Butterwort growing tips, please?

16 years ago

Howdy, folks.

It's been a while since I last posted with some questions and concerns about my first batch of lanceleaf sundews. That first batch, unfortunately, died due to my own blasted ignorance of how hard the water was I had been using. Since then I've learned my lesson, obtained some new sundews, and am pleased to announce all my CPs are flourishing! I recently picked up some VFTs and Judith Hindle pitcher plants, all of which are doing just fine.

There is one plant, though, that seems to be stubbornly refusing to grow, the butterwort. I've pretty well determined that I've got Primrose Butterworts (P. Primuliflora).

I have attempted to grow them by top watering, or at least watering the container from the top to keep the potting medium (sphagnum moss and perlite mix) moist but not too wet. This seemed to work reasonably well until I made the mistake of spilling water onto the plant, at which point the dang thing pretty well died off on me in a big hurry. Since then I've tried using the tray watering method with a new primrose butterwort, but it too seems to be withering away, although it's only been about 4 days since I bought the new butterwort.

What am I doing wrong here, folks?

Is my potting medium FUBARed?

Should I not use tray watering, or is tray watering okay for the primrose butterwort?

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Comments (6)

mcantrell
15 years ago
What water are you using? Distilled?
cp-arclight
Original Author
15 years ago
The water I am using is collected rainwater, which is also used on all of my other CPs (as well as house plants).

When the area is experiencing drought and I've run out of stored rain water, I switch over to distilled water I buy from the store.
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hunterkiller03
15 years ago
Was your ping was inside the infamous clear plastic cubes from Botanical Wonders, aka infamously as the "cubes of death"? If so, then its most likely died of shock from lowered humidity.

The pings inside these cubes are in very high humidity and low light levels; you take them out and they just go into shock. The growing media you use for your P. primuliflora is perfect, that's how I grow mine. The problem is getting them used to lower levels of humidity. You have to slowly adjust them to lower humidity by for keeping them inside the container but lifting a corner just enough to allow air circulation and don't put them under bright light just yet. Keep an eye if the ping start to look wilted, that way you can close the container to keep it from going into shock. If you see that your plant is doing fine, lift the corner a little bit more. The new leaves should by then be accustomed to the lower levels of humidity. This may take a while.

For some reason in my experience, P. primuliflora may take a while to adjust. I went through several until I was able to figure it was slow to adapt to lower levels of humidity that was killing them.
petiolaris
15 years ago
That certainly appears to be a Lowes cube of death purchase! P. primuliflora can be enigmatic. Open tray is good for them, right at a window sill. Watering from above is also fine, but wait until the water in the tray runs out. Distilled is a safe water, safer than rain or creek. I still use a combination of distilled and creekwater, as a backup.
cp-arclight
Original Author
15 years ago
@HK93 and petiolaris:

Yes, the ping came from a deathcube.

I believe I may have made a mistake by immediately removing the ping from the cube and placing it in the little pot I have for it.

As of right now, the ping is withered, but still has a few vivid green leaves at its center, and the withering seems to have stopped. The plant is just sitting there, probably in shock I guess. I'm thinking I'll just let nature take its course.

Next time (if there IS a next time with these particular CPs) I will be more attentive to the hardening process!

Thanks
petiolaris
15 years ago
As long as you have green from the crown, there is life. Wait it out.