Utricularia intermedia
Utricularia intermedia · Lentibulariaceae
The gardener's calendar
Ideal time to plant utricularia intermedia: set it out when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged, and water generously as it establishes.
ID card
- Family
- Lentibulariaceae
- Type
- Aquatic carnivorous plant
- Foliage
- Deciduous to semi-persistent
- Flowering
- Summer (July-August)
- Adult size
- 5 to 15 cm in height
- Hardiness
- Low hardiness, cold temperate zones
- Origin
- Northern Hemisphere (Europe, Asia, North America)
- Natural habitat
- Peatlands and shallow stagnant waters
Care
Watering and humidity
Keep the substrate constantly moist to waterlogged, as this carnivorous plant thrives in aquatic or marshy environments. Preferably use soft water or rainwater, as it is sensitive to minerals. Water should remain between 10 and 20 °C for optimal growth.
Light exposure
Place your bladderwort in a very bright location, ideally with direct sun 4 to 6 hours per day. Insufficient light slows growth and reduces trap production. Prefer a south or west-facing exposure, protected from excessive midday heat in summer.
Substrate and soil
Use a very draining mixture composed of live sphagnum moss, blonde peat, and perlite (proportions: 50/30/20). Avoid any mineral-rich amendments; this plant captures its nutrients through its traps. A poor substrate is preferable.
Nutrition
No mineral fertilizer is necessary or desirable. Intermediate bladderwort feeds exclusively through its tiny traps (utricles) which capture aquatic microorganisms. Fertilizers risk burning roots and encouraging harmful algae.
Health and pests
This plant is generally resistant to diseases if humidity and light conditions are respected. Watch for filamentous algae (growth inhibition): slightly reduce ambient nitrogen. Rot mainly occurs with stagnant polluted water or temperatures that are too cold.
Pruning and propagation
No actual pruning is necessary. This plant naturally spreads through fragmentation: detach stem portions with a few traps and replant them in the substrate. Also reproduce from hibernacles (small turions) that form in autumn and germinate in spring.
Did you know?
Utricularia intermedia is one of the rare aquatic carnivorous plants equipped with active microscopic traps: in less than a millisecond, the utricles fill with water by creating a water current that sucks in prey. This hunting strategy is so rapid that it ranked among the fastest plant movements ever studied by botanists.
Where to buy it
Plant in spring or early autumn, avoiding spells of intense heat. Pick a plant with healthy foliage and roots that are not exposed. Best time: March, April, May, September.
Add this plant to my garden →Plants from the same family
- Common butterwortPinguicula vulgaris
- BladderwortUtricularia vulgaris
- Utricularia australisUtricularia australis
- Pale butterwortPinguicula lusitanica
- Utricularia gibbaUtricularia gibba
- Horned bladderwortUtricularia cornuta
Tips generated and checked by Viridia — adapt them to your local climate.