Sowing seeds of U. alpina & reniformis

[swords]

I know that many utrics like a muddy sort of substrate but these two are epiphytes so I'm curious if I should start them on sand/peat and them move them to a more epiphyte media or just mix up the epiphyte media and top it with peat/sand and let them work their way down into it or...?

Thanks for any tips you guys may have! I know my chances with utric seed may be slim but I figure for $3 each pack what the hey it's worth a shot!

 

[heinz tessner]

Do not know if this helps but I have my U. reniformis and my U. alpina in only peat/sand mix and they are (my opnion) frowing well (I also have one Alpina in an epiphyt soil mix, but the plant doesn't really look better or healthier). A friend of mine gave me U. humboltii sown on peat and even they are really small they do not look so bad.

Karl-Heinz

 

[Joachim]

Josh,

I won't go for the seeds until they are very fresh. I did sent some Ut.alpina to some other growers and it seemed only the first packets yielded good germination. After two months the seeds didn't germinate any more (from what I've heared).

Ut. alpina grows best in pure LFS for me, but Ut. reniformis does like my very open Nepenthes mix more.

Joachim

P.S.: Wow, now we are three from Germany!

 

[Pyro]

I sowed my reniformis seeds on LF sphag and got alright germination, I am still growing the seedlings in LF but am thinking of moving up to a more open mix. My alpina is in a mix of LF:charcoal:tree fern fiber and top dressed with LF.

I would suggest starting on LF in a seed pot and then drop the whole bundle into an open mix as the plants grow.

 

[swords]

Thanks folks, I'm gonna sow them today so they get as good a chance as they'll have. One other thought, should I keep the sown seeds in a lowland terrarium (hot day & nite) or the highland terrarium (cooler than the lowland and 50s at night)?

 

[Pyro]

Highland conditions. These plants are commonly found growing amoung Heliamphora very few actually grow below 1000m elevation