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Pinguicula Care Sheet |
Pinguicula is the hardest to keep alive second only to the cobra lilly in my opinion. They are hard to propagate through cuttings and most are short lived. All I can say is keep them wet and don't let them get to hot. Unless you are after the seed cut the flowers off before they start to develop. It takes to much energy from the plant and most often kills it.
Pinguicula (Butterworts) have shallow roots systems. Most of them only produce 4 - 8 roots and they are not very long or thick. Always be very careful of the roots when you are working with them.
Dormancy -Some pings do not require a dormancy. Check the no dormancy list to see which do not. If not on the list they probably need to go dormant for the winter. Most require 3 - 4 months of winter dormancy, triggered by temperatures below 45º. Once dormant they require very little light and must be kept much drier (never let them dry out). A garage or shed makes an excellent location for dormant plants.
Water - The most important thing about water is the type to use. I personally use reverse osmosis water. Distilled from the store and rain water are also acceptable. If you get distilled water from the store make sure it says "Sodium Free" right on the front of the jug. If you have very many plants a reverse-osmosis under the sink model from Lowe's/Menards/Home Depot/etc. will pay for itself pretty quick.
The other thing about water is how much to use. Carnivorous plants grown indoors should not be watered overhead, unless done very gently over a long fiber sphagnum moss top dressing. Watering overhead constantly may pack the soil tightly around the roots and smothers them. Use a plastic pot with drainage holes and place it in a plastic water tray. Keep at least 1" of water in the tray at all times, more if in bright light. The more light the more water can be tolerated. If there is no high levels of light you have to be careful not to over water or it will rot.
Ping's generally like being wetter than most. I have had the best luck growing them on lava rock sitting in a pool of water. I put a little peat on the lava rock to hold the ping in place. Water level ranges from base of peat to just under the lowest leaf of the ping. With this one I have U. gibba growing in the water. They have been like this for just over a year.

Soil - Pinguicula (Butterworts) evolved to eat bugs to make up for the nutrient poor acidic soil they naturally live in. Regular dirt or potting soil kills them fast, and never use fertilizer. Use 50% Sphagnum peat moss and 50% perlite. You can mix in 25% long fibered sphagnum moss and/or use it for a top dressing if you like. I like doing both with Pings. Make sure you get pure Sphagnum peat moss, you don't want Miracle Grow or any other chemicals mixed in with it.
Some sources recommend using sand in the soil mix. I don't recommend using sand for any of them. Sand creates more problems than its worth. If you have to use sand use silica sand.
Light - Pinguicula (Butterworts) don't need as much light as many carnivorous plants. Pings generally grow in the shade of another plant or other obstacle in the wild. Bright shade generally works fine. I grow most of mine under fluorescent lighting. If fluorescent is the primary source of light use two 40 watt cool white 4' bulbs within 18" over the plant. An economical shop light works well for this. Put the light on a timer to go on and off with the sun. If you are growing other plants under the fluorescent place the pings on the ends where the light is not as strong.
Humidity - When it comes to humidity these are much like the Sundews. Above 50% is a must and above 60% is better. Their dew is a good sign the humidity and light levels are high enough, just like with the sundews.
Winter temperature is the big variant on the different species in the world of pings. Most will grow just fine with summer temps between 65 and 85 F. Hotter will be tolerated but night temps should come down to 70 - 75 F to give them a break. As a general rule they prefer cooler temps, 65-70 being ideal.
Temperate - Winter temps down to 25 for short periods.
Warm-Temperate - Winter light frosts tolerated
Tropical - No winter below 40.