U. reniformis 'Big Sister' ...yep, in flower!

[adnedarn]

Wow, what an amazing spring this has ended up being! First the x[alpina x endresii], then the U. longifolia, and now this! ...simply amazing This is in the other (much cooler) greenhouse BTW.

Andrew

 

[Kinabalufan]

Holy moly I never knew Utrics got so big. Well done on the flower.
I swear everyday I come on this forum I learn something new.

 

[xvart]

Hey Andrew - Can't wait to see that flower mature. I absolutely love U. reniformis! Good work.

xvart.

 

[RL7836]

Wow! Congratulations!

U. reniformis has my favorite CP flower (& the new U. cornigera - aka reniformis is the best!). While I don't think it was pot-bound yet, I stuck my largest in the back basement room for a cold, dry winter dormancy (Euro-style). I just recently started to water again and now have ~6 leaves coming up at once - - - but no flowers - at least not yet ((still hoping tho)).

From the looks, you didn't even let yours get really dry?

 

[adnedarn]

I would not say really dry... But not constantly wet either. I actually don't keep this that wet normally even during the summer. For the winter I had this with my dormant stuff so it saw days in the 50s-60s and nights probably just above freezing. I actually noticed it because I thought it looked like it was time to give it some water LOL. I have a smaller part of it established for Pyro, it had lost of of its leaves but it seems the currently coming spring season has even signaled that pot to resume growth as it has a couple of leaves poking now.

Andrew

 

[BobZ]

I agree. I grow mine in an open mix of peat, sand, and perlite in an unheated greenhouse where the winter temps get near freezing. The plant loses all of its leaves in late fall and they re-emerge in spring. I have noticed the larger the pot, the larger the leaves. My plants flower every summer with the flowers lasting about 3 months.

 

[rattler]

Andrew.......i hate you..............

 

[adnedarn]

Amazing bobz! Thanks for the info and pictures I can't wait to see the flowers, amazing they last 3 months! Truly orchid like. Is it normal for the bloom to have a loop at the top kinda like capensis and the flowers look like they're starting to open already while on the down side of the loop?

Ratter, I noticed a second bloom in the pot today

 

[RL7836]

The plant loses all of its leaves in late fall and they re-emerge in spring.

Roughly how long after the leaves emerge do the flower stalks start to appear?

 

[adnedarn]

I have 2 pots going. One did not lose its leaves and is flowering. The other (smaller) pot lost all of its leaves which started growing at the same time as my first flower that's in the larger pot but it does not have a flower of its own.

 

[BobZ]

Hard for me to generalize on the U. reniformis 'Big Sister' flower timing. Until this year, I would have said the flower stalks emerged a month or so after the leaves emerged (flowering sometime from June till October). It just seems to happen at random times. However, this year the plant is putting up a flower stalk just as the leaves are beginning to emerge from dormancy. Notice the flower stalk (which so far is over 30 inches tall) is coming from a stolon that emerged from a bottom drain hole. The dead leaves are from last summer.

 

[adnedarn]

This is my favorite Utric flower I have ever grown. I love evil bunnies... but for the size and color of these... and that duck with huge cheeks look! I love this thing!!

 

[limeslide]

It's sticking it's tongue out at us.

 

[Jefforever]

Looks like you're using a peaty mix. Right? You probably gave it cold tbs over the winter too?

Congrats on the flower! Yeah, in my opinion it puts longifolia and other really popular ones to shame.

 

[RL7836]

This is my favorite Utric flower I have ever grown. I love evil bunnies... but for the size and color of these... and that duck with huge cheeks look! I love this thing!!

I completely agree! .... and someday I hope to see some of these blooms on my own plants! ((as he struggles to keep his jealousy in check))

Congratulations!

 

[BobZ]

Looks like you're using a peaty mix. Right?

I grow mine in an open mix of peat/perlite/sand.

 

[kulamauiman]

Aloha Bob,
is that a #1 pot that it is growing in?

Mahalo,
MTF

 

[BobZ]

I am not sure what a #1 pot is, but the pot in my photo is 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall.

 

[kulamauiman]

Aloha Bob,
that would make it a 6" standard pot. pretty close to the #1 which get landscape trade named 1 gallon pots. More ideas to try. Good. Mahalo,
MTF