Ideal lighting for utrics....

[cchang]

Can anyone tell me what the general lighting conditions for growing utrics are?
Do they like lots of direct sunlight? or are there varieties that prefer the shade?

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

This is a good question. Since I get good results using flourescent grow tubes I haven't been tempted in experimenting much. I have found that the aquatics prefer the sunlight to be reduced. I don't grow any terresterials outside, but I suspect this is probably true of them as well. For me they are difficult to harden off to the outdoors, although this is probably lack of patience on my part. Subulata certainly has nothing against full sun. The trick is to get them acclimated without burning them.

Species like U. menziesii need full strong sun for tuber formation.

Has anyone seen terresterial Utricularia in habitat?

 

[dodecatheon]

I've found that they do better with a bit less light than most other CPs, but they aren't very picky. I have mine about 14 inches from 4 34 W plain old flourescent tubes. I have grown them on winidowsills and with other types of flourescent lighting, and various distances from lights to plants.

 

[Pyro]

I was growing all of mine outside this season and found that they did best when the were in perpetual half light as opposed to full sun. U. calycifida seems to be fine with levels even lower than that

 

[cchang]

My plan was to grow them under one 33W fluorescent bulb. I don't have a utric yet since I wanted to set up the terrarium correctly first before introducing the plant. The 33W would also be used to light other CP's.

Tamlin, what wattage/luminens/Kelvin lighting do you use?

 

[swords]

hmmm, I guess i'm overdoing it then! I have U. calycifida and U. Tricolor (from Tamlin) in my lowland nep tank (75 gal aquarium) about 14"-18" beneath 240 watts of flourescents since all pots sit on a false bottom. The calycifida has beautiful red veining so I thought it was OK but they do grow reeeeeal slow (both kept in short 6" wide clear undrained deli pots kept almost waterlogged LFS for the calycifida and the tricolor is in peat/sand) both have only about 10 leaves maximum and I think I received them back in May! I will be receiving U. alpina soon and will keep it as a highland Nepenthes (as I've been instructed) but this too will be under 280 watts of power compact flourescent light (due to the height of the tank). It is much shadier under the bench in the highland tank is this a better place for it (all new arrivals start out under the bench to minimize light shock) but perhaps this guy will need to stay there permanently?

 

[Pyro]

I suggest you just find what works best and then run with it. I have my alpina, asplundii, longifolia and humboldtii on a windowsill that gets 4 hours direct sun and they are happy there. I would only move the plants if they look to be suffering in any way.

 

[carnivorous23]

I saw a couple in habitat, probably U. juncea, or possibly cornuta. The plants I saw flowering were in full direct sun, but they had very few leaves, and I could only find two of them (on ground that I think is flooded parts of the year). They cleary were having trouble competing with D. rotundifolia under those conditions.

Has anyone else seen any of these plants in habitat? I kept looking for them all summer, and I must have found around 15 aquatic utric ponds, and at least four species of aquatics, but only those 2 terrestrials.

 

[Colieo]

I am growing my U.humboldtii much like pyro is, only mine gets mid-day sun, and the rest is bright indirect light for the rest of the day.

 

[ludwig777]

my u. longifolia doesn't like high light levels, causes the foliage to fade out and die; low light produces healthy deep-green tall leaves.