Stevia plant

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a compact 30-70 cm (12-28 in) herb that grows happily in a pot. The grower does not class it as a true houseplant – it wants strong light – but a very sunny windowsill can keep a plant going, and it is excellent in a container on a sunny balcony or patio.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A medium pot suits it; step up as it fills out
• Indoor Suitability: Not a deep-room houseplant, but it can grow on a bright, sunny windowsill
• Best Spot: Full sun to part shade
• Soil & Drainage: A well-aerated, organic-rich mix – potting mix, or peat/coir with perlite or vermiculite. Free-draining
• Watering in Pots: Keep the soil evenly moist – an average, steady supply; do not let it dry out in a pot

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Not a true houseplant: Away from a window the light is too weak and growth turns thin and weak – so it is not suited to a shaded room.
• Windowsill: On your sunniest sill, with several hours of direct light, a potted plant will grow well and stay handy for the kitchen.
• Overwintering: Frost-tender – in cold climates bring the pot to a bright, frost-free spot for the cold season.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & heat: Give it the sunniest spot. Walls and paving reflect heat and pots dry fast, so check moisture often in warm weather.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: Choose a pot with strong drainage holes; skip a standing-water saucer, or empty it promptly, so the roots never sit wet. Terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic pots hold moisture longer.
• Potting mix: A well-aerated, organic-rich mix – potting mix, or peat/coir with perlite or vermiculite.
• Feeding: Potted plants use up their soil faster because nutrients leach out with every watering, so feed a little more often than plants in open ground.
• Repotting: Refresh part of the mix and pot up every couple of years, lightly pruning the root ball and top growth to keep it in balance.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring and summer
• Time to First Bloom: Usually in its first year, as the plant matures over the season
• Flower Appearance: Small white flowers in loose clusters at the tops of the stems
• Edibility: Grown for its sweet leaves — the flowers are not eaten and are best removed

Detailed Blooming Overview

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) flowers in spring and summer, sending up small white blossoms in clusters at the stem tips. For a leaf crop this bloom is a signal to act: once the plant turns its energy to flowering, the leaves lose some of their sweetness, so most growers pinch the flowers out.

Flower Characteristics

• Small white flowers borne in groups at the tops of the stems.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Managing the bloom: Unless you want to collect seed, pinch off the flower buds as they form — this keeps the leaves sweeter and the plant productive for longer.
• Pollination: Worked by bees if you do let it flower for seed.