TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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well U. multifida is a temperate terrestrial. i dont think i have it but here is how i would go about starting the seeds. first you need a pot of soil either a peat/sand mix or finely chopped LFS should work. get the soil thouroughly soaked with distilled/RO or rain water. spread the seeds across the surface of the soil. DO NOT cover up the seeds, they just sit on the soil surface. next place your pot of soil in a container about twice the diameter of the pot of soil. slowly fill the outside container with distilled or RO water till its about level with the soil surface. this will keep the soil surface constantly wet and allow you to add more water without disturbing the soils surface.
note: i have minimal experiance in growing Utrics from seeds but this is how i was told to start my U. petertaylorii seeds. anyone with more experiance please chime in
note: i have minimal experiance in growing Utrics from seeds but this is how i was told to start my U. petertaylorii seeds. anyone with more experiance please chime in
Do as rattler says and you should do OK as long as the seed is reasonably fresh.
Something to think about is the fact that this species and others closely related usually germinate in the cool of winter and appreciate the cool winter nights. When you sow the seeds you will need to keep the pot cool for good success.
I've actually just noticed seedlings that have sprouted from seeds dropped from plants that I pollinated in Summer. I'm in Australia and as Summer has just ended, the nights are beginning to become quite cool. This is what has triggered the germination of the seed.
BTW, the environment in which U. multifida grows would be more aptly described as Mediterranean rather than temperate. Only occasionally would plants experience light frosts.
Something to think about is the fact that this species and others closely related usually germinate in the cool of winter and appreciate the cool winter nights. When you sow the seeds you will need to keep the pot cool for good success.
I've actually just noticed seedlings that have sprouted from seeds dropped from plants that I pollinated in Summer. I'm in Australia and as Summer has just ended, the nights are beginning to become quite cool. This is what has triggered the germination of the seed.
BTW, the environment in which U. multifida grows would be more aptly described as Mediterranean rather than temperate. Only occasionally would plants experience light frosts.
the only halfway decent reference i have for 99% of the Utric species only lists for tropical, semi-tropical and temprate. doesnt go any further break down of climate. i didnt check my labels last night to see if this species was in the last batch of Utrics Rose sent me so even if its there i have all of 2 weeks experiance with it. my basic concern was if it was a terrestrial or aquatic cause i wanst sure if the info you gave me would work for aquatic seeds. thanks for chiming in Sean.
Tropical, semi or sub-tropical and temperate is a little generalistic for these plants. I do actually remember these categories assigned to Utrics in one of the more common books but can't recall which. The Utrics of south eastern and western Australia don't really fit any of these categories- they would best fit into their own category somewhere between temperate and sub-tropical.
U. multifida is one of the species which grows in soils that are covered by a thin layer of water during the cooler months and into Spring (as are nearly all of the Utrics from this part of Australia). Areas that I've seen them growing are inundated by about an inch of water which is usually gone by the end of Spring- the soils are still damp in early Summer though.
I've also seen them growing in moss atop granite rocks which have water constantly seeping through in Winter and Spring- these habitats are common in south west WA. In both of these types of habitat the ground in baked hard and incredibly hot in Summer.
U. multifida is one of the species which grows in soils that are covered by a thin layer of water during the cooler months and into Spring (as are nearly all of the Utrics from this part of Australia). Areas that I've seen them growing are inundated by about an inch of water which is usually gone by the end of Spring- the soils are still damp in early Summer though.
I've also seen them growing in moss atop granite rocks which have water constantly seeping through in Winter and Spring- these habitats are common in south west WA. In both of these types of habitat the ground in baked hard and incredibly hot in Summer.
One of the only times I ever had any luck growing utrics from seed was with U. multifida. I planted them in a pot of mixed peat and sand, spread the seeds on the surface, then gave them a good spraying with water a couple of times per day. They germinated within a couple of weeks, and I kept up the spraying routine until they were well established.
The spraying seemed to keep down the algae and mold that seems to overtake utric seeds and seedlings (in my experience, at least), and may have contributed to germination by leaching out germination inhibitors.
The spraying seemed to keep down the algae and mold that seems to overtake utric seeds and seedlings (in my experience, at least), and may have contributed to germination by leaching out germination inhibitors.
