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Cephs to start growing from bareroot/cuttings - how long?

Cindy

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Hi everyone, since there are a number of Ceph threads lately...for the newbies and me (who is about the only person living in the tropics who is so mad about Cephs :crazy: ), please post your replies to these questions.

How long did your bareroot Ceph take to establish itself and start growing?

Or if your plant came potted, how long did it take to acclimatise to your growing conditions?

Most of the time, new growers tend to shift the plant from place to place after seeing that the plant has not grown much after a couple of weeks. They may also change its media...or change its watering routine and in the end, the plant suffers more and eventually dies. I hope this thread will give growers who are interested in Cephs an idea on the period the species takes to recover from being shipped bareroot or being put in a new growing condition. Thanks loads!
 
Ive had some take as much as 3-4 weeks (rhizome cuttings) before any vegetative growth was noticed... prob varies due to orientation and depth of cutting.

Personally, I like to presoak them for 15 mins or so in a bath of trichoderma and superthrive prior to planting. I'm not sure if the superthrive does anything (doesnt seem to hurt), but I use "beneficials" on everything

Varun would be a good one to chime in on this.... he just did a bunch of various cuttings (leaf, pitcher,rhizome) that he got from a german source... He has/had some great timeline pics of their progress

Av
 
I got my ceph division in Ozzy's April giveaway, and it's just starting to put out two small pitchers. So it's been about a month. Basically I put it under the lights, watered it a little every 4 days or so and forgot about it. I think not moving them and obsessing about them is the key. Just let them do their thing.
 
for two of my cephs I nocited it started growing quite nicely after about 2 weeks after receiving it potted. For two other cephs from a different source they were shipped much nicer and didn't seem to skip a beat once I placed them in my growing conditions. With all my plants when I get them I place them where they're going to be and I don't touch them, move them or fuss with them at all. I think this helps them alot. I have a friend who grows and he fidgets with his plants way to much upon receiving them. He'll move them around a bunch of times trying to find a spot for them and just fiddle with them alot. I've noticed in the past on several occasion when we've ordered the same plant from the same vender that my plants will often acclimate themselves to my conditions faster then to his. I've alsways assumed it was due to his fiddling, lol...
 
Last December, we had Cephs for sale here. Unfortunately, they were packed a little too wet and many started losing their leaves and pitchers quickly. By the 4th day, most were not suitable for sale, having lost all the leaves and pitchers to rot. Some of us decided to try potting up all the bare tiny ginger pieces (~1/2" to 1" long) to see if they can be saved. It took 2-3 weeks under consistently good light (T5) before some leaves re-appeared from the rhizomes. Naturally, some didn't make it.

Here is something additional which I found interesting. Some rhizome cuttings about 1" from last December has already produced 1.5" pitchers. These cuttings have only one growth point. On the other hand, the bareroot plants from last September have yet produced any pitcher larger than 1" but they have multiple growth points. I am not sure if it is due to the dying back of the whole plants after being potted. ???
 
Okay! here is my experience:

- bare rooted ceph (a small ceph) : took around 2 months to perk up. Lost nearly 3 small pitchers.
- leaf cuttings: HIGHLY VARIABLE. The earliest strike was within a month. The longest one was nearly 3 months.
- Root cuttings: for the most part..consistent and fast: minimum 1 month to maximum 2 and a half months.

Note: this is the time period for it to show signs of growth. However, growth is still very very slow. It takes time for a cutting to put on enough growth to help it make more energy. The bigger your plant grows, the faster it is as it has more leaves, better established roots and so on.

Hope this helps. :)
 
Fresh ceph rhizomes/roots soaking in Trichoderma and Bacillus cocktail prior to planting. I had to thin things out, clumps become too massive and compacted over time. The plant's overall health then begins to slowly decline (this one was several years old)

ceph_keep.jpg


remainder of cuttings from the same clump

ceph_trash.jpg


Av
 
Thanks everyone, for the input so far. More to come? :)

Vraev, I agree with you. The root cuttings or rhizomes are quick to put out the first leaf but are very slow to put out more growth. The pieces I potted since last December are only about 1"-1.5" across with small pitchers.

Av, perhaps in 5 years' time I'll have a clump to soak in fungus-bacteria soup. :blush:
 
Hi everyone, since there are a number of Ceph threads lately...for the newbies and me (who is about the only person living in the tropics who is so mad about Cephs :crazy: ), please post your replies to these questions.

How long did your bareroot Ceph take to establish itself and start growing?

Or if your plant came potted, how long did it take to acclimatise to your growing conditions?

Most of the time, new growers tend to shift the plant from place to place after seeing that the plant has not grown much after a couple of weeks. They may also change its media...or change its watering routine and in the end, the plant suffers more and eventually dies. I hope this thread will give growers who are interested in Cephs an idea on the period the species takes to recover from being shipped bareroot or being put in a new growing condition. Thanks loads!

Mine came bareroot.

I had it under grow lights.

It started growing again after dying a little (just a few pitchers) after a little over a month.
I since then have moved it to a windowsill.
 
  • #10
As my sensei Av8tor1 taught me, cephs are just slow initially. Once they get acclaimatised to your conditions, once u get them growing in the right zone.... they are on autopilot. :) You guys have to see my ceph and compare it to when I first had it...its a world of difference. I am waiting for the new pitchers to open before taking a shot. ;)

You are exactly right Cindy! first leaf is pretty fast..but then it almost grows at the slowest pace imaginable. However, as more and more leaves form...it gets faster.

WOW B! Surely what are you gonna do with that clump of pitchers and leaves? If u put up some at the auction coming up..I am sure you will make some people very very very happy. :)
 
  • #11
Ahh, vraev...we have the same Ceph sensei! :-O

A summary of the period required for new growth...
Potted plant: 0-2 weeks
Bareroot plant: 1-3 months
Leaf cutting/Pitcher cutting: 1-3 months
Rhizome cutting: 1-4 months

*Just let them do their thing. (Nitecrawler)
*I don't touch them, move them or fuss with them at all. (Flip_Side_the_Pint)
*First leaf is pretty fast..but then it almost grows at the slowest pace imaginable. (vraev)
*Cephs are slow initially...then they are on autopilot once acclimatised. (vraev quoting sensei Av8tor1)
 
  • #12
Aaaah! no wonder I was soo impressed by your cephs. You secret is finally out. ;)

you should have seen my ceph before....my single lone ceph was in dying stages before I started listening to his steps which seemed drastic initially. But the results are apparent. :)
 
  • #13
I mean this with love of course...

you both can just bite me :)

you know i will never be able to grow another ceph now, they will all die horrible and painful deaths sheesh ;)
 
  • #14
LMAO!!! :jester:
 
  • #15
you know i will never be able to grow another ceph now, they will all die horrible and painful deaths

How come I don't know?!? :0o:

The truth is, you have given up all the space for the helis right?
 
  • #16
Moi?

actually you're sorta right, I am downsizing my cephs just a little to make room for the new helis...

quicktime video

that big empty spot on the top left side of the rack is for the new helis once they acclimate a little... Ive increased airflow and humidity to that shelf in preperation. But I still have plenty of cephs though, they will always be my favs. In addition to what is still in the main grow rack, I've got several growing under LED's as an experiment (just started a week or so ago, its what i did with a bunch of those cuttings)

but yep, helis are my current emphasis

(sorry for the crappy file size/vid length ratio... no conversion software on laptop... and you prob will have to first right click and save as to view the video, geocities can be a pain sometimes with vids)

Av
 
  • #17
All I got was...

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and much more! :-))
 
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