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Bladderwort care is different depending on whether the species is aquatic or terrestrial. Depending on where the plant originates, it may also undergo a winter dormancy. Research your specific species online for more information. 

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Where to Grow: Indoors for most species, but some can be grown outdoors. Research your specific species. 

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Light: Most bladderworts can be grown outdoors in full sun or indoors under bright lights.

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Water: Use distilled/rainwater/reverse osmosis water ONLY. That means NO TAP WATER. Keep terrestrial varieties in a tray of water constantly. The soil can be flooded occasionally. Aquatic species need their water changed if there is significant algae growth. 

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Soil: For terrestrials, use a mix of three parts sphagnum peat moss to one part coarse (#12 silica sand or similar) sand. If sand cannot be found, perlite can also be used. Make sure all soil ingredients are free of fertilizers and added minerals. For aquatics, mix a cup of sphagnum peat into each gallon of water.  

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Containers: Plastic pots are best for terrestrials. Avoid unglazed terra cotta plants, because they can wick water away from the plants and also leach minerals into the soil. While some aquatic varieties, such as Utricularia gibba, can be grown in containers as small as a cup, most aquatic varieties require huge containers that hold many gallons of water (e.g. kiddie pools). 

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Feeding: The plants will likely catch all the insects they need. Aquatics can be fed daphnia (available as cultures from various online sources) by putting them into the water, and terrestrials fed through flooding the soil with water containing daphnia. 

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Fertilizing: As a general rule, avoid using any fertilizer on bladderworts.

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Humidity: Not a concern.

Bladderwort (Utricularia)

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