Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2008 1:33:12 GMT
So I know some people say this is stupid and not really needed but some people have sent me pm's asking me so I am reposting my guide as its own thread.
Okay, so this has to be one of my favorite species of Utricularia. For it is extremely easy to grow if taken care of properly. First off, depending on how big your plant is you may need to get a larger bowl than a cup which is the commonly accepted growing container of this plant. Ok, so I am pretty sure that if it’s a new plant that you have, it’s probably a 1 inch square plant that looks like a green glop of moss. Luckily the plant will quickly grow into a complex maze of long branching strands. You should put it in a small glass bowl that you can purchase at many places, for example: Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, Michael’s, Jo-annes and many other places for only 1 dollar. The glass bowl you purchase needs to be clear. Next pour distilled water, which can be bought at target or walmart in the drinks department for about 70 cents a gallon, into the bowl till it’s about full. You don’t want it overflowing to the point that if you were to pick up the bowl of water it would spill though. Then place the plant in the water and let it sit in a bright location, however direct sunlight is not needed. In the case that the plant is a 1 inch cutting its going to need to be in a sunny area or else it will have a hard time recovering from its detachment from the mother plant. In the case that it is larger it will have an easier time growing and recovering in a less sunny area. However, no matter how large or small the plant is it will always do better in sunlight. You are going to want to let it grow until it just about fills the container.
As a substrate you can put peat in the bowl. With peat in the bowl the plant will be happier, however, the bowl will need to be cleaned more often than without the peat in it. In my experience there is no need for the peat as they grow just fine in distilled water. Another substrate that some people like to use is clay or sand which is not needed and sometimes causes a mess. You should always use distilled water, for it cuts down on mold and moss growth. You may use tap water for this plant, however, I have noticed that this species of utricularia grows slower in tap water. Once it has begun to grow and is quite large or at least in a stable condition you may notice what looks like a white mold growing on it. This is just the shedding of the growing plant mixed with a moss/mold that won’t harm it. In the case you don’t like it you can go to a local pond and collect about 1 gallon of water. Then let the water sit in a warm dark location for several days as to allow for several small aquatic species that feed off the moss/mold that grows on your plant to multiply. These aquatic species of insects that eat the mold/moss also serve as a food source for it even though feeding your plant is unnecessary. You may put about a small Dixie cup worth of that water from the pond into the bowl when the water level begins to lower due to evaporation. You may want to check what your pouring into the bowl before you do so though, because due to the small size of the traps larger prey like brine shrimp are too big to be eaten in one bite from the plants and usually the remains of the partially eaten shrimp will form a bad mold at the bottom of the bowl soiling/spoiling the water. Another way of removing the moss/mold is to remove the plant by placing one finger under the plant slowly setting it in a sink that has been filled with water and has the drain closed, then slowly moving it around causing the white to fall off. But you should be careful because this method commonly causes the traps to fall off the plant.
On another note it is sad to say this species of Utricularia despite its’ popularity and easy to grow tendencies has small traps. They are usually small greenish to white air bubble shaped sized traps located between two small green flexible needle like strands that are in almost every “ kink/ bend” along the strand (try saying that 10 times fast…in one breath…just kidding). However they still can be seen easily without need for a magnifier or an ocular piece.
How to grow U.gibba
By: Jesse Fierro
Okay, so this has to be one of my favorite species of Utricularia. For it is extremely easy to grow if taken care of properly. First off, depending on how big your plant is you may need to get a larger bowl than a cup which is the commonly accepted growing container of this plant. Ok, so I am pretty sure that if it’s a new plant that you have, it’s probably a 1 inch square plant that looks like a green glop of moss. Luckily the plant will quickly grow into a complex maze of long branching strands. You should put it in a small glass bowl that you can purchase at many places, for example: Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, Michael’s, Jo-annes and many other places for only 1 dollar. The glass bowl you purchase needs to be clear. Next pour distilled water, which can be bought at target or walmart in the drinks department for about 70 cents a gallon, into the bowl till it’s about full. You don’t want it overflowing to the point that if you were to pick up the bowl of water it would spill though. Then place the plant in the water and let it sit in a bright location, however direct sunlight is not needed. In the case that the plant is a 1 inch cutting its going to need to be in a sunny area or else it will have a hard time recovering from its detachment from the mother plant. In the case that it is larger it will have an easier time growing and recovering in a less sunny area. However, no matter how large or small the plant is it will always do better in sunlight. You are going to want to let it grow until it just about fills the container.
As a substrate you can put peat in the bowl. With peat in the bowl the plant will be happier, however, the bowl will need to be cleaned more often than without the peat in it. In my experience there is no need for the peat as they grow just fine in distilled water. Another substrate that some people like to use is clay or sand which is not needed and sometimes causes a mess. You should always use distilled water, for it cuts down on mold and moss growth. You may use tap water for this plant, however, I have noticed that this species of utricularia grows slower in tap water. Once it has begun to grow and is quite large or at least in a stable condition you may notice what looks like a white mold growing on it. This is just the shedding of the growing plant mixed with a moss/mold that won’t harm it. In the case you don’t like it you can go to a local pond and collect about 1 gallon of water. Then let the water sit in a warm dark location for several days as to allow for several small aquatic species that feed off the moss/mold that grows on your plant to multiply. These aquatic species of insects that eat the mold/moss also serve as a food source for it even though feeding your plant is unnecessary. You may put about a small Dixie cup worth of that water from the pond into the bowl when the water level begins to lower due to evaporation. You may want to check what your pouring into the bowl before you do so though, because due to the small size of the traps larger prey like brine shrimp are too big to be eaten in one bite from the plants and usually the remains of the partially eaten shrimp will form a bad mold at the bottom of the bowl soiling/spoiling the water. Another way of removing the moss/mold is to remove the plant by placing one finger under the plant slowly setting it in a sink that has been filled with water and has the drain closed, then slowly moving it around causing the white to fall off. But you should be careful because this method commonly causes the traps to fall off the plant.
On another note it is sad to say this species of Utricularia despite its’ popularity and easy to grow tendencies has small traps. They are usually small greenish to white air bubble shaped sized traps located between two small green flexible needle like strands that are in almost every “ kink/ bend” along the strand (try saying that 10 times fast…in one breath…just kidding). However they still can be seen easily without need for a magnifier or an ocular piece.
