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Should I be afraid of Cephalotus?

Not literally of course, but to insects those traps must be pretty frightening! I mean should I stay away from trying to grow them or finally take the plunge and get one of those little guys? I've been eying them since I first read The Savage Garden, they seem like the "holy grail" of carnivorous plants.

One part of my brain tells me they would do really well here, since the climate here in the Bay Area is very similar to that of their native one... It's a bit hotter and drier in the summer here (no rain vs. some rain in Perth), and maybe a few degrees colder in the winter, but basically the same. What seems to be the key to growing this species though is the low nighttime temps, which we have basically the entire year... Even the hottest summer days drop to the mid/upper-50s at night, and only a few nights per year does the nighttime temperature stay above 65 or so. The fog that rolls in off the ocean most nights cools things off quickly and brings the humidity up to 100% (lots of dew on everything in the morning), though by the afternoon it can be 90+ degrees with 30% humidity. I'm guessing their native habitat would have similar temperature/humidity swings, albeit possibly less extreme

But on the other hand, I look on here and other sites on the internet (and I have been reading up on them a lot), and I see people growing them like tropical plants! You know, in terrariums with 95% humidity 24 hours a day, under grow lights, no dormancy in the winter, no significant temperature drops at night, etc. When I see that, it seems almost blasphemous that I would want to get one and put it outside with my sarracenias? I wouldn't be setting it in the tray though, it would be sitting on something above the water line so I could water it at the same time I water my sarrs (usually 1-2 times a week). Is growing them outside year-round in that manner a death sentence? Personally, I'm not a big fan of the way they look when grown inside... I prefer the colorful, more compact traps instead of big green ones.

If I do end up getting one, what size would be best? My intuition tells me that a larger plant would be hardier since that's the way it is with most plants, but they are also a lot more expensive and I would feel worse if I killed it. I saw some clumps about the size of a quarter for sale yesterday for just under $60. Ouch. I've seen smaller specimens go for half that price, but the plants were also half the size or less. Which size would be better for a beginner? Is anyone here in the Bay Area (or another location with a Mediterranean climate) growing their Cephalotus outdoors?
 
Natalie,

Much of the "tribal knowledge" you hear is incorrect. They are much easier and faster growing then rumored to be... that being said they do require certain conditions to be successful. Given that, you shoudl have no problems.

I even grow some in regular Miracle Gro potting soil

FWIW, I believe Trichoderma to be of great benefit

Suggested reading: http://www.foxoles.dsl.pipex.com/index.html

:)
 
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Should I be afraid of Cephalotus?
No. Get one and you'll be surprised at how easy they are:).
 
Agreed. Quite easy.. one of the first CP's I grew. That first one did very well, and a year later one turned into 13. By far my favorite of the carnivorous plants.
 
No. Get one and you'll be surprised at how easy they are:).

I disagree. For some people, like myself, Cephalotus are very challenging. Sometimes mine will grow very well, but then die off and revert to immature pitchers.

The one thing I do find very easy about Cephalotus is propagating it.
 
Thanks for the info and links everyone - that model ceph is really cool! Are any of you guys growing your plants outside? Does my plan of keeping it with my sarrs but elevated above the water line sound like it could work? Would it be best to get a smaller, cheaper plant or a larger, more expensive one?
 
I'm growing my ceph outdoors in San Diego. I received it as small in fair condition without any roots, but now it is starting to take off. I grow it with VFTs, all on the drier side.

I'm still missing 2...I planned to have more in my ceph bowl.

Get a smaller one. Cheaper...and more fun if you get it to grow--less worries!
 
They should thrive outdoors in the SF Bay area.

I'd start off small and see how it works out for you.
 
  • #10
Thanks for the info and links everyone - that model ceph is really cool! Are any of you guys growing your plants outside? Does my plan of keeping it with my sarrs but elevated above the water line sound like it could work? Would it be best to get a smaller, cheaper plant or a larger, more expensive one?

I successfully grow mine outside, also in the SF Bay Area and try to shade them a bit. That produces larger leaves . . .
 
  • #11
Thanks! I guess I will give it a go when I can find a smaller specimen for sale. I probably could have found one at the BACPS sale, but I didn't get any emails or anything before the event so I missed it. :(
 
  • #12
I disagree. For some people, like myself, Cephalotus are very challenging. Sometimes mine will grow very well, but then die off and revert to immature pitchers.

The one thing I do find very easy about Cephalotus is propagating it.

I've had the opposite experience???. My cephalotus' grow like crazy. I've moved them from outside to inside, from this setup to this one and they just seem to keep on growing. I have killed 2 but that was due to stupidity. One I gave full strength fertilizer to see what would happen:crazy:...it died. The second was a rooted leaf pulling that I replanted a lil to hastily. Besides that my experience with them has been great and I have some nice plants now.
 
  • #13
I grow them in my HL nepenthes chamber...turns out that the temps are very similar to Perth as the seasons go. I find them easy......how easy?......this easy.....

cephalotus-flower_7-4-11.jpg
 
  • #14
hmmmm ;-)

I can remember someone struggling with them once upon a time
 
  • #15
hmmmm ;-)

I can remember someone struggling with them once upon a time

Yeah....I remember that too. ;)

Once I got it out of the block of concrete the vendor called soil and gave it some fertillizer, it perked right up, as you can see. :grin:
 
  • #16
So what would you recommend for a substrate? I'm guessing if I bought one locally at a show or something it would be planted in the usual sand/peat mixture... Is that the block of concrete you're referring to? It does seem like they're able to tolerate a wide variety of substrates as long as they're not soggy or completely dry. I've seen photos of them on here growing in everything from MiracleGro (as mentioned before) to plain gravel. If I do get one that's already potted, I probably wouldn't repot it for a couple years if I didn't have to.
 
  • #17
if it doesnt need watering every couple days its too dense imho

just follow that cephalotus webpage, he gives several options.... i prefer the more complex mix
 
  • #18
So what would you recommend for a substrate? I'm guessing if I bought one locally at a show or something it would be planted in the usual sand/peat mixture... Is that the block of concrete you're referring to? It does seem like they're able to tolerate a wide variety of substrates as long as they're not soggy or completely dry. I've seen photos of them on here growing in everything from MiracleGro (as mentioned before) to plain gravel. If I do get one that's already potted, I probably wouldn't repot it for a couple years if I didn't have to.

Well...Mine was in a mix of peat and what appeared to be a fine grade sand...the stuff was as dense as depleted uranium and about as hard when it dried, and water didn't flow through it very well. I switched to a mix of peat, coarse sand, perlite, and fine charcoal and the plant bounced back at incredible speed. I have since grown cephs in a variety of substrates, but the one primary thing that seems to be important is that the soil not be overly dense to the point where water pools on the surface when topwatered.
 
  • #19
Well...Mine was in a mix of peat and what appeared to be a fine grade sand...the stuff was as dense as depleted uranium and about as hard when it dried, and water didn't flow through it very well. I switched to a mix of peat, coarse sand, perlite, and fine charcoal and the plant bounced back at incredible speed. I have since grown cephs in a variety of substrates, but the one primary thing that seems to be important is that the soil not be overly dense to the point where water pools on the surface when topwatered.

Perhaps that's why mine never thrive. The sand I use is very, very fine; it is also hard when dry, like you said.
 
  • #20
Perhaps that's why mine never thrive. The sand I use is very, very fine; it is also hard when dry, like you said.

Yeah, the stuff bonds together way too tight....locks all the oxygen away from the roots and the plant is "smothered" to death.
 
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