The butterwort can grow both in the garden and in the house. The carnivorous plant requires sufficient water, but is otherwise quite easy to care for.
The Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) is a visually appealing plant, robust and easy to cultivate. The heart of many hobby gardeners beats faster when they talk about carnivorous plants. With butterwort, even beginners can gain positive experience with this special plant species. What should be considered when cultivating butterwort can be read below.
Special Features
The butterwort originally comes from Central America. In Germany, the plant family also occasionally occurs in the wild. However, the plants are becoming increasingly rare and are under protection. Wild-growing succulents should not be dug up and planted in your own garden.
Butterwort can act as an insect scavenger. This makes the plant very popular at the flower window and can be used, for example, to combat fungus gnats. Butterwort leaves secrete a sticky secretion that insects get caught on. Since digestive enzymes are also secreted by the plant, the insects are decomposed down to the chitinous carapace.
Tip: Butterwort has no effect on the larvae of fungus gnats, because these are in the bottom of the planters.
Healing Effects of Butterwort
The medicinal properties of butterwort have been known for centuries. However, the plants do not play a major role in modern naturopathy.
In earlier times, the plant was used to treat the following ailments:
• Coughs
• Fever
• Indigestion
• Wounds
Some medicinal practitioners still use the leaves, fresh or dried, to help treat coughs or fevers.
Suitable location
The butterwort feels most comfortable in a bog bed. This corresponds to the nature of the plant, which is also cultivated outdoors in its original home. In our latitudeshowever, keeping it as a houseplant prevailed.
The butterwort needs a light spot at the flower window. The south window is unsuitable, since direct sunlight damages the plants. A stand at windows facing west or east is optimal.
The ambient temperature should not drop below 18 degrees. Temperatures of up to 30 degrees are easily tolerated. Humidity can be 70 percent or more. Setting up humidifiers and bowls filled with water is a good way to achieve this.
Ideal substrate
The bog plant loves wet and acidic soil. Calcareous substrate is also tolerated. Houseplants thrive in special soil made for carnivorous plants, like this one:
Tip: You can also make the substrate yourself by mixing peat and quartz sand in equal parts. A little clay can also be added to compact the soil.
Planting butterwort - step by step
1. Select location
2. Prepare the soil
3. Dig the planting hole
4. Put in butterwort
5. Fill up the substrate
6. Press down the soil well7. Water butterwort abundantly
The description of the plant refers to outdoor cultivation. Houseplants are left in the planter and set up according to the location requirements. Once a year, the plants need new substrate and a larger plant pot.
Transplant butterwort - step by step
1. Carefully lift the plant out of the old planter
2. Protect the roots
3. Fill the new planter with substrate
4. Insert the plant into the new planter
5. Fill up the substrate
6. Water the plant well
Farm butterwort can be observed for a few days after transplanting. If it grows well, it can be cultivated as usual. Growth problems may indicate a lack of liquid or nutrients and watering patterns need to be adjusted accordingly.
Water butterwort correctly
In the summer, butterwort is always intensively watered. The soil must not dry out. On the other hand, the plant must not be washed in, because butterwort does not tolerate waterlogging.
Warning: Tap water should not be used for watering. Use rainwater, well water or distilled water.
In winter, butterwort needs less water. But the plants are not alloweddry out completely.
Fertilize common butterwort correctly
If butterwort can get enough insects on the windowsill, the nutrient supply is secured and no additional fertilization is required. Plants cultivated outdoors find a rich range of insects and generally do not require fertilization.
Tip: No fertilization is necessary even in winter. When there are few insects, the plant supplies itself with nutrients through its fleshy leaves.
Cut butterwort
No editing is required. There is also no need to remove wilted flowers or stems.
Overview of planting and care tips
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Select Location | • open land=bog bed • room=west or east window |
| Prepare substrate | • wet • acidic • special soil for carnivores |
| Casting | • water regularly • avoid waterlogging • do not water with tap water |
| Fertilize | • not necessary • plant obtains nutrients from insects |
Propagating butterwort
The butterwort can be propagated by cuttings and seeds.
Propagation via cuttings
Propagation by cuttings can be started in late summer. To do this, a leaf with a stalk is cut off the mother plant.
Tip: Sharp knives produce straight cutting edges and protect the plant from injuries.
If you have won a cutting, proceed as follows:
1The cutting is placed in a plant pot with moist soil. The base of the stem should disappear completely into the substrate and only the leaf remains visible. Provide sufficient moisture and spray the cuttings regularly.
2If the cutting is covered with a small foil bag, a growth-promoting greenhouse climate is created. Don't forget to air the cover briefly every day. Failure to do this will result in air and heat build up and mold will form.
3After a few weeks the cutting will form new roots. The hobby gardener can recognize this from fresh shoots. After removing the plastic bag, the young plant must continue to be watered constantly. A bit of finesse is required, as there must be no waterlogging.
4The plants always overwinter indoors. In the nextIn spring it can be decided whether the butterwort should move to the bog bed or find its place in the flower window. The young plants get new planters and special carnivore soil.
Propagation by seeds
Propagation by seeds occurs in early autumn. The seeds can be taken from existing plants or are available in garden shops. The butterwort is a light germinator. For cultivation, this means that the seeds are only lightly pressed but not covered with soil. The planter is set up bright and warm and the seeds are to be kept evenly moist.
A few weeks pass before the first seedlings appear. Once these have grown to a height of about five centimetres, the young plants are transplanted into their own planters. If you want to grow outdoor plants, you'll have to wait until next spring to plant them out.
Detecting diseases of butterwort
The butterwort is robust and rarely affected by disease. If the plants are too wet for a longer period of time, gray mold can form. The attentive room gardener recognizes the infestation by brown leaf spots and soft shoots. If the infestation is already very advanced, a mouse-grey film will appear on the leaves. Affected plant parts are removed. Check the substrate.
If waterlogging occurs, the plant must be repotted as soon as possible. The hobby gardener recognizes the condition of the plant when it is repotted. If the roots are soaked and soft, the butterwort will be almost impossible to save.
The pouring behavior must be adjusted accordingly as a preventative measure. Never pour the water over the entire plant, just water the substrate. It needs to be watered regularly but not excessively. Field horsetail broth is a good way to strengthen the plant in general.
Tip: In our video contribution: Using field horsetail as fertilizer - How to use weeds sensibly, you will learn how to prepare a field horsetail broth.
Winter Butterwort
The butterwort has become native to Germany and is well adapted to the climatic conditions. Plants cultivated in bog beds are usually allowed to overwinter outdoors. You can also put butterwort in a plant pot and overwinter indoors.
Tip: In the winter quarters, the temperature should not rise above five degrees.