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Utricularia geminiloba Flower Stalk

So far so good, its still growing. Wish me luck!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5225017878/" title="Utricularia geminiloba Flower Stalk by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5203/5225017878_015a6dae09.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Utricularia geminiloba Flower Stalk" /></a>
 
congrats! looking forward to seeing the flower!
 
We might need to do a trade in the future. looking forward to seeing the flower.
 
Wow! I didn't know you were growing this species. I had it for a couple days back in early 2009 but it froze.
 
Wow! Congratulations on the impending flower! Can we see some more foliage pics? What's the media and overall growing conditions (humidity, temps, lighting)?

I received a small one in the fall and immediately split the clump in half - one part in Pyro's recommended media mix and the other chunk in 100% live LFS. Originally the LFS pot had more growth but recently the other mix has shown more small leaves popping up.

Here's a pic of the clump in the LFS pot soon after I received it (snatched the pic from the quelchii / tricolor ID thread). While all of the original leaves were close to the media, the new ones tend to be on stalks (I'll try & get some updated pics at some point). From what I can see, your plant seems to be much larger than mine ....
Ugeminiloba092510RS.jpg


Great to see some of the more unusual Orchidioides showing up on this side of the pond!
 
Wow! Congratulations on the impending flower! Can we see some more foliage pics? What's the media and overall growing conditions (humidity, temps, lighting)?

I received a small one in the fall and immediately split the clump in half - one part in Pyro's recommended media mix and the other chunk in 100% live LFS. Originally the LFS pot had more growth but recently the other mix has shown more small leaves popping up.

Here's a pic of the clump in the LFS pot soon after I received it (snatched the pic from the quelchii / tricolor ID thread). While all of the original leaves were close to the media, the new ones tend to be on stalks (I'll try & get some updated pics at some point). From what I can see, your plant seems to be much larger than mine ....

Great to see some of the more unusual Orchidioides showing up on this side of the pond!

I wish I could take credit for the stalk but I believe it was starting to grow before I got it. I didn't notice it when repotting/dividing the main plant, but it showed up soon afterwards. So I'm not counting my conditions as good enough to flower this species yet.

The tank these are in is llighted by 2 T5 55W bulbs approx. 14" or so from the bulbs. Humidity is 60-99% temps 65-75 although they will be 55-70 soon as winter gets here.

Here are some more photo's.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5229591497/" title="Utricularia geminiloba by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5229591497_47c28410c9.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Utricularia geminiloba" /></a>

Largest of the two leaves.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5230184136/" title="Utricularia geminiloba by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5230184136_1bdbca9a88.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Utricularia geminiloba" /></a>

Here you can get a good idea of the medium, although I have not had it growing in there long enough to say anything good. I'm moving alot of my Utric's into a moist Nep type mix, and for my conditions it seems to be working better. This one has larger pieces of shifted peat/sphagnum/perlite/hydroton/lava rock/tree fern pieces. The peat/lfs/perlite are about 1/4 each with the others making up the last 1/4 in equal amounts. Roughly, I mix mediums by feel more than measurements.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5230184376/" title="Utricularia geminiloba by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5243/5230184376_9de879ca4b.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Utricularia geminiloba" /></a>

Yea, yea its not a Utric., but it was just screaming to get its photo taken :-)). H. minor btw.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5229592323/" title="004 by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5290/5229592323_ded941777f.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="004" /></a>
 
Congratulations and good luck....I never was able to get mine to flower. I look forward to the flower photos!
 
It seems to be taking forever to open but its slowly making progress. Here it is today.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5255290899/" title="Utricularia geminiloba by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5255290899_a51d58c6be.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Utricularia geminiloba" /></a>
 
  • #10
Congrats!
 
  • #11
wish i never lost mine.....very cool....
 
  • #12
I think mine must like the cooler weather because both pots have several new shoots - maybe I'll get a flower in a year or so ... :-O

For some more info on this cool species, here's some habitat info compliments of Fernando Rivadavia (scroll down & I like to set the zoom at 125).
 
