Utricularia graminifolia is eventually making a carpet of small grass in my mixed Utricularia aquarium and community planter. Flowers constantly but never for me when grown floating or submerged in water.
Utricularia graminifolia
- Thread starter stevebradford
- Start date
jamespmurdoch
Carnivore
Hi guys. I am thinking about getting some utricularia graminifolia, but don’t have a tank to plant it in. I’d like to give it a slightly emersed setup, i’m thinking about growing it in peat topped with coarse gravel and keeping the water level low. Anybody here growing it in a similar way that can provide some tips? I also have a small walstad aquarium i recently started, which I could add some to. I know it appreciates low ppm water, which I can provide, but Im worried about not being able to provide it with enough oxygen/co2.
jamespmurdoch
Carnivore
or can i just grow it conventionally on peat ?
Or just pure perlite. This planting of carnivorous plants are growing in a media made up of Utricularia including graminifolia and was started in just perlite topped with moss.
jamespmurdoch
Carnivore
the heli and brochi too? lol
Yes and more
jamespmurdoch
Carnivore
how that’s wild
It’s my belief that a bowl planting such as this thrives because of the Utricularia as a soil medium.
The Utricularia can use up excess salts and nutrients that build up over time with daily watering that could overwhelm the most sensitive of larger carnivorous plants.
Manny Utricularia such as graminifolia will thrive in consistent warm wet conditions of any media. This one being just silica sand and Utricularia.
But Utricularia can and will overgrow small plants.
The Utricularia can use up excess salts and nutrients that build up over time with daily watering that could overwhelm the most sensitive of larger carnivorous plants.
Manny Utricularia such as graminifolia will thrive in consistent warm wet conditions of any media. This one being just silica sand and Utricularia.
But Utricularia can and will overgrow small plants.
jamespmurdoch
Carnivore
The utrics don’t fight to overgrow the sundews?
Utricularia will over grow small Drosera but anything larger than Spatulata will keep up and be fine.
I have grown various CP's in a medium of just U. gibba.
DaniL
Carnivore
So let me get this straight: hypothetically if I were to obtain some utric like graminifolia or gibba and just add an inch or two of water to a shallow tray (I say this much because I recall reading one of Lloyd’s posts about them flowering more in this little amount of water) they might be just fine, and could even serve as a medium for other CPs?
I’m considering this as something to try around my ping rock for the ping-a-ling…
I’m considering this as something to try around my ping rock for the ping-a-ling…
Gibba loves the bottom of a plant tray, growing in a thin layer of water that drains from the CP pots. When it gets thick, other plants like utrics and dews will grow in the mat.
DaniL
Carnivore
Thanks! Sounds perfect for my plan then!
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
This information changes *everything*. Why am I not growing all of my (other) carnivorous plants on a bed of utricularia?
@DaniL - I'm now also considering this for ping-a-ling-ing purposes now. Though, at this point, I think I'm going to end up with several different ping-a-lings. Maybe I can do science on them or something.
The gibba mat will not be good for plants with extensive roots, like Sarr's or Heli's.
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I assume that's because U. gibba doesn't go particularly deep below the surface? That makes sense.
Is there a variety of salt-eating utricularia that might work better for those types?
Related question: Is there a variety that does decently well in cooler (highland nepenthes-esque) temperatures?
kcskou
Plant
I asked myself that same question when I saw this thread lol. At first I got some pings just to fight a gnat infestation. Then I looked for lava rocks to do ping rocks, which prompted me to look up growing my own moss so that it is handy when I need to decorate said rocks. Now I want some Utricularia to be a part of the water feature under the rocks. It would seem that I can always find a new excuse to get more plants
A pumice rock in the middle of a bowl of Utricularia mat would be a great setup to grow Pinguicula on.
In fact if you look closely there’s some on mine.
Mine has:
Utricularia calycifida
Utricularia subulata
Utricularia longifolia
Utricularia graminifolia
Utricularia gibba
All growing together and I’m still looking for more to add.
For me I used just a large flat bowl with now a pumice rock used to be a chunk of wood. I filled the bowl with 1 inch of perlite and covered that with sphagnum moss then planted everything. I keep it saturated with tap water (tap water is really great here) watering almost daily as the plant mass probably the Utricularia can transpirate a lot of water.
Anyone else love growing carnivorous plants in nice displays? Let’s see what creations you have come up with!
La Gran Sabana display, the foot hills around some of the Tepui’s.
Brocchinia reducta
Catopsis berteroniana
Drosera intermedia ‘Mt Roraima’
Heliamphora ciliata
Heliamphora purpurascens
Utricularia calycifida
Utricularia subulata
Utricularia longifolia
Utricularia gibba
2022
2023
2024
La Gran Sabana display, the foot hills around some of the Tepui’s.
Brocchinia reducta
Catopsis berteroniana
Drosera intermedia ‘Mt Roraima’
Heliamphora ciliata
Heliamphora purpurascens
Utricularia calycifida
Utricularia subulata
Utricularia longifolia
Utricularia gibba
2022
2023
2024
