Question
Hello, gentlemen. I have been looking for a challenge lately for my CP collection, and I have decided on germinating seeds from aquatic and terrestrial utrics. I know how to with most terrestrials, but I am baffled with aquatics and a particular species of terrestrial, U. humboltii. I admire its large, showy flowers, but the peculiar seed is also strange. It must be sown in water, so would I transplant it into the soil when roots are formed? As for the aquatics, I have no clue. Thank you very much!

Answer
Hi Corey,

If you have seed for true aquatics such as Utricularia inflata or U. vulgaris, you simply toss them into water.  You need to make sure the water quality is what the adult plants like.

With an epiphyitic like U. humboltii, sow the seeds on some waterlogged sphagnum moss.  I would highly recommend live sphagnum for this purpose.  Sow the seeds in the pot you would like to have the adult plant(s) in.  Like most epiphytic Utrics they don't form just one single plant, but a mass of growth.

I'm still trying to figure out U. humboltii myself as far as growing it.  I've had a small specimen for about a year and a half now, and it's a slow grower.  I'm still trying to find out what makes it happy.  I know they like it cool, but beyond that I haven't figured out a good system for it yet.  If you have good luck, let us know.  I'd love to hear what has worked for you.

Good Growing!

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