How to make UG grow flowers underwater?

[jeffbloom]

Hello everyone, I have a UG tank. The growth of UG looks good, but the leaves are relatively narrow. I know this is due to poor nutrition, but I have not yet mastered how to grow this plant in nutrient-rich water. I think the flowering of UG may require rich nutrition. I saw the effect I dreamed of in this post(please allow me to express my deep respect, this is the most successful UG tank I have seen so far), but I cannot understand the specific reason for its submerged flowering and how to reproduce this miracle. Maybe I should add some paramecia to the tank? Hope to get some discussion.

4 month.

Exactly one year now. Still no flowers.

 

[SSK101]

Have you looked into light ,how long it's on for and spectrum, intensity ect

 

[jeffbloom]

Have you looked into light ,how long it's on for and spectrum, intensity ect

Yes, the light is close to the Chihiro A series, with 9 hours of light per day and 50% power. Maybe I should change the light? . Other parameters: RO water; CO2 injection, a small amount of K fertilizer every day.

 

[zozo]

Till now, I have never seen a UG flower underwater, my best guess is it's not able to...
but if the light is sufficient enough it will flower abundantly when grown with the leaves above the waterline. I've seen UG growing and flowering on the window sill in a puddle of water in a small cup with indirect daylight only. I've seen the pictures on the website of 'The Carnivore Girl' but this domain is no longer registered. She grows anything carnivorous she can get her hands on... I know she has a Facebook page with the same name, i guess it will also have the UG pictures.

The Carnivore Girl

The Carnivore Girl. 4,448 likes. The Carnivore Girl is an online boutique and blog dedicated to all things carnivorous plants! Click below to check us out!

www.facebook.com

And I remember she stated that Utricularia is tolerant and grows very well with this stuff.

MAXSEA - Soluble Seaweed Plant Foods - A Botanica Brand Product by John Dimmick

If you are a Facebook member you could try to drop her a message for some advice on UG...

I have grown several U species emersed myself except UG... But all flowers rather easily and abundantly are not at all difficult to keep if sufficient air humidity is given. I have no experience with the Maxsea fertilizer, I've always used Rhizotonic which is probably similar and also a seaweed extract with an extremely small amount of NPK. Rhizotonic advertises the property of feeding and aiding microbiological life in the substrate. My best guess is, it will also do this in water and that it's this that is most important for Utricularia since this is what it preferably depends on and feeds on after all it's a carnivore.

There will be more brands on the market sold as Root Stimulators for plants that are based on Seaweed extract... But i don't know if they all are the same...

 

[Geoffrey Rea]

Welcome to UKAPS @jeffbloom 👋🏼

The growth of UG looks good

Hell yeah 🙌🏼 Loving the tank 😎

I think the flowering of UG may require rich nutrition.

The opposite potentially…

I cannot understand the specific reason for its submerged flowering and how to reproduce this miracle.

Plants flower when there is a risk of dying. This may look good but it’s UG pouring it’s effort into seed:

They’re all reaching for the surface to drop seed.

 

[Geoffrey Rea]

Start feeding paramecium culture and spirulina, trim the UG down to stimulate a response and you go from this:

To this:

Lots of bladders on the stolons to capture prey.

 

[Geoffrey Rea]

I've seen UG growing and flowering on the window sill in a puddle of water in a small cup with indirect daylight only.

There’s a clue in @zozo ‘s post… lower lighting being a stimulus. It reacts, it may be getting submerged/overgrown/outcompeted by another plant… it accommodates the situation by pouring all of its resources into securing the genetic information in seed, changing its fortune and potentially succeeding elsewhere. It is an affixed subaquatic species after all, chances are those seeds will land somewhere suitable. It’s a life cycle.

 

[Geoffrey Rea]

Trick is to feed and stimulate according to what response you want to encourage.

To make the above last and last was a matter of being the plants tormentor and salvation on an ongoing cycle. You are basically replacing natural limitations with those by your own hand.

Some older posts you can view from others don’t seem to account for how UG is affected by general plant husbandry when trimming the carpet for example. You are cutting its solar panels up 😂 … daily potassium and micros in the water column are a given prior to cutting. N + P from organic sources can be attained below in the benthic zone (assuming microorganisms are being sustained).

Tom Barr farmed his by only taking from the edges of the carpet. Smart move as it leaves the remaining UG stolons and bladders of the plant in the substrate intact, with further growth outwards being replenished over and over.

