Want the softest carpet in aquascaping? Utricularia graminifolia — UG — forms a fine, bright green lawn with a fluffy texture nothing else matches. It is also a bladderwort, a carnivorous plant, though its traps are microscopic and target single-celled organisms. It is safe with fish and shrimp, including newborn shrimplets.
What You’ll Receive
One Vitro Culture® portion of Utricularia graminifolia
- Sold as a 4-inch sealed bag or a 2.5-inch cup, depending on availability (customer cannot choose).
- Lab-grown in sterile gel/liquid, free from snails, algae, pathogens, and pesticides.
Plant Profile
- Common name — UG, Grass-leaved Bladderwort
- Scientific name — Utricularia graminifolia
- Family — Lentibulariaceae (bladderworts)
- Placement — Foreground carpet
- Mature height — 0.5–1 in
- Growth rate — Fast once established
Care
- Difficulty — Advanced
- Light — High
- CO₂ — Required
- Water — 68–78°F · pH 6.0–7.0. Soft water suits it best
- Substrate — Required. Fine-grain nutrient soil
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Dry start works well
- Propagation — Stolons
Grower’s Notes
- Establishment is the hard part, not maintenance. UG commonly melts in the first two to three weeks while it converts from emersed tissue culture growth. Once it has taken hold it grows quickly and needs little from you. Most losses happen in that first month.
- Stability matters more than any single value. UG reacts badly to swinging CO₂, temperature or hardness — a steady tank beats a heavily dosed one.
- The dry start method is the most reliable route. Plant into damp soil, cover to hold humidity, and let it carpet emersed for four to six weeks before flooding slowly.
- Press small clumps into fine substrate rather than planting deep. UG has no real roots — it anchors with fine stolons, which is also why an established mat can lift in sheets if left untrimmed.
- Carnivorous but harmless. The bladders are a fraction of a millimeter across and catch protozoa and rotifers. Shrimp keepers use UG routinely in breeding tanks.
New to sterile cups? Read our guide on preparing tissue culture plants, or compare options in our Best Carpet Plants guide.
Notes
- Utricularia graminifolia can be a challenging plant for beginners, as it requires stable water parameters, CO₂, and strong lighting for best results. Pictures are for reference only — plants may vary in size, shape, and color depending on growing conditions.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this carpeting plant as "gorgeous" and "healthy" with vibrant color and excellent quality. Many noted it arrived in "beautiful condition" with strong roots. However, shoppers warned it's "finicky" and "difficult," with several experiencing melting issues within days or weeks of planting. Success varies significantly based on planting method and timing.
- So healthy and perfect!
- Very green and healthy! Very happy with my purchase!
- This vendor leaves its competitors miles away from a product quality perspective!
w
Arrived safely and looks healthy!
E
This is the 3rd time im trying UG. I know it is one of the more difficult carpeting plants since its not really like any of the other grasses. Each time i put it in an established tank it melts very quickly. This most recent time it showed up already melting a bit, perhaps due to shipping. Very finicky, didnt show up as healthy as other plants have. Sad because if you can get it to not melt its a gorgeous plant.
J
I love how vagrant and colorful the plants came! Some molting but thats all on USPS for taking over a week to get here
T
So healthy and perfect!
A
3 days melted.
C
I am dry starting the UG in a UNS P90 and so far so good! No apparent die off, but that’s more reserved for the flooding phase. I will say however that from the many vendors I’ve tried, this vendor leaves its competitors miles away from a product quality and qty per cost perspective!!! Definitely a return customer!!
D
about half of the plants I received from APF experined some form of melting after a few weeks. I float until new roots start appearing, then plant. Unforunately, they are showing signs of melting,
T
Great quality, healthy and beautiful plant!
J
Awesome tissue!!!
g
Fast delivery! Everything looked great! Very green and healthy! Very happy with my purchase and will buy again!
R
I only buy from Aquarium Plants Factory. Reliable High Quality and fast delivery!
L
This is a beautiful little culture, so compact and healthy!
W
The UG is easy to separate and easy to put into my soil. Waiting to see when it’ll take off and start carpeting!
O
Very green, healthy, and priced reasonably.
A
Great shape
Z
First time tried UG, I killed them all. Now I ordered three healthy cups of UG from here, hoping they are not going to die on me this time. The cup is overgrown and The UG grown through the agar to form a bottom layer, so I sort of got two cups worth of UG with only one cu0.
C
Great and healthy!
j
Great products an fast shipping, plants came in very healthy and in big portions! Highly recommended
M
Yes it can be tricky to establish exactly where you want it initially, but I have found that it places itself and finds places to grow in the tank if allowed to float around and "seed" itself. My peat /terrestrial setup was not as successful as direct planting into the tank. It has planted itself in my moss and is already growing bladders. I did add infusoria to the tank to allow for it's carnivorous nature! Love it's hyper-green grassy look.
B
The product arrived as expected in good condition with very strong roots/runners.
J
Like pictured, a full cup stuffed with U.graminifolia. Very healthy. One cup covered a space of about 2"x15", densely packed, in my carnivorous plants terrarium. Shipped promptly and arrived safely from a communicative seller.
B
Order arrived quickly despite being placed right before the holidays. Previously I have found this plant at one of the big box stores and they offered it dirt cheap on-line but with $30 next day shipping! After checking out several stores I located rwo cups that were really iffy. They promptly melted.
So on Christmas Eve I started a search for Madagascar lace plants for some reason and this site showed up. They had two species I was looking for and I had bought from them before and look what else they have. So I placed an order. Order was shipped on the 26th arrived in my mailbox on the 28th.
The cup was a little more overgrown than I would have liked but it looked green and not dying.I left the culture by my light for the night. Sunday evening I decided it was time to get them out of the culture. I got as much of the agar rinsed as I could without tearing the big clump apart. I then separated the big clump into about 20 small clumps. They were planted using the drt start method with Carib Sea Sunset Gol sand as the substrate. Lighting is by a Beamswork planted tank light fixture. Water was from my R/O unit that is running about 20ppm right now.
A week after planting the clumps are showing growth and numerous grass like leaves are starting to appear. In hindsight I could have easily made the clumps I planted smaller. My feeling is you could make a decent foreground planting of a 55 gallon tank with two to three cups.
T
Arrived in beautiful condition but was unable to plant until a week after arrival. Well actually didn't get to plant it as it turned to a brown mush. This is on me not APF as I probably should have planted it the day I received it. Not to mention it is not really a beginner's plant but I took a chance because of the looks. So in order to save these plants in the future I will not be ordering these again. However I will be ordering all my plants from APF as they come looking like the pictures, green and healthy.
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