# Utricularia sandersonni planting and growing



## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

Hello all. This is my first post ever on these boards, I've been stalking this as well as vivariumforums.com for well over 4 years now. I researched and drew up plans for a solid 6 months on this board for vivarium construction alone, spent about 3 months buying materials, and I finally got around to building it last month. I constructed a small exo terra vivarium.

One thing I wanted to ask you guys was the proper care, proper transplanting, and soil requirements for Utricularia sandersonni. I also wanted to know if my tank was too small for this species. Its hard to judge size through pictures online and I'm totally new to dealing with any kind of vivarium plants.

I know a lot of you get annoyed sometimes when noobies such as myself ask questions that may or may not be answered via the search function, but after 4 years of utilizing your search function like a boss (pun intended for "search like a boss" thread) I'm giving myself a migraine right now trying to find and piece together this information through various posts. I just ordered this plant from Carnivorous plants for sale: California Carnivores: Offering only the highest carnivorous plants for sale since 1989! and wanted to make sure I'm setting everything up properly so I dont kill it off. I am becoming a HUGE fan of this plant species right now and I'm looking to learn more and more about them. 

This hobby started out as a fascination years ago and has developed into an obsession that I'm really enjoying. I loved the planning, drafting, constructing, and problem solving of building a vivarium. Now that I am planting it, I am finding a whole new love and appreciation for this hobby. 

Any information you guys can provide for me on this species would be greatly appreciated. I've read numerous threads about bladderworts but can't seem to find any planting/transplanting guides or suggestions. The plant I'm getting will be fully potted so I want to make sure when I'm moving this plant over to my vivarium, that I'm not killing it right away.

Thank you in advance fellas and I hope to hear from you soon...who knows maybe I won't take another 4 years to make a post.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Ive got this one. 

Whats it planted in now? 
A lot of the time when Ive recieved Utricularia, theyve been planted in a mix of peat moss, perlite, sand or something else. 

In my experience, they all do well in a mix of HIGH QUALITY long fiber sphagnum and sharp sand. In a vivarium, the best place to plant these is at the transition between the substrate and the "pond" area. In this area, its really easy to make a micropocket of appropriate substrate to plant it in and allow it to expand out. 

These little guys are pretty delicate as far as transplanting goes, so what Id do is to totally submerge your planted clump in a tub of DI or rain water and gently agitate to separate you plant away from the old potting media and get it ready to transplant into your vivarium.


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

I haven't received the plant just yet so I wouldn't know what it is placed in as we speak. However, in my vivarium I "planted" a small PVC tube where I placed some sphagnum moss at the bottom and then carefully stuffed a mixture of sphagnum peat soil and quartz sand from a pet store that is roughly a ratio of 1:1 on top of the sphagnum moss. Is quartz bad or good? I thought quartz would be ok since I think I remember reading that quartz made up the majority of tropical soil mineral make-up. I did this to separate the sandy peat soil mixture from the rest of my tropical substrate while still providing drainage. Is this even needed? This tube is planted underground near my pond area that is lined with various mosses.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Sounds fine to me, although it may be a bit overkill


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

So I received my potted U. Sandersonni last week and since then it appears that the flowers have been dropping and dying. 

The roots appeared very very fragile and string like. I was afraid of killing the plants by just placing it in my vivarium, so I placed the plants (still planted in the substrate they arrived in) in my vivarium, as is, directly under a mister.

Could the decline in plants be either:

A) adjusting to my vivarium's environment?

B) Not properly planted or roots destroyed/harmed while planting?

C) Too much drainage?


Any advice would help, I really love these plants and would like to learn as much as possible so I could keep working with these.


Thanks


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Sterling355 said:


> So I received my potted U. Sandersonni last week and since then it appears that the flowers have been dropping and dying.
> 
> The roots appeared very very fragile and string like. I was afraid of killing the plants by just placing it in my vivarium, so I placed the plants (still planted in the substrate they arrived in) in my vivarium, as is, directly under a mister.
> 
> ...


In my experience they seem prone to being stressed by transplant... The biggest problem I encounter is some kinda mold/fungi always seems to attack them after the first week or 2 in the viv, and most sellers sell such small portions that they can't resist that attack. When I get larger portions, those tend to do better...go through a period of decline just after transplant, but then come back. 

