Stevia 'Honey Herb'

Family Asteraceae. Stevia - a perennial subshrub with a shallow fibrous root system that penetrates the soil to a depth of only 20–30 cm. When growing stevia indoors, a wide shallow container should be chosen.

Dry leaves contain about 11% sweet substances — steviosides, which are about 300 times sweeter than sugar, contain few calories, and have a pleasant taste, so they can readily replace carbohydrates in dietary nutrition. Thorough studies have shown that replacing sugar with steviosides is not contraindicated and is even recommended for disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, obesity, atherosclerosis, pancreatitis and diabetes.

Besides the sweet steviosides of interest to people, it contains no substances that could harm the human body. This allows the use of dried ground leaves (which is where the steviosides are found) as additives to confectionery products. In general, the sweet substances from stevia leaves can be extracted, or they can be left as is. Since steviosides are many times sweeter than sugar, additions of ground leaves will not significantly change the appearance of traditional confectionery products.

In recent years stevia plants have appeared in the collections of tropical plant enthusiasts, raising many questions. Commercial cultivation of stevia on plantations is carried out only in tropical countries, for example in Vietnam, where conditions differ significantly from those of the temperate zone, so anyone wishing to keep stevia at home will have to create special conditions for it. In Hanoi, 40–60 centners of dry leaves are harvested per hectare per year, which can replace 150–200 tons of sugar. To obtain such an amount of sugar in the Voronezh region would require growing sugar beets on an area of 17–22 hectares.

The stem of stevia is erect and in natural conditions reaches a height of 120 cm. Young shoots are tender and pubescent; old stems become woody and brittle. Lanceolate leaves have almost no petiole and are arranged oppositely on the stem. Slightly pubescent leaves have 12–16 teeth, reaching 5–7 cm in length and 1.5–2 cm in width.

In its natural habitat stevia blooms almost continuously, with the most abundant flowering observed during periods of intensive growth. As with all plants of the Asteraceae family, the small flowers only 3 mm long are gathered into small capitula. Its seeds are very small, more like coarse dust (the mass of 1,000 seeds is only 0.35–0.4 g). Cultivation of stevia

Stevia is a resident of the humid tropics; optimal conditions for it can only be compared to a sun-drenched sauna. Constant soil moisture and high air humidity are mandatory conditions that must be provided for stevia's well-being. It absolutely does not tolerate drought.

In an apartment with central heating, where the air humidity is very low, it is necessary to arrange a separate humid environment for it. For this it is enough to cover the plant with a glass cloche (jar) or place the entire pot inside a large polyethylene bag. Such an arrangement does not always look attractive, but stevia will feel very good there. Stevia is not very demanding regarding temperature; it can successfully grow from 15 to 30°C, although it grows best at 22–25°C.

Stevia is a light-loving short-day plant. Under long-day conditions, for example in the non-chernozem zone, plants become shorter, leaves grow significantly larger than in natural conditions, and they do not flower at all.

For growing stevia indoors, select a soil mix with a neutral reaction, rich in organic matter and mineral elements, with a high sand content so that it is well aerated while retaining moisture.

Stevia is a very interesting plant for indoor gardening, especially since its dried and ground leaves can be safely added to tea instead of sugar.