Brahmi plant, Bacopa monnieri, small fat leaf

The small fat leaf (bot. Bacopa monnieri) is known by the more common names Brahmi or memory plant and is often used in aquariums due to its persistence. The plantain plant is also used as a medicinal herb, because it has a positive effect on people's memory. The small plant hardly needs maintenance and is therefore well suited even for newcomers to the field of indoor plants.

Location

The location of the small fat leaf should correspond to its Asian origin:

• Light requirement: sunny to partially shaded
• bright places without direct sun are tolerated
• shorter periods in shady locations are tolerated
• from April to October: outdoor location desirable

If you are in the open air, you can use your balcony or terrace, for example. It is advisable not to leave the plant unprotected in the wind as it can fall over very quickly due to its small size. This could damage the roots and for this reason you should pay attention to this point during positioning.

Substrate

With regard to the substrate, Bacopa monnieri does not have any special requirements. Here it depends exclusively on the use of the plant, because the small fat leaf can be used for two different purposes:

• Ornamental plant: potting soil
• Spice plant: vegetable or herb soil

The most important thing here is that the selected substrates are of good quality and very rich in nutrients.

Buy preferred potted plants

Due to the great popularity in the field of aquarium plants, there are numerous dealers for the small fat leaf and also specialist dealers carry the plantain family. Due to the robustness of the Brahmi, you only have to pay attention when buying that the plant looks healthy and has not dried out. You must also be careful not to accidentally pick up a copy of the Indian pennywort (bot. Centella asiatica), also known as gotu kola. Some dealers carry these under the same name.

Repot

Repotting the Bacopa monnieri proves to be unproblematic and is only necessary after two to three years, as the substrate compacts during this time. When repotting, proceed as follows:

• prepare fresh substrate
• carefully remove the plant from the pot
• pay particular attention to the numerous roots of the Brahmi
• rinse the root ball thoroughly
• check the roots for rotten spots and remove them with a clean, sharp knife
• clean the flower pot and saucer
• fill the soil two-thirds in and put the plant in it
• fill in the rest of the substrate and keep pressing it down to avoid holes
• then water sufficiently

Tip: Brahmi plants can be cultivated extremely well in hanging plants, as the roots can develop better due to the higher air supply.

care

The care of the Brahmi is extremely easy, only when watering you have to be careful to give the right amounts of water. If you want to enjoy the Kleiner Fettblatt for a long time, moisture, nutrients and the right winter quarters have to be right East Asian beauty with the small, white flowers, especially during the vegetation phase, the best conditions for strong growth enable.

to water

Watering the brahmi is the most important part of caring for it as it is extremely thirsty, which is due to its origins as a marsh plant:

• water regularly
• Substrate should always be moist
• Waterlogging is tolerated, but should not be permanent
• do not water less in winter
• Water can be collected in the coaster
• if the excess water smells stale, throw it away immediately
• then clean the coaster

Fertilize

When it comes to fertilizing, Brahmi is extremely uncomplicated and does not require any special mixtures. Use organic universal liquid fertilizer for this, which you can get in numerous garden centers and hardware stores. High-quality organic fertilizers such as Neudorff, Naturen and Dehner products are particularly recommended here. It is fertilized once a month from the beginning of April to the end of September. When dosing, pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions and it is best to apply the fertilizer via the irrigation water. Do not fertilize within the first year after purchasing or repotting a specimen.

Cut

Bacopa monnieri does not need pruning, as the memory plant reaches a final height of ten to 15 centimeters and remains evergreen with sufficient moisture and warmth. Nevertheless, it can happen that some shoots or leaves wither over the winter time, which could affect the health of the plant. The infected shoots should simply be cut off with a sharp, clean knife or scissors and disposed of with household waste.
Tip: You can harvest the Brahmi plant from March to November and use the leaves for teas or in salads. The harvest maintains the vitality of the small fat leaf, acts as a substitute for pruning and ensures that it always receives a growth spurt.

Overwinter

The winter quarters of the Brahmi plant is extremely important because it cannot tolerate frost or cold. As it comes from the East Asian marshes, it is not used to winters in Central Europe and therefore needs to be overwintered with a minimum temperature of 5 ° C. A normal room temperature, around 19 ° C, is recommended, but is not required as long as the plant is not in a cold draft. Despite its need for water, it can withstand the typical low humidity, but high humidity is ideal. The winter quarters are occupied before the first night frosts in autumn. Advantageous locations for wintering:

• bathroom
• heated winter gardens with lots of light
• South or west windows with heating under the window sill
• in the aquarium at a temperature of around 30 ° C

If you have an aquarium, overwintering in the water is worthwhile without any problems. The plant has been used in aquariums for years and can even be put out of the water in a pot with a moist substrate after winter. In this way, it even receives an energy boost, as the roots receive the right amount of moisture without being "crushed" by the substrate.

Propagation of cuttings

The small fat leaf can be propagated extremely well using cuttings. Since there are hardly any seeds of the plant to buy in stores, this method is effective for propagation. The propagation of cuttings succeeds as follows:

1. The cuttings should be fresh and healthy. Look for shoots that have at least two, ideally three, pairs of leaves. Remove these with sharp, clean scissors or a small knife.

2. Prepare either a flower pot filled with the same substrate as the adult specimens or a water glass. Place the cutting in the chosen container. If you choose the flower pot, the soil should be kept particularly moist, this stimulates the formation of roots.

3. Over the next few weeks, roots will form and the cutting will mature into a young plant. As soon as you discover the first roots on the cutting in the water glass, you should then repot it.

4. After that, continue with the care as usual.

Propagation via seeds

If you manage to get Brahmi seeds, you can of course grow them yourself. These are either available from specialist dealers for Asian plants or organic shops that sometimes offer them. So you have to keep an eye out for the little plants. Proceed as follows to propagate Bacopa monnieri seeds:

1. The best time to sow is spring, from the end of March to mid-April. The seedlings are grown in a room or mini greenhouse, as the seeds need a temperature of 25 ° C to 28 ° C and sufficient light

2. The potting soil should be composed as follows:

• low in nutrients
• contains a high proportion of peat, as it is a swampy plant
• organic substrate

Fill the soil in a cultivation container and stick the seeds half a centimeter into the ground. Do not cover them as they are light germs. Moisten the soil extensively.

3. The seedlings will develop within two weeks and should be adequately moistened throughout. But they shouldn't have to endure waterlogging. Now place the cultivation vessel on a board that is on top of a radiator or on a window sill that is above such a board. This stimulates the formation of roots.

4. After a few weeks you can move the seedlings to separate pots. For this you use the same substrate as for the adult specimens. Since the Brahmi cannot plant outdoors, they no longer have to remove them from the pots.

Diseases and pests

The Brahmi is extremely resistant to a wide variety of diseases and pests. In their homeland in East Asia, wild specimens often suffer from insect damage, especially from grasshoppers, which is not a problem in Germany.