Question
QUESTION: I am currently in the process of setting up a pond for U. Intermedia.  It consists of a bowl with first 2 cm of peat, then 4 cm of sand.  I add the sand so the water is still acidic, but stays clear.  Do you think it is a good idea to start a daphnia culture in there (to eat algae/feed the traps) and planting a Typha plant in the sand layer?

ANSWER: Hi Taylor,

Yes and Yes.  How big is this pond?  It will also help if you have some type of aeration such as a fountain, or a bubbler of some kind.  The Cattails also help water quality.  You might also consider water hyacinths seasonally since they remove lots of minerals from the water.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

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QUESTION: Yes, well i used to have water hyacinthsm but they died in my water conditions for a strange reason.  That's why I am relying on cattails to condition the water.  The pond is actually one of those bowls you would use to wash your clothes in.  It's relatively small and holds around three liters of water.

ANSWER: Hi Taylor,

Water Hyacinth dying?  That is truly bizzare.  They are often used to pull toxins our of water, and are known for being very difficult to kill.  They are not hardy, however.  Frost will kill them.  We remove ours before the first freeze or they turn into a brown mess.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: where i put them so that they can survive over winter?

Answer
Hi Taylor,

Since they are technically a tropical plants, you would need to keep them in an aquarium indoors during the winter.  They are not particularly expensive, and readily available, so we treat them as an annual each year.  We just get new ones each spring.  Once the weather warms the reproduce very rapidly.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com