Here you can find care instructions we use to grow our various kinds of Pinguicula (Butterworts)!
Pinguicula
Watering
Butterwort should be kept moist but given a little time in between waterings to get just barely dry. Use the tray method! Fill a tray with 0.5″ (1.27cm) to 1″ (2.54cm) of water and place the plant in the tray. Once the tray dries up wait a day or two then refill with water. The goal here is to let the soil dry but to avoid letting the plant completely dry out.
Sunlight
Bright light is required for robust growth and full colors.
Fertilizer
Most plants grow fine only subsisting on insects. Freeze-dried bloodworms (fish food), fungus gnats, and fruit flies make good food for these plants.
Humidity
Average relative humidity such as the level found in a house and the extra humidity provided by the tray method works best. Additional humidity such as that created by the tray method can your plants grow more quickly but too much can make your plants more prone to rot. We keep our plants at slightly above ambient humidity.
Repotting
Repot any time of year for Mexican Pinguicula or at the tail end of winter for temperate Pinguicula.
Soil
Tolerant of most water-retaining media devoid of nutrients. Popular media include peat moss, long fiber sphagnum moss, horticultural sand, and perlite mix. We use 1:1 washed sand and peat moss for our Pinguicula.
Notes
Letting the plants dry out a bit in between waterings gives the best results but takes a bit of practice. If you are nervous about letting your plant dry out or overwatering, use the tray method and let your plant tray dry out for one day in between refilling.
Hello! If you are a customer of ours or just a visitor of the website, please enjoy these care instructions! They are simple and have been adapted from multiple sources and our experiences as growers in Burnaby, British Columbia. We are always learning and adding to them as we discover more methods to grow these awesome plants! We have grown Sarracenia for many years under grow lights, and outdoors, and have had a lot of growth using these methods.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions, amendments, or concerns. We would be happy to provide more resources, or chat with you! We will update these instructions periodically and add more resources to reference so please come back soon!
Happy Growing!