Terrestrial Bladderworts (Utricularia) Cultivation

Utricularia fulva

Unique orange, yellow, and red-spotted flowers. Loves hot climates.

Carnivorous bladder traps

Look closely for the small whitish balloons. These are the bladder traps of terrestrial bladderworts found underground. They can range in size from under 1mm to over 1cm in diameter!

Utricularia blanchetii

Incredible species with white, purple, and yellow flowers. They can produce tall flower stalks with loads of simultaneous flowers.

Bladderwort leaves

The leaves of terrestrial bladderworts typically create a dense mat on the surface of the soil. They will spread to fill their container (then try to reach out to invade a new pot!).

U. fulva

Utricularia livida

A nice species with white, pale purple, and yellow flowers. Can produce tall flower stalks full of flowers. Easy to grow.

Utricularia sandersonii

One of the easiest species to grow with some of the best flowers as well. The flowers look like little white and purple bunny faces! Great for beginners.

U. sandersonii

Bunny-shaped flower

Utricularia subulata

Perhaps the easiest species of carnivorous plant to grow, this one easily spreads by seed to invade your entire collection. The leaves may be barely visible until the lovely yellow flowers emerge.

General Info:

Bladderworts (genus: Utricularia) are a unique form of carnivorous plant that uses underground or aquatic bladder traps to catch small animals and microorganisms as food. The bladders use rapid suction that is triggered by sensitive hairs near the opening of the bladder — when prey passes in front and triggers the trap, it will suck them inside the bladder to be digested.

The bladderworts are divided into 3 categories based on their habitat — Terrestrial, Epiphytic, and Aquatic. Terrestrial species typically grow thin leaves in a mat that spreads along the surface of their soil. While the traps are typically small and hard to see underground, growers love these species for their beautifully colored and numerous flowers. They can put on incredible displays of multicolored blooms and are great in mixed species pots/bogs to introduce extra color.

Cultivation:

1. Moderate Light - give them a few hours of sunlight per day or at least 10W per square foot of LED grow lights.

2. Keep them sitting in trays of water, generally around 1-2” deep. They like to remain consistently wet. Use distilled or reverse osmosis water.

3. Temperatures between 50-90F are best. Most are adaptable to different humidity from low to high.

4. Soil can be 50% peat moss to 50% sand (or perlite if sand isn’t available). Make sure to rinse the media before potting to remove excess salts. Terrestrial bladderworts grow a tangled mat of lateral stems near the surface. To repot, simple take a chunk of the plant and put into new soil.

Notes:

• There are over 100 species of terrestrial bladderwort from all parts of the world. Some prefer cooler conditions, and some prefer hot conditions. Most are happy at typical indoor house temperatures. Refer to the individual species for specifics.

• Feed them by lightly spraying the leaves with dilute MaxSea every few weeks. Use 1/4 tsp per gallon of distilled or reverse osmosis water.

• If the temperature or light is too bright, they may start to retreat partially underground or grow towards the edges of the pot.

• Some species can easily spread by self-fertilized seed or through wandering stolons that can reach across gaps between pots. Species like U. subulata can become a weed in collections due to the ease of seed spread.

More Information:

https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/TerrestrialUtriculariaGenlisea