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Expert: - 2/5/2009


Question
how do you care fore butterwarts?

Answer
Hello Zachery,

Basically, most butterworts will prefer filtered or partial sun, a morning sun window being just fine for them. They cannot stand direct sun and tend to burn rather quickly. 12000 lumens of florescent, cool white, shop light tubes 5-8 inches above the plants and left on for 12-16 hours a day is also just right for their light needs.

Butterworts like clean distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water, but do not like standing in a tray of water. Runoff water from top watering can be left in the tray if it is shallow. Deep standing water will result in root rot. Butterworts can actually tolerate harder water than most other carnivorous plants, so if your tap is not over 50-100 ppm in hardness you could possibly use it.

Butterworts like a little mineral in their soil, so use a mix of about one part each perlite, sphagnum peat moss, and vermiculite for soil. They like a lot of drainage. Make sure the soil has no fertilizers or other additives.

There are two types of butterworts. The temperate varieties are much like Venus Flytraps in that they go dormant in winter and form a hibernation bud during that time.

The tropical varities of butterworts also go dormant occasionally, but do so in dry, cool seasons. They live in regions where water is more abundant at some times yet dry spells occur seasonally.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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