There are some plants that are tricky to propagate but stevia isn’t one of them! In fact stevia is very easy to root from cuttings. Read on to learn more about propagating stevia from cuttings!
Why Would You Want to Propagate Steve from Cuttings?
Stevia rebaudiana is an herb often used as a substitute sweetener for sugar. It isn’t reliably hardy here in Tennessee even though I did have a plant come back one year.
Since then I’ve kept a plant in a pot to bring indoors for the winter. I’ve tried to grow stevia from seed but had a lot of difficulty in getting good germination which is why I turn to cuttings. Stevia seeds often have a low germination rate and the seeds tend to be more expensive than other seeds. Since you can root cuttings easily it just makes sense to propagate more of it from cuttings if you already have a plant.
How to Take Cuttings of Stevia
Taking a cutting of stevia is as simple as vegetative propagation can be.
- First I trim a stem or branch just above a set of leaves and leave two leaves on the top of the cutting.
- Next use some rooting hormone if you want to the cut end. Just dab it lightly in the powder or jell. This is entirely optional but may speed rooting somewhat. I generally don’t use rooting hormone on stevia and have good success.
- Then I stick the bottom end of the cutting in moist sand. You can use other soil mediums like peat/perlite, peat/vermicculite, or even potting soil.
- Then keep the cuttings moist for about 3-4 weeks. After that the root systems should be very well developed. In the picture below the cutting is covered in sand which I don’t ever worry about removing. I potted this cutting and a second one in 4″ pots to grow a little larger.
After the Stevia Cuttings Rooted
I kept my cuttings under a fluorescent light, nothing fancy just your typical shop light, and a heat mat. The heat mat helps keep the temperatures consistent in the spring. It’s set at around 70 degrees. When the danger of frost is passed the stevia cuttings can be planted outdoors either in the ground or in pots.
Uses for Stevia
We don’t use stevia a lot around here but some people like use it as a substitute for sugar. On occasion we’ll mix it with fresh mint and use it in tea. It is sweet to the taste but does tend to have a slight bitter flavor to it. I’m propagating these for the local farmer’s market.
Thanks Dave! I will be trying this later on this week. We dehydrate Stevia and use it in powder form to sweeten coffee or tea or whatever and it has no effedt on insulin levels (my wife is a health enthusiast).Several folks i work with have asked for some powdered Stevia. Didn't know it was so easy from cuttings.
Danny, what process do you use to turn it into powder? Have you determined an equivalent measure to sugar? Have you tried baking with it?
Thanks for taking the time to write this article. I just got a small plant from a nursery in Va that I brought home to GA. I would like to propagate it and have several. I tried taking small shoots at the bottom growth and planting in a starter mix to no avail. I'll try your method. I live on an island and have plenty of sand. Thanks again. – Michael