Utricularia longifolia/reniformis/praelonga

[Nflytrap]

I've been offered these Utrics in a trade and am wondering how hard they are to care for and any pointers you guys care to provide. From what little I've found to read they aren't exactly beginnner species(at least not popular ones).

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

well longifolia is doing awesome for me. it in pure LFS with live SM on the top and in one of those containers that elgecko uses....like This.
mine is on a windowsil and just grows and grows... i cant say much about the others though...
Alex

PS: it is also VERY easy to proagate. just snip a leaf in half, lay it in some wet LFS and in a few weeks you will be getting new longifolia!
Alex

 

[Pyro]

U. longifolia and praelonga are very very easy to cultivate. Both grow very well as wet terrestrials and can spread to attain substantial bulk, they will even become invasive if you are not careful.

U. reniformis is a little tougher but still not a crazy difficult plant. Best bet for cultivation for this guy is live sphag that is kept only damp enough to keep the sphag growing. It really hates wet feet.

 

[rattler]

longifolia and praelonga are easy. i grow longifolia in a tub of wet LFS. praelongia grew in wet peat for me just like most any other terrestrials without any problems.

reniformis never does well for me. just sorta survives. its in an 8 inch pot of lfs and orchid bark, kept barely damp. always has a few leaves but is never much to look at. it REALLY did not like being grown in wet peat. its one of those plants that grows great for some. and just hangs on for others.

 

[Nflytrap]

Does it matter what form of reniformis you are talking of. This would be the Enfant Terrible form.

Good to hear longifolia is pretty easy!

 

[rattler]

ahhhhhhhhhhh good question. the reniformis i mention above is the large form. i had one labled "U. nephrophylla(possibly small form of reniformis)" which i am pretty sure was reniformis as it didnt grow like my correctly identified nephrophylla. this form didnt mind being constantly wet in peat, infact it did quite well aslong as it had room. cant comment on Enfant Terrible as i just recently got it.

 

[mabudon]

I will second (third? Fourth??) the ease of cultivation for U.longifolia- I am by no means a master grower, but I have grown it easily on a windowsill for a couple of years and seen it flower once last spring(tho I think now that the thing is a bona fide monster it should flower regularly at the proper time)

One bit of advice, don't worry about tooo big a container, from what I've experienced and been told, they really enjoy being pot-bound and will flower best if they get like that

 

[jimscott]

I've had an easy time with U. longifolia, keeping it semi-aquatic. U. praelonga did well for me until I moved and had it outside. I probably shocked it to death! I had U. reniformis for a little while, but it died out.

 

[Nflytrap]

Well, got both U. longifolia and U. praelonga in now. No one's tried longifolia in peat...or it just doesn't do well like that?

I also wonder if it would work in a terrarium...but I think some species like livida or whatnot would be better for that kind of experiment.

Edit: For some reason kept reading longifolia out of reniformis...so I've now got all three of them.

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

i grow sandersonii in a terrarium, in a styrofoam bowl, in a sand/peat mix.
Alex

 

[Pyro]

You can grow longifolia in just about anything really and it is generally robust enough that it will not drop totally if it is unhappy giving you a chance to move it to some other media. It would do fine in a terrarium either free planted or in a pot.

 

[mabudon]

Sorry, neglected to mention, real fine sand mixed with peat is what I have all my Utrics in, U.longifolia being no exception, tho I would like to try a more open mix and see if it goes any quicker, I do believe it would

And as proven by U.subulata, some of the easy ones will grow in darn near ANYTHING

 

[Nflytrap]

Interesting. I may try one start in the terrarium potted and see what happens, or if I'm feeling less lucky just put them in the sphagnum they came in with peat sand around them and see if they grow into it.

Anyone have any idea where longifolia originates from?(location).

 

[Clint]

South america I think.

 

[CPsInAtl]

My U. praelonga just croaked. I never could get it do anything.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

Quote[/b] (Nflytrap @ Oct. 27 2006,11:22)]Anyone have any idea where longifolia originates from?(location).

From Brazil.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

How does one get longifolia to bloom? Mine is filling a 4 inch clay pot sitting in water and it has not flowered yet. Is there something special to get it to flower?

 

[Pyro]

Wish I could tell you. You'd figure with 5 clones and 7 years experience with the plant I'd know but not one of mine has bloomed. If you figure it out please let me know.

 

[mabudon]

Mine flowered last year (U.longifolia) I keep it in my windowsill, it kinda goes to sleep a bit right around now with the cooler temps, but wakes up sometime in about ?January?? Dunno the specifics, but it is REALLY rootbound. I keep it pretty much wet year round, but with a generally lower water level in winter.

If I get success again this year with the flowering, I will let you know, but last year it was most definitely in february-april that it made its big honkin flowers- O lny have a really crummy "real" picture of it sadly, but it is good enough to sho wthe colour and size of it

 

[Nflytrap]

Well, I've yet to decide on the potting for that longifolia, but it seems to like the ziploc it is in right now. Produced a new leaf or two and a baby is coming off one of the older leaves.

How are they as far as humidity is concerned? Would they be fine treated almost like a houseplant?