 

[Geoffrey Rea]

Hope to get some discussion.

Hopefully something of the above is useful to you @jeffbloom . Do understand how hard it is to get info on UG.

Any further questions, please just ask.

 

[jeffbloom]

Till now, I have never seen a UG flower underwater, my best guess is it's not able to...
but if the light is sufficient enough it will flower abundantly when grown with the leaves above the waterline. I've seen UG growing and flowering on the window sill in a puddle of water in a small cup with indirect daylight only. I've seen the pictures on the website of 'The Carnivore Girl' but this domain is no longer registered. She grows anything carnivorous she can get her hands on... I know she has a Facebook page with the same name, i guess it will also have the UG pictures.

The Carnivore Girl

The Carnivore Girl. 4,448 likes. The Carnivore Girl is an online boutique and blog dedicated to all things carnivorous plants! Click below to check us out!

www.facebook.com

And I remember she stated that Utricularia is tolerant and grows very well with this stuff.

MAXSEA - Soluble Seaweed Plant Foods - A Botanica Brand Product by John Dimmick

If you are a Facebook member you could try to drop her a message for some advice on UG...

I have grown several UG species emersed myself except UG... But all flowers rather easily and abundantly are not at all difficult to keep if sufficient air humidity is given. I have no experience with the Maxsea fertilizer, I've always used Rhizotonic which is probably similar and also a seaweed extract with an extremely small amount of NPK. Rhizotonic advertises the property of feeding and aiding microbiological life in the substrate. My best guess is, it will also do this in water and that it's this that is most important for Utricularia since this is what it preferably depends on and feeds on after all it's a carnivore.

There will be more brands on the market sold as Root Stimulators for plants that are based on Seaweed extract... But i don't know if they all are the same...

Thanks zozo! Your opinion is important and luckily I can buy Rhizotonic fertilizer in my country. Already placed an order, I will try it, thank you!

 

[jeffbloom]

@[UWSL]Geoffrey Rea[/UWSL] I am so lucky to get your reply, thank you very much!

Plants flower when there is a risk of dying. This may look good but it’s UG pouring it’s effort into seed:

I think I understand what you mean, the essential reason for blooming.

Start feeding paramecium culture and spirulina, trim the UG down to stimulate a response and you go from this:

I once trimed UG, and then there was an algae outbreak. I thought there was something wrong with the way I trimed , so I stopped triming. Now I understand the need for triming. At the same time I will get paramecium culture and spirulina and start feeding!

Tom Barr farmed his by only taking from the edges of the carpet. Smart move as it leaves the remaining UG stolons and bladders of the plant in the substrate intact, with further growth outwards being replenished over and ove

I really understand what you mean and I think I need to make up my mind to try this method of triming.

Thanks again

 

[zozo]

Thanks zozo! Your opinion is important and luckily I can buy Rhizotonic fertilizer in my country. Already placed an order, I will try it, thank you!

Note this root stimulator is developed for nursing terrestrial plants, as an addition to the fertilizer solution. Don't use the recommended dosage amount as advised on the label if you use it in an aquatic environment. Because a dosage in the recommended amount will affect the pH with + 1 point and needs to be readjusted. For terrestrial fert solutions, this is doable with acids for aquarium water it might be an issue when adding too much.

I was always reluctant to play with acids in the aquarium and only experimented with +/- 10% of the recommended dosage on the label as a spray for the dry start and or added directly to the aquarium water. I still had very positive results without it affecting the pH of the water. So my personal experience stops at 10% of the recommended dosage on the label. Didn't go any further...

 

[jeffbloom]

Note this root stimulator is developed for nursing terrestrial plants, as an addition to the fertilizer solution. Don't use the recommended dosage amount as advised on the label if you use it in an aquatic environment. Because a dosage in the recommended amount will affect the pH with + 1 point and needs to be readjusted. For terrestrial fert solutions, this is doable with acids for aquarium water it might be an issue when adding too much.

I was always reluctant to play with acids in the aquarium and only experimented with +/- 10% of the recommended dosage on the label as a spray for the dry start and or added directly to the aquarium water. I still had very positive results without it affecting the pH of the water. So my personal experience stops at 10% of the recommended dosage on the label. Didn't go any further...

Thanks a lot! This dose has helped me a lot, I really don't know how to add the dose which can be a challenge in a aquarium.