Terrestrial Utrics suspended in water

[jimscott]

Recently, a hobbyist on CPUK posted a picture of U. reniformis in a container that was suspended in a jar, filled with water.. One can see the roots in the water. Awhile back, Elegecko posted the same concept, patterned from Savage Garden.

Can all terrestrial Utrics be cultivated in like manner?

 

[Drosera36]

Yeah, I think so. Just that you'd want to cover the outside of the glass jar to kill any algae, and to also keep your plant from making stolons on the bladders, since they will if any light reaches the bladders.

-Ben

 

[homer]

This topic reminds me of something regarding utric propogation that I'd like to share. My U. reniformis was "rootbound" and had several inches of bladders growing out of the holes on the bottom of the pot. On one strand, a tiny stolon was growing, so I snipped it off along with the rest of the bladders, and put it in its own pot. Days later, I noticed that the tiny stolon produced a new 1/2" long leaf, fully developed. I was worried about going in and hacking away at my U. reniformis, but this method as I explained is a sure way to avoid "disturbing" the parent plant. This is probably standard knowledge amongst the utric crowd, but I thought I'd share anyway.

-Homer

 

[jimscott]

I would love to have a vat of water and a tray with various pot sized holes that could fit on top, partially submerged. This way I could fill each pot with a Utric and have the whole collection accommodated.

Utrics remind of the regenerative powers of a planarian!

 

[glider14]

ya like in the savage garden! they used a Gelnsalia though... i am going to try that method once i get somthing like that though....

 

[jimscott]

I've been turning it over in my mind and I thought of using a styrofoam cooler cover and mesh netting or my wife's nylons sunk through holes the size of 4" pots.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

I am doing this methed on all my utrics and one other bladderwort. It isn't many just about 8 total. I am using mason jars and rubermade containers with holes drilled in them. Some are not producing bladders below the peat mix and some are only growing there with leaves forming around the sides od the containers. I have an idea for a really cool Utric pot that will have removable sides and a way to water without having to lift the plant. I just have to build my prototype and then present it to the croud. GL Jimscott with your project.

 

[Mokele]

I just saw this topic, and thought that I should add I'm trying the same thing with two utrics and a genlisea suspended in an old thin-layer chromatography container (essentially a hollow glass container 12" x 12" x 3", with a 12" x 3" opening at the top) that I salvaged. One of the utrics got pretty messed up in shipping, and it's too early for anything to be visible, but I'll post photos if it suceeds.

Mokele

 

[jimscott]

I ended up taking home some plastic rose displays and fitted them into Rubbermaid containers that I can see through. Each display has 15 cells, so there went 15 Utric species into each cell and then 15 pings into another. but I also took a romano cheese container and emplaced the 2" pot of Genlisea hispidula atop. So hopefully the "roots: will penetrate through.

 

[Mokele]

Well, time for an update. I bought a G lobata x violacea, a U. reinformis and a U. longifolia, and placed them into 3" pots (the only thing I had availible). The pots were placed in a chromatography tank I scavenged, which was filled with water. It's lit by a spiral flourescent bulb.

The set up:

Unfortunately, the longifola hasn't done well. It's alive, and I see leaves poking up, but not very many, and no roots. The Genlisea has thrived, and is blooming like mad, but the pot must be too deep, because none of the roots are visible. However, 3rd time's a charm, and the reinformis has grown like mad in both directions.

Bottom of the U reinformis:

Detail of the traps:

So, it seems to at least work with reinformis. Any tips for helping the longifolia revive?

Mokele

 

[rattler]

very cool...................no clue on the longifolia, it should love those conditions....................the reniformis however, tend to not like to be constantly wet................whats happening should be switched between the two.......very interesting results, im curious as to how the reniformis likes the conditions long term

 

[seedjar]

I've heard longifolia prefers humid conditions, but haven't confirmed it with any growers. Anybody know if there's truth to this? I grow mine in my highland Nep tank but I'm not sure if it likes it. It's growing fine, but the leaves are shorter than when I got it as a plug and they seem to be an unusually light shade of green. As for your Genlisea not reaching down through the pot, you may have to put it in a container with a more richly perforated bottom. When I repot my G. hispidula I find roots that form large "U"s; they grow down from the plant, then hit the bottom of the pot, turn back upwards and grow toward the surface of the soil, sometimes poking out just slightly before resuming their descent. I think that specimen pictured in The Savage Garden may have grown that way because the bottom of the container is so open.
Best luck,
~Joe

 

[jimscott]

Mokele: great job with the setup and photography!

I ended up using a plastic display tray for each species of Utric. This is a lousy picture of it, back in April:

AS to U longifolia, like sandersonii blue, I have it in perpetually waterlogged conditions. Not seeing attempts to flower, but it is green and growing new suficial leaves.

I have since abandonned the suspended G. hispidula endeavor and have in a realtively normal pot. It is sending up new flower stalks.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Well, for me it turned out that the pots I were using were too small, and the water was evaporating too quickly.  I had traps and roots growing down into the water on most of the plants, but they seemed to not be doing well at all.  After the first few months of growing fine they took a steep decline.  Then I decided to move them all into clay pots sitting in water with Azolla growing in it, and they exploded with growth! I grow Azolla in all the water trays I have. The Azolla releases excess nitrogen into the surrounding water.  I can no longer look at the traps because they are now in peat, but the plants are now thriving.  I think I remember reading someplace thant utrics like to spread out and do not like being root bound, so after I transplanted all my plants into 4 inch clay pots they exploded with growth and I have two flowering.  Sandersonii, I think, and another yellow flowered one.  Maybe if I get off my lazy behind and build the dispaly tank I have an idea for It might be large enough to make the utrics happy yet still have a way to display the traps.  I will get back as soon as I make one.

 

[Mokele]

Thanks for the input, everyone. In the next step, I'm going to try to sort out what's up with the longifola, and try to figure out a potting system that's more shallow and porous. I'm thinking of using plastic mesh with LFS across it to hold stuff in, then peat and LFS for the main medium. Hopefully that'll give the roots more room to descend.

Mokele

 

[glider14]

My U. longifolia is rely doing awesome! its in straight LFS and just putting out stolon after stolon! ive only had it for a few weeks. its in a terrarium under lights.
Alex

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

I'm growing my U. longifolia in straight LFS like glider only mine is in my south window partially shaded by some other CPs in front of it. It's taken off quite well in the 2 months I've had it. Though I need to do some aphid squashing.

 

[Drosera36]

I grow mine in a mix of LFS, peat, orchid bark, and perlite. It seems to like this, and is spreading nicely. I also have a smaller clone from Bob Z. which he got from CC. The conditions aren't too humid, maybe 50-60% in the day, 75% at night. They're both in a partially covered terrarium with lights. But I do often overhead water them.

-Ben

 

[mabudon]

From my experiance with U.longifolia, it looked pretty crummy until it had taken over the pot it was in, now the thing is unstoppable and even flowered this spring, so just be patient and it sould be fine...

Oh and mine is on a south windowsill, too, so no real humidity