Re: Utricularia vulgaris dying?! Why?!

From: Chris Teichreb (cjteichr@sfu.ca)
Date: Fri Apr 23 1999 - 10:13:20 PDT


Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 10:13:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris Teichreb <cjteichr@sfu.ca>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg1434$foo@default>
Subject: Re: Utricularia vulgaris dying?! Why?!

Hi Miguel,

        To help you, we'll need to know a bit more about the aquarium such
as light, temperature, substrate (if any), pH and nutrients (if known)
etc.

        However:

> I recently built a new aquarium to accomodate some aquatic CPs. After
> waiting a few weeks, I first put a Utric. vulgaris cutting in it. In the
> 1st days, it grew slowly... but suddenly, in a matter of days, the plant
> grew all over the water surface and covered it all, sending lots of lateral
> branches. It also started to send lots of flower buds. All was ok... until
> a few days ago, I don't know why, they started to slow down and almost all
> the plants died, including the juvenile leaves. All the flower buds died.
> This happened very fast.

        You say it already flowered, etc. FRom what I've seen of
U.vulgaris in the wild, it only does this when warm temperatures are
sustained for a long period. After flowering, it always starts to form
turions. You have to remember that this is a temperate Utric which
requires a sustained dormancy for several months.

> Anyone knows what could be causing this? Maybe this happened because of an
> overcrowded population of Utricularia?

        Sounds like they may have been cooked. U.vulgaris likes cooler
conditions. You may have forced it out of dormancy, which might have
weakened it.

> I also have some Aldrovanda in there, and luckily, it seems ok. It's
> growing relatively fast and sending various lateral branches (however, in
> the last days, its behaviour changed. It's not dying, though)
> Should I take the Aldro out of those evil waters?

        Aldrovanda doesn't have the same requirements as U.vulgaris (other
than needing water). It'll usually grow without dormancy year round
(depending where it originated from). It does despise really strong
light, but that's not usually a problem unless you're using halogen or
sodium lamps.

> What's happening with my Utric? I thought it was an easy plant, a weed!

        Outdoors it is. Indoors, I'd recommend U.gibba as a pleasant
weed. U.vulgaris is usually too big for any aquarium anyways, and looks
better in outdoor pools, ponds, etc.

>
> Thanks and good growing!
> Miguel
>

Happy growing,

Chris

**********************************
Chris Teichreb
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C.

cjteichr@sfu.ca
**********************************



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:57 PST