Liverwort ∗ The great guide from A to Z

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Marchantiophyta
• Department: Terrestrial Plants
• Moss clan: Liverworts with 10,000 species
• Occurrence: worldwide
• Growth type: rootless spore plant
• Growth height: 1 mm to 15 cm
• Plant body (thallus): fleshy, rounded
• Growth form: ground covering
• Status: weed, plant strengthener, natural medicinal plant

Moss Kin

liverwort With more than 10,000 species, represents the largest of three moss taxa from the department of terrestrial plants. Another 6,000 to 8,000 known moss species are assigned to the mosses (Bryophyta) and horn mosses (Anthocerotophyta).

The name liverwort refers to the liver-shaped plant body of fountain liverwort. In the Middle Ages, the moss was used as an extract boiled in wine to treat liver diseases. Later the term was applied to the entire clan. Liverworts have no roots, rarely have leaves or flowers, and are often overgrown by other land plants. Nevertheless, the tiny green plants have bravely held their own against all the vicissitudes of evolution for more than 400 million years. Shade, wet or dry - liverworts grow undaunted and rapidly, as the following video demonstrates.

Beautiful liverwort - growth in time lapse

status

For a long time, liverwort was reduced to the status of an annoying weed. Natural hobby gardeners respect liverworts as an important component in the ecosystem. Among other things find here beneficials of the garden a place of retreat and birds collect moss cushions as nesting material.

In the natural garden, an extract from liverwort has gained a good reputation as a plant strengthener because it helps against various pathogens. Other environmentally friendly functions make liverwort extract a popular natural remedy in the home and horse stable.

liverwort extract

Liverwort extract is a purely natural product with a highly dosed combination of the best active ingredients moss species this group. Manufactured as an essence with 70% alcohol, the natural active ingredients are particularly effective, quickly degradable and leave no harmful residues in the soil. In the following sections, read lots of tips on how to use, where to buy and how to make your own liverwort extract:

use

The following table provides an overview of the wide range of environmentally friendly uses for the garden, household and health:

Application Tips

For the correct use of liverwort extract, please pay particular attention to the following information:

• Prepare plant strengthener: stir 5 ml extract into 1 l water.
• Use preventively: spray crop and ornamental plants until dripping wet every 10 to 14 days.
• Harmless: Above-ground plant parts of root and tuber vegetables can be sprayed and eaten later.
• Wash raw food: wash treated raw food (fruit, salad) before consumption.
• Prepare cleaning agent: add 10 ml liverwort extract to the cleaning water or spray on diluted with 100 ml water.
• Fungal diseases in horses: Fill 10-20 ml extract with 100 ml water in a spray bottle and apply.

For the treatment of plants, surfaces and objects already infested with fungal pathogens, the concentration can be increased to up to 20 ml. It is important to note that liverwort extract must not be used internally. Regular footbaths have proven effective in treating nail fungus. To do this, dissolve 20 ml of liverwort extract in 5 liters of water. For external use in pet care, 10-20 ml of extract is added to 100 ml of water.

Buy liverwort extract

Liverwort extract has long since shaken off its reputation as an organic niche product. Today you can buy the natural extract in many places in local shops and online shops:

• At Jean Pütz, the pioneer of liverwort extract: jean-puetz-produkte.de
• Pharmacies and drugstores: on site and online.
• Amazon and eBay.
• Specialist trade for natural cosmetics, plant care, animal care, horse supplies.

Make liverwort extract yourself

The motto in the hobby garden is: Doing it yourself is trumps. According to this motto, you can also produce liverwort extract yourself using this recipe:

1. Collect liverworts in the lawn and garden bed, in stone joints or on potting soil.
2. Wash pieces of moss and dry in a dark, airy place.
3. Chop 10 g of dried moss in a blender.
4. Add 100 ml alcohol (50% to 70%) and puree.

