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Utricularia graminifolia - My Experiences

  • #41
Hmm well you have what looks like quite a clump above the water line and they look quite healthy, so that should not be an issue. Must have something to do with the daylength? I would think 14 hour daylength would be long enough though. Only other thing I can think of is perhaps temperature? or perhaps light intensity? Or perhaps a certain period of short days prior to long days?
 
  • #42
Seasonal shifts in light color temperatures might play are role more than photoperiod. My Drosera grown under lights in my tropical tank and grow shelf flower even though I do not vary the photoperiod. While the plants do not receive direct sunlight the room they are in is well lit during the day from ambient sunlight through the windows.
 
  • #43
Well finally got it to flower, info is located in this thread. http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124571

I took a photo of the back of the main tank and figured I'd share it here.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5151926254/" title="Utricularia graminifolia by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/5151926254_28a38bb006_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="Utricularia graminifolia" /></a>
 
  • #44
Awsome, I've gotta get growing some utrics. It looks great.
 
  • #45
Nice decor! I want to grow plants like that!
 
  • #46
Thought I'd add a link here. I finally managed to get some flowers. The only factor that is different with that one flowering pot and the other 40 places I have UG is that the pot is getting weekly low strength fertiziler. I never intended for UG to be in that pot, I missed a speck of it when I was planting the fern. Anyway here if the link.

http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1000986#post1000986

I thought this looked interesting.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/5288690986/" title="027 by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5288690986_61042a42bd.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="027" /></a>
 
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  • #47
i grew mine on driftwood....highly recommended for planted aquaria, especially growing it emmerging.
purple-pinkflower-gram.jpg

DSCN3142.jpg
 
  • #48
From 2007.. and never again:

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  • #49
Figured I'd add a few more photo's.

This batch is growing on top of some pond mud and driftwood, and no Flowers :censor:

There are orchids under that mess...This setup is using warm bulbs since I had them, and is why the color's are off.
Utricularia%20graminifolia%2019%20Aug%202011.jpg

Utricularia%20graminifolia%20Closeup%2019%20Aug%202011.jpg
 
  • #50
I hope mine will look that good.
 
  • #51
Since we moved that tank has been torn down and has been returned to my wife and now is home to some tiny shrimp that UG might actually be able to eat the babies:0o:

I finally got around to setting up a new U. graminifolia grow-up area about a month ago and so far everything is moving along about like I would expect it too. The UG is starting to settle in and I'm getting a lot of random grasses/algae. Once the UG gets going the grasses and algae should because a non issue. The water is usually crystal clear but I was just playing around in there removing the grasses/whatnot.

Right now its about at the maximum water level I plan to keep it at, I plan to allow the water to very slowly drop until the top 1/4 to 1/2 of the mud in completely above water.

I would have preferred very flat pieces of driftwood over the mud medium and I may add them later as I run across them. Although the filter medium I'm using to keep the mud out of the "sump pump" area is growing UG pretty well so I may cut a few pieces of that and see how that works. The goal of this setup is easy harvesting and reseeding for sale to the aquarium crowd to fund my plant addiction ur hobby. That and having a mat of UG around the house is nice to look at. I know from experience that good quality driftwood or the mud I'm using works really well for this. The filter medium may be another option.

Full setup under 2 T5 24" lights.

DSC_0832 by randallsimpson, on Flickr

There is a large false bottom under about 1" of mud/sand/laterite mix. I still need to add more mud but it got cold and I need to use the hose outside, did I mention its cold out there?

DSC_0833 by randallsimpson, on Flickr

Standard aquarium pump with a splitter. I've always had much better growth with UG in moderately fast moving water.

DSC_0834 by randallsimpson, on Flickr

Small starter clump that is perking up nicely.

DSC_0831 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
 
  • #52
Well my love/hate relationship with this plant continues.

3 years + some change since my last stalk...I'm not convinced its a stalk and not just some random weed yet it looks a little different than the last ones.

DSC_0110 by randallsimpson, on Flickr

As usual I have no problem getting this stuff to expand, almost 3 months of growth.

DSC_0111 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
 
  • #53
Hmm, what kind of mud are you using? It looks like clay to me. And are those green patches algae? Really interesting setup and I hope that is a flower stalk.
 
  • #54
Its a pond mud we picked up while living in Japan many years ago, a lot of the terrestrial Utrics love the stuff. We haven't found anything similar in the States. It is an actual mud, it will mix with the water enough to pass through a mess screen then when dry form a dense block. It does remind me a lot of clay. The packaging is well...in Japanese and we never learned enough to make sense of it.

Probably the best thing about this mud stuff is come harvest time, I just grab a corner and pull it up like carpet! The UG doesn't root down into the mud. There is always enough small pieces and parts left on the bottom for reseeding. A quick rinse in some clean water and off it goes to its new home.

Those green patches are a mix of algaes and other assorted bad things, I have been removing some of it manually. The mud used in this setup was recycled from many prior tanks so there is some "seed" material in there and a lot more decaying material than normal. In the past the UG has out competed the algae over time and just grew over it and smothered it.
 
  • #55
Since I'm adding some of this UG to the NASC auction this year I'll post the photos for growth reference here also. The more dense parts are starting to out compete the algae/whatnot growing in there.

DSC_0174 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
The more open areas are still a playground for algaes/whatnot.

DSC_0175 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
Front View

DSC_0176 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
 
  • #57
It looks to prefer to be emerged rather than submerged.

I've got some that grows in a jar with no medium. It has formed its own mat. With that I just have a few millimetres of water to the jar.
 
  • #58
I've learned over the years of growing UG that it loves moving water, and being right on the waterline. Little emersed, little submerged seems perfect for it.

Now I have no idea how to make it flower.
 
  • #59
From a few years ago:

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  • #60
Wonderful photos Mobile, UG can really be an attractive plant.

I was able to get a better photo of the grow out tank earlier this week.

DSC_0366 by randallsimpson, on Flickr
 
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