I purchased several very healthy Stevia (stevia rebaudiana) plants from a local nursery. Wanting more, I found a very good to-do guide to propagate Stevia from trimmings and set off.

I prepared the trimmings properly and let the propagated stems soak in a Superthrive water solution for about 30 minutes. After that, I dipped the stems in Green Light rooting hormone and then planted them in new soil.

For a week now, I've been keeping the Stevia clippings indoors covered in a mini-greenhouse at approximately 78 degrees with regular daily waterings. They appear to be THRIVING, growing taller and with new leaf growth in the center and established leaf groupings.

BUT ... many (but not all) of the new leaves and new stem growth at the TOP of the plants are PURPLE. Even a few of the established BIG leaves now even have purple spots or tips following the propagation procedure.

It's important to note that these are NOT dead (i.e., black) leaves and stems; they're just purple. In tasting one, they are far more sweet than the green leaves from the same Stevia plant. The new plants seem otherwise healthy.

Is this a normal reaction in the propagation process for Stevia? In looking online, I find no documented evidence of this, although I'm suspecting it might be from the Superthrive soak ...

Thanks

Robert