Depending on the use, the extract is rainwater or diluted with distilled water. Let the essence steep for a day and then filter out the moss residue.

digression

Smoke liverwort - is that possible?

plant liverworts

hobby gardener plants Liverwort as a green design component in the garden or for the production of extract. You can buy young liverworts in specialist shops or on Amazon. In small quantities it is allowed to collect liverworts in the forest without using the strict Conservation Act to get into conflict. You can find out where and how to skillfully plant liverwort in the following sections:

Location

Liverwort finds ideal growth conditions in these locations:

• Half-shady to shady location with high humidity, for example near water.
• Humid, nutrient-poor clay soil, likes to be compacted and with regular waterlogging.
• Preferably acidic pH less than 5.5.

multiply

You only need a small amount of liverwort purchased or collected for planting. You can easily propagate the rootless spore plants. For the planting of one square meter of bed area, 5 pieces of 10-12 centimeter moss patches are sufficient. A dense, ground-covering carpet forms within a short time. The following short instructions explain how to plant liverworts correctly:

1. Best planting time is from April to September at 15° to 20° Celsius or warmer.
2. Weed bed area, rake, with rake smooth and water into fine crumbs.
3. Cut the liverworts into small segments.
4. Create small planting holes with a diameter of 2 cm to 3 cm at a distance of 5 cm to 8 cm in the bed.
5. Place pieces of moss in the holes with tweezers or fingers, press down on the soil and water with a fine spray.

Maintain liverwort

The care of liverwort is limited to regular watering when it is dry. Please use mainly soft rainwater or pond water so that the pH value does not skyrocket. to fertilize is not the moss. Once freshly planted liverwort has formed a dense carpet, weeds are effectively suppressed. Until then, daily weeding is recommended.

Fight liverwort

Liverwort is not always a welcome guest. Sometimes the green cushions spread uncontrollably in the garden and live up to their reputation as weeds. How to fight liverwort without chemicals:

• In the bed: rake, fluff up and work in sand regularly.
• In the lawn: twice a year scarify and sanden, aerate once a year.
• liming: test the pH value annually and, if necessary, bedding soil or lime the lawn.

Liverwort is a tough opponent on pavement. Fight the moss on insensitive surfaces high pressure cleaner(€122.00 at Amazon*) or flaming device. First remove liverwort from natural stone with a sponge or wire brush. Then destroy the last remains of moss Vinegar.

Popular Varieties

Among more than 10,000 liverwort species, there are many variations for the natural hobby gardener to discover:

• Fountain Liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha): best-known liverwort with a rounded plant body and conspicuous brood cups on the surface.
• Bald fruit moss (Porella): beautiful liverwort with distinctively feathered growth that also grows on rocks.
• Whipmoss (Bazzania trilobata): leafed liverwort with elongated flank leaves up to 10 cm long.
• Star Liverwort (Riccia fluitans): popular pond and aquarium liverwort that thrives floating or submerged.

FAQ

What helps against liverwort?

Does liverwort in the bed give you a green headache? Then make life miserable for the mossy weeds by regularly raking and weeding. Due to the unrest in the bed, rootless liverworts cannot grow and give up. Annual scarifying and sanding helps to prevent moss growth in the lawn. If the pH is acidic below 5.5, you should lime moss-covered green areas to a moss-hostile value of between 6 and 7.

How do you use liverwort extract for a horse?

Stubborn fungal diseases are rampant in horses in boarding stables. Cleaning supplies, halters, blankets and saddles are lent out amicably. Pests spread happily in this way. The chemical-free treatment with liverwort extract is considered an insider tip among equestrian friends. Mix 20 milliliters of extract with 100 milliliters of water and pour the solution into a spray bottle. If affected areas of skin are sprayed regularly, a clear relief of the symptoms can be seen quickly.

Can you smoke liverwort like THC?

Liverwort has been available as a so-called legal high since the 1990s. At that time, Japanese researchers found that liverworts are capable of producing cannabinoids whose chemical structure is very similar to the well-known THC. According to a study by the University of Bern, liverwort cannabinoids reach the brain just as quickly as THC and trigger a psychoactive effect. Of course, the findings are based on animal models. It takes solid basic research for robust evidence that liverwort can actually produce THC-like effects in humans.

What does liverwort do to humans?

In humans, liverwort extract is attested to have a healing fungicidal effect on fungal diseases. Daily hand and foot baths are recommended for the treatment of nail fungus. Alternatively, soak a cotton ball in liverwort extract and dab affected areas of skin three times a day.

Can you use liverwort extract internally?

No, liverwort extract is only suitable for external use. This premise applies to humans and animals alike.

Which liverwort can I plant in a small aquarium?

Tender liverwort (Monosolenium tenerum) is perfect for planting in a mini-aquarium. The moss is closely related to fountain liverwort and just as undemanding. With a maximum growth height of 2 centimetres, tender liverwort is only half the size of the well-known pond liverwort. Decoratively stage the moss in the aquarium by attaching it to a root.