purple flowers in autumn.
Stevia Plant Care
Soil
Stevia plant grow well in sandy soil and rich potting mix. You can use garden soil or clay (40%) , sand (40%) and leaf mold or vermi compost (20%) in 8 to 12 inch pot.
Watering
Stevia plant like moist soil to fast growth so water regularly and next water when soil surface get dry out completely 1 inch down from surface. Water your stevia properly make sure water come out from drainage hole that all roots get water properly.
Sunlight
Stevia plant need direct sunlight for 6 to 8 hour for good growth, stevia plant can also grow in bright indirect sunlight.if you grow it in low light it's stem get thin and increase gape between leaves , bad leaves quality.
Fertilize
Fertilize your stevia plant twice in a month spring to summer end. You need to use organic fertilize for this plant like vermi compost, leaf mold or kitchen waste organic fertilize.
Temperature
Stevia plant grow well in 20 to 32°C temperature range and this plant can't survive in winters. If you want to grow stevia in winters so you need to use greenhouse, farmers grow it stevia plant in greenhouse in winters.
Size
Stevia can grow 30 to 60 cm tall and this plant have many branches that come up from soil in lines.
Pruning
Stevia plant need to prune when it's get 1.5 to 2 feet long to get it bushy and more leaves then prune half stems.Also prune their flowers to get better more sweetnee leaves, flowers affect on leaves taste. Prune their old brown leaves from bottom.
Propagation
Stevia plant commonly propagating from cutting, but you can also grow from seed. If you propagating from cutting so you take 1 to 2 inch cutting from branch tip and cocopeat (soil) . Then remove extra leaves from bottom then put in cocopeat (soil). Then keep it moist and don't overwater it, wait for new grow and rooting it's take 3 to 4 months to start rooting. You can propagate cutting spring to summer end and in off reason (winters) can need greenhouse (polyhouse) to grow cutting.
If you grow it from seed so you sowing stevia seeds in February to march and it's Seeds germinate in 10 to 15 days. After 6 to 7 weeks you can transplant stevia plants. You can use peatmoss Or Cocopeat because they are light weight and keep moist for long time.
Stevia plant Uses and Benefits
Stevia plant's leaves are sweetener but have zero calories thats big reason it's leaves use in diet products, diebeties patients and other . Stevia leaves Sweetness are use in Soft drinks,breads, chewing gum, candy, , ice cream, sauces and other sugar free products.
There are many benefits of stevia leaves . Stevia leaves are very usefull to diabetes patients If they use stevia leaves sweetener in their food, tea othere drinks that's not effect on patient's blood glucose level.when diebeties patients want eat sweets so they can eat stevia 1 to 3 leaves that's settisfie patients mind .
Stevia also good for who want to control (loss) weight . Sugar have many calories and callories gain your wieght . If you want to control calories so you can use stevia products as normal sweet products. You can also make tea of their leaves twice a day that's help you in weight control, control high B. P , improve digestion system, Reduce gastric problem and reduce hypertension etc.
You can also make powder from stevia leaves after dry it and you can use it in tea, coffee, desserts , custard and any sweet dish.there is also available stevia drop in market and online very nice taste I was also use stevia drops my father is diabetes patient they use stevia as sugar. Stevia drops
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