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Just how hardy is Utricularia reniformis?


FredG

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I  started growing this about 3 years ago, just for a change. Each winter I have taken the pots ( 7" squares) down to the cellar and kept them under lights along with the Disa and other tender(ish) plants. They have always started sending up leaves far too soon and they tended to become a little leggy or as some would say etiolated. ( I refuse to increase the wattage further, it's fine for all the other plants). This year I only took the one pot down to the cellar leaving the other five in the cold greenhouse to experience ambient winter temperatures. Needless to say, even with the mildish winter we had all top growth was cut down by the frosts. The pot in the cellar did the usual and kept existing leaves and started sending up new leaves as the temperature in the cellar rose above 10C .I therefore brought this plant up to the greenhouse in March and it's been growing normally with just the one leaf stem a bit lanky.

Now, back to the plants with all their top growth obliterated* by the winter. Leaf production is now phenomenal, There have been groups of red shoots appearing all over the pots for several weeks now. I would say I've never seen these plants so productive.

What do others do with their U. reniformis?

 

* Changed to obliterated as all top growth was destroyed, decimated only means one in ten which doesn't really describe the event.

Edited by FredG
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What do others do with their U. reniformis?

 

I grow U.reniformis large form and U. nelumbifolia in my greenhouse pot to pot already 12 years and they have never been re - potted, neither moved anywhere since they were placed there 12 years ago. Each year the temps in the winter drop to 1C, sometimes it happens to minus 2C and in the summer with temps 47C and above...

 

They flower each year with no exclusion now in the spring till mid summer without stopping. So, I can say with certain from my experience they benefit from the winter cold temps...

 

It is starting...

 

10308230_666252286745681_474202101143652

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Hi Fred,

 

I can tell that U. reniformis does not like it when the pot itself gets frozen. The rhizome may get damaged that way.

I fully agree with the observation that occasional mild frosts will kill the active leaves but the plants come back with lots of new growth in spring. Hence I keep my plants in the wintergarden unless a persistant frost is expected. In that case I move them inside.

 

I also planted a rhizom piece into a Sarracenia tray earlier this year, just to see how it will do there with lots of space for the rhizome, shady conditions (as overgrown by the Sarracenia in summer) but no way to move it inside when strong frosts hit during winter.

 

Best regards

Dieter

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Oh yes, a word of warning with U. reniformis. Planting in pond pots/baskets to enable the sphagnum to grow out of the sides is not a good idea with this one. I lost two pots that way as the rhizome also decides growing through the mesh is a good idea.  :oops:   I  have two mesh pots potted inside two of the 7" pots. It doesn't affect the plant but it's a waste of the mesh pots  :blush:

 

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time  :whistling:

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I grow my U Reniformis in a heated greenhouse over winter, and the new growth they all send up after winter is amazing, they are all doing really well. 

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I grow U.reniformis large form and U. nelumbifolia in my greenhouse pot to pot already 12 years and they have never been re - potted, neither moved anywhere since they were placed there 12 years ago. Each year the temps in the winter drop to 1C, sometimes it happens to minus 2C and in the summer with temps 47C and above...

 

They flower each year with no exclusion now in the spring till mid summer without stopping. So, I can say with certain from my experience they benefit from the winter cold temps...

Agree with this. I keep mine all year in the greenhouse and it experiences very similar temperatures.

Stayed in the same pot for a number of years now (very wide shallow pots work well and allow for rhizome spread and space for many leaves) and flowers every spring.

 

The best trigger for flowering seems to be letting it dry out a little over winter - by a little, I mean I let mine get quite dry! ;)

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I have left U. reniformis in the greenhouse every year since I had it in many sized pots and last year a load of 7cm pots.

I have grown this plant maybe 10 years, I am not saying I have not lost the odd pot but really not many over all the years even when we had those really bad two winters.

Top growth always dies back and they always returns with new leaves and three times now, flowers.

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Nice pic Fred - I like the one with the wide yellow bands... looks like some sort of fly face!

I've noticed similar random variability on my reniformis flowers.. Occasionally some have no stripes and some have had three or four!

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