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New to Utrics, went on a shopping spree

Hi folks,
Yesterday I received the following terrestrial utrics:
U. sandersonii
U. cornuta
U. simplex
U. caerulea
U. livida
U. tricolor

I mixed up a peat/sand planting medium and put it in 4" clear deli containers (so I can eventually see the bladders in the soil) at the moment the containers are undrained and I have the water table in them just under the surface. It's just about like pond mud is this correct or should I put them in drained containers and put them on the tray method like the sundews?

Also I received a clump of U. gibba but it had some soil attached, isn't this an aquatic species or can it be a marginal? I had some U. gibba (or something similar) in my fishtank years ago but it never rooted.

Thanks for any info!
 
I can only speak for the ones I grow.

sandersonii: Go with drained, almost lost mine and I am convinced it is because I tried to grow it undrained.

tricolor: Undrained, this one like it amphibious so you can keep the water level with or somewhat above the media.

livida: I am growing mine undrained in live sphag but I keep the water level at least an inch below the media.


gibba is a sub-affixed, check out Barry's CPFAQ page for a real good 'how to' on gibba.
 
Thanks Pyro!  
I can use LFS if that is better than the peat/sand mix I have a big bale of it.
All the books I have say peat/sand for terrestrials but is it always OK to substitute LFS instead? Do any utrics actually require peat/sand to thrive? I would preffer using LFS because the peat/sand mud looks gross to me but I did what the books said.
I have a U. calycifida in pure LFS in an undrained plastic tray but so far it doesn't seem to be doing much. Do utrics have to fill the substrate before they put up more stolons/leaves?

BTW what kinds of temps can they take? Can I keep them happy in my highland tank (days 70-80*F nights 50-60*F)\ or do they require higher temps. most books only seem to mention minimums they can take but what's best for "fast & furious" growth?

thanks!
 
I grow cornuta in peat sand with the water level a few cm above the soil surface. U. simplex and U. caerulea grow just like any other terrestrial.

I have never found any advantage using sphagnum for small terrestrials.

Where did you get them from? I've ordered U. simplex from someone in Florida before and it turned out to just be U. subulata. Other utrics I got from him proved to also be misidentified.
 
I can tell already that the U. sandersonii I ordered is not the right plant, the plant sent and labeled as that has 3" long grassy stolons whereas any pics I've seen it has little wedge shape stolons... No flowers on the clump I got so no telling what it is right now...

C'mon Kew Gardens deliver my Utric book!
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I find that my clone of tricolor does much better in LFS. It just seems to "get by" in peat:sand. For all others the peat:sand seems to work best. I have some in a mix that has upto 15% milled sphag but I don't notice a big difference in growth or anything.

3" long grassy stolons sounds a bit like praelonga or maybe a dichotoma that has been grown as an amphibious.
 
Probably praelonga. I don't find the leaves of an amphibiously grown U. dichotoma to be particularly "grassy". Limp and slimy yes, grassy no.

Based on my experience with some dealers, it may even be grass.
 
Dodec,

You are most likely correct, and I read it as 3cm instead of 3" which would be way to large for amphibious dichotoma.

And the grass thing is a real good point, it has happened to me. Get some green germination from a pot of Utric seeds, bounce up and down with excitmant and then a week later find out it is just grass
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I remember back when I got my first utric (from a well known dealer) it was heavily contaminated with what I think is called "pearlwort" (Sagina procumbens). If ever there was a plant that looked more like a utric to the untrained eye, this was it.
 
  • #10
Well, by "grassy" I mean it's long and thin like grass blades but it doesn't stand up or anything, it lays across the ground. at least at the moment, perhaps it will stand up after a few days of being repotted?
Almost all of the above Utrics I was sent have varying lengths of "long and thin"  stolons (some hair thin others thicker) laying across the ground except for the tricolor.

It sure sucks when you can't even trust a mailorder place to sell the right things!
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  • #11
3inch grassy stolons pretty much has to be U. praelonga. Cornuta has much shorter stolons that are still pretty "grassy". Of the others, if they are correctly IDed should have flat stolons, at least .5mm across with rounded tips.

If any have pointed tips and are consistently leass than .5mm across and less 1cm long, you have most likely have U. subulata.

I think that utrics are a low demand, low profit plant for most CP nurseries.
 
  • #12
They pretty much all are hair/"laying down grass" looking (and tapering to a fine point) with the "sandersonii" having the widest/bluntest stolons of all. The only one somewhat blunted is "U. livida". Awful dissapointing but I guess I got what I paid for, no wonder their prices were cheap!
 
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