Hardening Off Butterworts from Death Cubes: Gradual Acclimation Method

Question

I purchased a butterwort from a death cube..and i want it out. Last time i purchased a butterwort and took the top off the plant died over night..people on forums say make a hole on the cube and day by day make it bigger...others say take the top off completely but do it overnight..any advice from the pros?

Answer

The process is called hardening off, which is gradually acclimating a plant to lower humidity. It's always a good idea to do this a gradually as possible.

If the cube is made of acrylic, you may have a hard time cutting a hole in it. If this is the case, replace the lid with a clear plastic cup. Use a size that is smaller than the sides of the cube, but large enough to fit over the plant. Create a small hole in the plastic cup, about 1/4 inch, and place the cup over the plant.

Every 3-5 days, create another hole of similar diameter. Within a couple weeks or so, you should be able to remove the plastic cup completely.

You may still have some leaf damage during this process. That's normal and most often unavoidable. The new growth from this point on, however, will be perfectly acclimated to lower humidity.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin