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questions on growing Cephalotus

Hi, I am now growing my Cephalotus

After 3 months, I shows my new Cephalotus grows lots of fat foliage type of leaf and it seems to be stable and I decodes to change the growing environment.
I decides to repot the plants with a deep pot. I repot it with original compost surrounding by new compost   The new compost is mixture of 50% peat moss and 50% perlite. With surface 1cm depth dead spagnum moss so as to increase surface humidity

The pot rim contains 1 cm distilled water and I allows it evaporate out, wait 2-3 days then refilled the water.

For lighting, I bought a new fluorescent tubes to replace normal light blub as it produce too much heat, with lighting period 6am - 12pm & 1pm to 6pm.

I used chemical feeding by 1/4 strength fertiliser 7:5:7 and a push to paint the suface and bottom of each leaf. And put the fertiliser inside the pitches too.

Meanwhiles, I discovered the lids of pitchers closed, I tried to increase humidity by covering colourless plastic bottle on top of whole plant, the lids really re-open within 1-2 hours.  
smile_k_ani_32.gif

However, when I moved out the bottle, the lids closed again within a hour  
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Some week later, the plant stops to grow new leaf and starts to grow new tiny patchers.

I have some questions on my growing envirionment.
1. Now the plant is nearly all time be covered the plastic bottle, as once the botlle is removed, the lids of pitchers will be closed too. Dies it show the humidity of air is not enough ?
If I remove the pitcher, will the size of new pitchers be affected ?

2. the dead spagnum moss turns green with some grasses smell, should I remove them and will it be harmful to my plant ?

Thank you !!
 
I've heard that whenever a ceph has low humidity closes their lids to conserve their liquids and to prevent moisture loss. As for the sphagnum moss, it's just growing, and that's a good thing because it will help to keep your ceph more humid and draw any excess minerals and such out of your peat medium.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] As for the sphagnum moss, it's just growing, and that's a good thing because it will help to keep your ceph more humid and draw any excess minerals and such out of your peat medium.
not always...it could be regenerating...but if it looks like a green film over top of it, its probly algea.
Alex
 
That's also true, just keep an eye on it and see if it gets bigger and starts growing.
 
Dun dun dun.... Cephs are given a bad rap as being an "advanced" plant. Not so. It can just seem that way because they grow so slow and don't like change. I break a few "rules" with mine and I have no problems.


Your media is fine. I would have used LFS or LFS/perlite, but that's just my taste. Your good in that area. If it were me, with my devil-may-care attitude, I'd let it close up and sulk. Don't baby it too much. You  can aclimate it if you want, but I don't do that with anything. The new pitchers will be small. just wait for it and it'll be fine. It's not that your humidity isn't  enough , it's just that it's not used to it being that low. I wouldn't fertilize an unestablished plant, but that's just me. I wouldn't put fertilizer in the pitchers either as that A: dilutes the enzymes and B: alters the chemistry of the fluid. If you have algea, flush with pure water and water with pure water.

When you say pot rim, do you mean the drainage tray? If so then you'r doing that right. BTW, just because I say that it will adapt to lower humidity, they still like reasonable a reasonable RH level. What is your humidity now?


Don't sweat the small stuff.
 
The green coating spagnum moss of is suspected to be algea since today I can try use pure water to wash it out.

Missing something to say, which is my tray method: the idea is came from growing africain violet that bottom of pot contains 1/2 inch depth perlite with cotton line passing through between compost and outside area, to avoid direct touch of water. Since many pepole says cepts does that like its compost too wet but like high humidity surounding it. I used this method the moment I bought my cepts 3 months ago.

My living place is in autumn with RH around 70% now, with temp. ranging from 25-29 C. The RH will become lower in winter with average temp. 15 C, I hope that Cepts can adapt to such lower humidity
smile.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Sep. 24 2006,10:05)]Check out this topic from earlier this year:
Cephalotus questions
Thanks, I had read it carefully and nearly miss an important point:

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Be careful about misting plants that are grown indoors in pots. If you don't have enough air movement you could have rot problems down the road. As long as the crown has a chance to dry out it should be ok.
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I've heard bad things about those moisture wicks in pots... other than that I'd say acclimate the plant to a lower humidity like JLAP said and I'd do awat with the top-dressing of spagnum and I would definitly NOT fertilize the plant whatsoever.. but that's just me..
 
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