I'm going to try Frogparty's soil mix, I've used peat/shag/sand but I think his mix may be better. Sphag seems to be really good for them, and my success came when I started using more of it. U. Graminifolia grows well on a bed of wet sphag usually. I just need to learn to stop neglecting it and letting my other plants go wild and block out the light to my ultrics....that keeps setting me back ;(


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

Dendro Dave said:


> In my experience they seem prone to being stressed by transplant... The biggest problem I encounter is some kinda mold/fungi always seems to attack them after the first week or 2 in the viv, and most sellers sell such small portions that they can't resist that attack. When I get larger portions, those tend to do better...go through a period of decline just after transplant, but then come back.
> 
> I'm going to try Frogparty's soil mix, I've used peat/shag/sand but I think his mix may be better. Sphag seems to be really good for them, and my success came when I started using more of it. U. Graminifolia grows well on a bed of wet sphag usually. I just need to learn to stop neglecting it and letting my other plants go wild and block out the light to my ultrics....that keeps setting me back ;(


At this point should I just wait and see if they come back and adjust properly to the conditions before I go and move them around again by replacing their substrate with sphag/sand? The stems still look pretty green, its just the flowers that are dropping, drooping, and a few turned brown (maybe 2).

Also, could these plants survive and thrive in a substrate mix of peat/sphag moss, jungle bark chips, coconut fiber substrate mix, over top a thin layer of gravel - screening - then hydroton balls below the screen? Or would it be too much drainage? I only ask this because I was going to order more, but bare rooted U. Sandersonnii this time, and see if that would provide different results in a different location within the tank. They would be planted within this form of substrate however, which remains fairly moist most of the time since my vivarium always reads 85-90% humidity.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Sterling355 said:


> At this point should I just wait and see if they come back and adjust properly to the conditions before I go and move them around again by replacing their substrate with sphag/sand? The stems still look pretty green, its just the flowers that are dropping, drooping, and a few turned brown (maybe 2).
> 
> Also, could these plants survive and thrive in a substrate mix of peat/sphag moss, jungle bark chips, coconut fiber substrate mix, over top a thin layer of gravel - screening - then hydroton balls below the screen? Or would it be too much drainage? I only ask this because I was going to order more, but bare rooted U. Sandersonnii this time, and see if that would provide different results in a different location within the tank. They would be planted within this form of substrate however, which remains fairly moist most of the time since my vivarium always reads 85-90% humidity.


That is a tough call....I really don't know what to advise. Maybe if we had pics, could help more.

You are probably better off using the sphag/sand mix where ever you have the ultrics, going so far as to create special areas for them, with substrate dividers or something. I haven't had much luck growing them in more traditional soil mixes, but if it is wet enough it may work.


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

Dendro Dave said:


> That is a tough call....I really don't know what to advise. Maybe if we had pics, could help more.
> 
> You are probably better off using the sphag/sand mix where ever you have the ultrics, going so far as to create special areas for them, with substrate dividers or something. I haven't had much luck growing them in more traditional soil mixes, but if it is wet enough it may work.


OK cool, thanks Dave. The soil doesn't have to be really soggy does it, almost to the point of flooded?

I think in the meantime I will see if they bounce back rather than move them around again and adding to the stress, if that would be the cause of decline to begin with.

When I go home I will see if I can take some pictures. Also one thing to note is that there seems to be a hitchhiker drosera plant (not sure which one) within the substrate I moved with the U. Sandersonnii, this drosera seems to be doing quite well so I would assume that this would be a good sign?


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Sterling355 said:


> OK cool, thanks Dave. The soil doesn't have to be really soggy does it, almost to the point of flooded?
> 
> I think in the meantime I will see if they bounce back rather than move them around again and adding to the stress, if that would be the cause of decline to begin with.
> 
> When I go home I will see if I can take some pictures. Also one thing to note is that there seems to be a hitchhiker drosera plant (not sure which one) within the substrate I moved with the U. Sandersonnii, this drosera seems to be doing quite well so I would assume that this would be a good sign?


Well maybe not flooded but pretty wet yes...Many people at least part of the year grow ultrics submersed a little, so they are just under the water, or leaves are just poking out of the water.

Might be a good sign, plants like to be tricky


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## Splash&Dash (Oct 16, 2012)

frogparty said:


> These little guys are pretty delicate as far as transplanting goes, so what Id do is to totally submerge your planted clump in a tub of DI or rain water and gently agitate to separate you plant away from the old potting media and get it ready to transplant into your vivarium.



lol, I commend your patients and dedication


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

I posted up pics of my Utricularia sandersonni under my thread above, I guess you could call it my "introductory thread".

Here is a link to the thread: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/116169-first-vivarium-construction-log.html

Some stems still seem to remain green and healthy looking, and there appears to be some new budding as of today. Some stems however have drooped over and do not appear healthy. I'm not sure if some are "adjusting" and others bit the dust or what.

Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks guys.


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

So all the stems have now bit it but the leaves and vegetation along the soil are green and actually seem to be growing. 

I know very little about these plants so I would assume that I may be seeing new stem and flower growth in the future?


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Patience grasshopper. Let the plant revive and do its thing. If its happy, then yes, you'll beseeing blooms and more growth in short order


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## Sterling355 (Sep 28, 2009)

haha thanks man


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