Stevia is a very heat-loving plant that grows up to 120 centimeters in its subtropical homeland. The sweet herb is not hardy and must therefore be overwintered indoors in our latitudes.
Stevia needs to overwinter indoors
When the nights get significantly cooler in autumn, you should dig up the stevia plant from the herb bed. Place the sweet herb planted in a flower pot in a frost-free and bright room. Even stevia plants, which you have cared for in the tub on the balcony during the summer months, can now move into the house.
A location with constant temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees during the winter is ideal. If the upper shoots of the plant die off during the winter months, you should shorten them to ground level. Keep the substrate evenly moist; However, be sure to avoid waterlogging.
Hibernation in the heated greenhouse
Alternatively, you can overwinter the non-hardy stevia under glass with additional lighting. Check this plant regularly, as sweetweed cultivated in a greenhouse is very susceptible to diseases and pests.
tips and tricks
Stevia thrives more luxuriantly outdoors than in flower pots. Therefore, put the plant back in the herb bed from the end of May.
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