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Utricularia Propagation |
| Cuttings |
Leaf cutting work for Tropical & Terrestrial but I recommend Division. To do leaf cuttings simply pluck a stolon and treat it the same as a Drosera leaf. This works for all but the aquatics.
| Division |
This works great every time. For the aquatics just cut a section off and place in water. It will take off and go immediately. For the rest cut a section of soil that has some stolons, a couple square inches or a plug is fine, plant it in the new pot and media. It will likewise take off immediately.
| Seeds |
I always recommend growing seeds in vitro. If the seeds are from a plant that has a dormancy requirement then they need a wet stratification period before they will grow. Meaning they must experience a moist cold period before they will grow. You can achieve this one of two ways.
One way you can do this is place the seeds in a small zip lock bag with a moist piece of long fiber sphagnum moss. Place the bag in the fridge for three - four weeks. Any technique that results in a cold/moist environment will do the trick. I have also used baby food jars to place them in the fridge.
If you do not want to wait the three to four weeks you can use Gibberellic acid. This is my preferred method but Gibberellic acid is generally hard to find and pricey when you do. There is a link to a place that sells Gibberellic acid in the links area if you are interested. I add an 1/8 teaspoon of Gibberellic acid to 2 oz of RO water and soak them in it for roughly 24 hrs. This will keep approximately 2 weeks if stored in the refrigerator. For mixing instructions see the Gibberellic acid information page.
Once the seeds are ready spread them sparsely on the growing medium. Lightly treat with a fungicide. Do not cover with soil. Humidity helps here so I put them in a propagation container. A 1/2" of soil is plenty. Place the container in bright light or within 12" under a florescent set on for 16 hrs/day. Within one to several months they should start to grow. Damp-off fungus may be an issue here too so use a fungicide if needed. When they have several leaves the can be removed and placed in pots. Acclimate them before moving and be careful not to damage the tiny roots.