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Ceph mouths aren't opening up

I bought a clump of Cephalotus about three months ago from Black Jungle and so far the little guys are still alive. They definitely aren't big plants, which leads me to believe that they're pretty young. Here's my gripe: Since the day I received the plants the tops of the pitchers were closed. Every pitcher. Literally. Now I've read that Cephs will close up their pitchers when humidity is low, but why would the pitchers never have been open, even when I first got them? Also, it's not like the plants are dying. They're very green, with definite hints of red in the pitchers, and they also seem to be putting out new pitchers. They're just all closed
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Is this something that young Cephs do? Do I need to bump up my humidity (daytime=around 50%, nighttime=around 70%)?

I'm going to be buying a large Ceph from the friendly people here at Petflytrap.com very soon, so I want to make sure I get things just right for my new arrival.
 
If the plants are happy, don't worry about the lids.
 
Are the lids closed because they are young developing pitchers?  Or were the lids open and they closed because of unfavorable conditions? The young developing pitchers have closed lids, just like Sarracenia and Nepenthes.  The lids pop open when the pitchers are mature.

I've received cephs with young developing pitchers and the plant pretty much sat and did nothing for a couple months.  Once it recovered, the young pitchers began to grow and the lids finally opened.  The lids usually open when the pitchers become slightly flushed with red.

Brian
 
Even the pitchers that should be open are closed, as in NONE of the pitchers are open.
 
Perhaps they need more time to adjust or mature?
 
No, they were potted. Puzzling isn't it? I must just suck at Ceph growing
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I don't grow Cephs, but I'd try and bump up the daytime humidity. Actually, the overall humidity. Is there damp LFS around the plant? I'd do that.

-D. Lybrand
 
I'm no Ceph expert, but my Ceph takes months to open new pitchers. They start out small and get bigger and bigger until you think they're fully grown, and then they take about two more months to get just a tiny bit bigger, and then, maybe, they open. I wouldn't worry about it. Some will eventually open. If the plant is growing and coloring then it sounds happy enough. Working with the humidity (or perhaps the temp) couldn't hurt, either.
Best luck,
~Joe
 
  • #10
I have a ceph from them and the reason the lids aren't open are because they're juvenile tissue-cultured plants. They're very nice plants but you need to give them some time to mature.
 
  • #11
Ah, thanks chloroplast. That makes a lot of sense.

When did you get yours?
 
  • #12
I got my first one two months ago, but it started rotting after only a few days and eventually died of crown rot after 2 weeks. I still don't quite know why because I provided it with the correct environmental conditions and I've always been VERY VERY happy with plants from Richard/Mike. Sometimes these things happen, especially in young tissue cultured plants.

I acquired my second one at the NECPS show (a few days ago). I transplanted it into LFS to reduce the chance of fungal infection. So far so good and we'll see how it goes.
 
  • #13
Ya think they are not opening their mouths because they are thinking about what to say????????? LOL!!!!!
 
  • #14
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Ya think they are not opening their mouths because they are thinking about what to say?
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Hehe. My plants don't talk....they scream!
 
  • #15
Another reason that ceph. lids will not open some of the time is because there is not enought humidity. I've seen pitchers that were completely open and flipped back because of an enenvironment with very high humidity, but I don't think that that's the case because cephs can grow in a relative humidity of 50%. When the humidity goes down the traps close to retain moisture.
 
  • #16
Well here's an update:

I think it was just a youth-related problem. My clump of Cephs have started putting out much bigger pitchers that all have open mouths, so I'm assuming the problem is solved now.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] (chloroplast @ Oct. 12 2005,1:10)]Hehe.  My plants don't talk....they scream!
And Bugweed's plants are illiterate! They cannot read and they refuse to do anything resembling "textbook". A "chip off the old block"?
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  • #19
[b said:
Quote[/b] (LLeopardGGecko @ Dec. 12 2005,9:05)]Well here's an update:

I think it was just a youth-related problem. My clump of Cephs have started putting out much bigger pitchers that all have open mouths, so I'm assuming the problem is solved now.
Are you certain they weren't open? The juvenile pitchers have a different style lid. Someone else recently posted a photo with the same issue and it turned out that all the pitchers were open but they were young pitchers w/ a different lid. Look very closely (w/ a magnifying glass and a toothpick)...
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  • #20
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Are you certain they weren't open? The juvenile pitchers have a different style lid. Someone else recently posted a photo with the same issue and it turned out that all the pitchers were open but they were young pitchers w/ a different lid. Look very closely (w/ a magnifying glass and a toothpick)...

I think that's what ended up being the case with my plant. All the young pitchers were open, just not open like I'm used to seeing on adult pitchers.
 
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