  • #13
The last 2 days its started opening up, its about 95% open now. The left petal is still not completely there yet. The flower seemed so delicate while I was moving it around.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5281267091/" title="Utricularia geminiloba by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5204/5281267091_a1a524aa10.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Utricularia geminiloba" /></a>
 
  • #14
i command you to pollinate the heck out of it! :D
 
  • #16
While we wait for another pic of RSS's flower...
But I just can't get the watering of U.geminiloba right. This utric has been always one of the most demanding for me, what are your conditions?
How long have you been growing it and what size are the leaves? (pics??)

As i mentioned above, I only received mine a few months ago and split it into two piece upon arrival. Initially they both grew just a little. About a month or so ago, the one in LFS started to grow more aggressively and about 2 weeks ago, the other got jealous and has been trying to catch up. Around 1-1.5 months ago, I started to spray the inside of the tank with a fine mist to increase the humidity in the AM, soon after the lights come on (for all the plants in the 75 gal tank) but when I'm done spraying the mist, I also soak the top of both pots of U. geminiloba. Having read that it's a lithophyte, this seemed like a good idea (or so I rationalized). This timing also roughly coincided with temps in the area (& my basement) dropping. So, take this fwiw - the add'l watering may be a fluke or it might be helping them - time will tell. In general, I feel that these plants are similar to the petiolaris complex in that it takes a few seasons to get a handle on their idiosyncrasies and see them through dormancies & flowering.

In addition to RSS's conditions above, another grower of this plant recently told me in an email that he grows it in "mostly loose LFS with some chunky perlite" in a section of his greenhouse that gets watered frequently (every 1 or 2 days).

In the 1st post in the Orchidioides discussion thread (under Travelogues), there is a link to Fernando's quest to find flowering U. geminiloba. In that article he shares multiple observations of how he found it growing in it's habitat - very interesting.
 
  • #17
I've been growing it for a year now. I received a small plantlet with 2 leaves, about half an inch in size. They quickly died off, the plant started to grow 2 months after. Unfortunately they are much smaller now, and the plant seems to have another growth stop, also the leaves don't look well too. Maybe I'll try to add some more live sphag, I see the plants grow only in the living one, the stolons avoid the dead LFS:

geminiloba.jpg


Maybe I'll try to keep it more wet!

Peter
 
  • #18
Here is the best pic I could get, there was a very slight breeze or something making that tall skinny stalk move every 5s or so.

I'm growing this one and U. endressii in an open medium that is only watered once a week, no misting or anything. I can't say anything good or bad about U. geminiloba in this medium but U. endressii is doing great, I've sent off 3-4 plugs to TF people and have 3 more starter pots off the main pot. I could probably start another pot or 2 off the runners now. They get a dip, completely submerging the pots in water, once a week and thats it for watering.

I have yet to notice any leaf/bladder growth in the U. geminiloba's. For that matter anything besides the stalk.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5287950619/" title="Utricularia geminiloba flower by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5287950619_ded96012ea.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Utricularia geminiloba flower" /></a>
 
  • #19
Here's some current shots of my 2 divisions. The 1st is in a 100% LFS (originally live) media. It was slowly adding on new leaves when I started the AM watering but has added more recently (the tallest 2 are still unfolding / growing (the lengthening of the leaf into a triangle shape is the last thing to happen). The larger, heart-shaped leaf facing the camera is also on a fairly long petiole (like the other 2 new ones), but it is somewhat drooping... Most of the other leaves are similar to the 'tricolor-look' of my earlier (12.3.10) post.
UgeminilobaLFS122510RS.jpg


This is the peat-based mix pot. It was doing very little adding of any leaves until recently. Both of the newer leaves w/ the long petioles are still forming. Although it is difficult to see in this pic, the largest original leaf came w/ a crease in it. Naturally one of these 2 new leaves had to come from below and push directly through the middle of that leaf (perforating a weakness in the crease). :crazy:
Ugeminilobapeatmix122510RS.jpg

-----------------------------------------
Here's a clickable thumbnail of the leaf with the stem growing up through it:
 
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  • #20
Your plant looks good! Maybe I'll try to add some peat to my growing mix for it.

Peter
 
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