▷ Butterwort as a pond plant | All information and details

Butterwort data sheet

Botanical name:
Pinguicula vulgaris

Origin:
Europe to Asia and North America

growth height / size
up to 15 centimeters

leaf color:
light green

flower color:
blue, purple

behavior/stocking

Location at the pond:
pond edge

heyday:
May to August

Light requirement:
penumbra

Hardy:
Yes

Björn S…, Common Butterwort—Pinguicula vulgaris (14087440008), CC BY-SA 2.0

Butterwort, also called common butterwort, is a carnivorous plant and belongs to the water hose family. The plant is striking because of its fairly flat leaves, which are arranged close to the ground and from the middle of which a stalk several centimeters long with the purple flower grows out. This rises up in the flowering period from May to August.

The Leaves are covered with a sticky secretionto catch smaller insects. These stick to it and the leaves gradually digest the catch. The plant got its name from its thicker and glossy appearance.

So they act as a species glue trap and can even curl up slightly to keep insects from escaping. Through their primary diet these insects are the roots very sensitive and only a few inches long.

Acquisition and maintenance / care

purchase

Butterwort can be purchased at any hardware store or garden center. The plant should only set between autumn and spring because the short roots are very sensitive. Fatty cabbage is best planted while still in bud status or offset. The bud is buried halfway into the ground and is then free to grow new roots and leaves.

It is not planted directly in the pond, but still prefers moist to wet soil. So the shore of the pond is the perfect place to grow butterwort. In the wild, the plant is mainly in swampy and boggy areas encountered precisely because of their preferences.

However, these may not simply be removed, as they are under nature protection. In addition, a sunny to semi-shady location is perfect for butterwort. The floor should always kept moistbut too much rainfall is not good for the plant either.

attitude and care

As long as the plant is watered adequately, butterwort must not manually maintained become. In the vicinity of the pond, this is probably a natural occurrence. If the ground on hot summer days however, should it be dry, the plant can be watered.

You don’t need to fertilize the butterwort. There are tips below on the subject of winter protection, but this is theoretically not necessary either. The plant regulates a lot by itself.

requirements for the pond

As already mentioned, the plant is not planted directly in the pond, but immediately next to it. Through her behavior, however, she is possibly decisive for Keep insects away from other plants.

These can also include possible pests, which the butterwort keeps away from other plants. Otherwise, the plant has no positive or negative effects on the pond.

propagation

Over time, butterwort forms smaller extensions, so-called brood buds. These are then distributed around the winter bud and can be planted elsewhere in spring.

One Sowing in winter is another way of propagation. The new seeds should be grown in winter in a shallow dish with potting soil and sand. The growing seeds should always be kept moist. In the spring, the sprouts can then be pricked out and exposed.

wintering

The butterwort is perennial and forms a bud (hibernacle) in winter, into which the plant retreats. The very short roots also die off and are formed again in the spring.

The plant is also native to Siberia and the Alps cold weather doesn’t bother her.