Utric dormancy?

[Anoxos]

Do some species of utrics need dormancy? I've heard that it can encourage flowering to allow them a temperature drop-off in winter, is this true? If so, any special steps I should take to prepare them, other than what would apply to any other CP?

My species are:
U. praelonga
U. sandersonii 'white' (currently flowering)
U. sandersonii 'blue'

 

[Colieo]

The species that you have there will not need any type of dormancy. Mine sometimes slow their growth in winter, but they do not need a drastic drop in temp for the winter.

Cole

 

[Anoxos]

Thanks. New to utrics, so I'm grateful for any advice.

 

[jimscott]

I have had those species since last summer and had them outside until mid-November, before I was facing freezing overnight lows. I moved them to the building next to the main lab and placed them on the window sills. Temps in the winter got into the 60's, but not much lower. They wintered just fine and have survived window sill temps in the upper 80's- low 90's.

 

[dodecatheon]

Although U. praelonga will not die if not given dormancy, it probably requires some kind of temp change in order to trigger flowering. I base this statement on the observation that people who grow it in greenhouses in temperate regions often get it to flower, while i have never heard of anyone flowering it indoors.

 

[Darcie]

Some of the northern species insist on making Turrions and the rest of the plant dies off. I have two "mystery" species from local wetlands a Prof. at my school gave me and both are doing it despite being under grow lights all summer. In the past he has had them die shortly after becoming turrions, so I will be poping both into a bit of muck in the fridge for the winter.

If you don't see a dence ball at the tips of the plant and it's not dieing back it prolly not gonna die from lack of dormencey, but your prolly right about the need for flowering thing.

I'm still new to aquatics. I am excited to find out who is who in my little collection this spring when they flower. My prof seems to remember one of them having purple or pink flowers so if I got a northern purple I'm gonna be singing

hee hee.