Tropical Terrestrial Utricularia Care

Tropical Terrestrial Utricularia Care

by Emmi Kurosawa

Tropical terrestrial Utricularia spp. are probably the easiest carnivorous plants to grow besides tropical sundews. The genus Utricularia is closely related to the genus Genlisea. Thus tropical terrestrial Utricularia spp. can be grown just like the genus Genlisea (see Corkscrew Plant Care).

Potting Media: Peat : sand = 1 : 1. Like most other carnivorous plants, they prefer acidic soil.

Light: They generally prefer strong light. They do well by the sunny windowsills, however, to bloom they might need more intense light. I grow them indoors year around under 60 W LED grow light about 30 - 60” above the surface of the plants in a loosely enclosed grow tent. Terrarium works well too.

Humidity: I usually keep the humidity from moderate to 100% (terrarium is better).

Air circulation: They generally do not like stale air. I recommend not to cover the terrarium.

Temperature: The temperature should remain above 60 °F. They do best around 70 - 85 °F.

Watering: Like most other carnivorous plants, they thrive in nutrient poor, acidic water. Tap water should be avoided unless it is low in minerals and pH. If your tap water has higher than pH 7.0, you will have to use either rain water or distilled/RO water. Tropical terrestrial Utricularia spp. likes high water level almost up to the top of the medium. They don’t mind being submerged under water occasionally, but not at all times.

Fertilizer: I usually foliar-feed them with full strength Maxsea a few times a month. However, this method is prone to mold and algae growth, and care must be taken.

Transplanting: When the plant outgrows its pot, it should be transplanted. They are not finicky about being transplanted.

Propagation: When they grow out of the pot, it’s time to divide them. Again, they are not finicky about being manipulated at all, so don’t be afraid to break the plant in soil apart, and repot them in separate pots.

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