Stories
Grow Stevia at Home: The Natural Sugar Alternative You Can Easily Plant in Your Balcony
- •Stevia, commonly known as sweet basil, is a natural plant-based alternative to sugar with leaves that offer intense sweetness.
- •You can easily grow stevia in a 10 to 12-inch pot on your balcony by ensuring well-drained soil and adequate sunlight.
- •Provide about 5 to 6 hours of daily sunlight and water the plant only when the topsoil feels slightly dry to prevent root damage.
- •Practice regular pinching of the top growth to encourage more branches, making the plant bushy and increasing leaf yield.
- •Harvested leaves can be dried in a shady place and crushed into a powder to use in tea, coffee, or lemonade.
Key Questions Answered
A 10 to 12-inch pot with sufficient drainage holes is ideal for growing stevia. Normal garden soil mixed with vermicompost or well-rotted organic manure, along with some sand or cocopeat, helps create looser and better-draining soil.
Stevia thrives in good light and should ideally receive about 5 to 6 hours of sunlight daily on a balcony, terrace, or sunny window. Over-watering is a common mistake, so water the plant only when the topsoil feels slightly dry, taking extra care to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon.
Pinching involves gently removing the new tender growth at the top of the plant to encourage new lower branches and make the plant bushy. To dry the leaves, wash them with clean water, remove excess moisture, and let them dry in a shady, airy place on a clean cloth or paper before grinding them into powder and storing them in an airtight container.
