What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Cephalotus Advice...

I have recently been looking into a cephalotus as a suitable species for my terrarium and am need some advice on growing them, I have read the Savage Garden and a few books but the information strikes me as vague. Have a few basic questions....

1. What temperature do these plants prefer?

2. What humidity level do these plants prefer?

3. What watering habits should I use?

And any other advice that would aid in growing my first ceph. Thanks in advance!
 
I have recently been looking into a cephalotus as a suitable species for my terrarium and am need some advice on growing them, I have read the Savage Garden and a few books but the information strikes me as vague. Have a few basic questions....

1. What temperature do these plants prefer?

2. What humidity level do these plants prefer?

3. What watering habits should I use?

And any other advice that would aid in growing my first ceph. Thanks in advance!

They can take high temps into the low 90's, but they require a night time temperature drop. They like cool nights

around 70% for humidity,can be less and more of course.

Dont sit them in water. I mist mine and top water most of the time. In the summer time sometimes i will water them from the bottom, but they dont usually like wet feet.

Mine seem to do well in the full sun,but i live in Maine and not Texas,probably a lot drier id imagine.
 
So could you almost grow them with highland neps and they would be fine?
 
you can grow them with HL neps just fine. But they seem to grow faster without a cold night drop.
Mine are in the HL GH and growing quite well. A little slow, but nothing to write home about.
I keep them in the front of the GH where humidity is lower. When they were exposed to the 90%+ humidity levels the neps get, I started seeing a lot of issues with mildew. Regardless of having plenty of airflow and ventilation.
These plants grow in arid sandy coastal conditions. So 60% humidity or less doesn't phase them in the least..

As for their temp preference, if I could give my cephs 85*F days with 75*F nights, I would.
I've grown cephs in temps ranging from 100*F+ all the way down to the 40*s without casualties. But extended exposure to these conditions can be fatal.

watering varies depending on the media IMO. Always top water allowing any excess to drain away. Water trays are the devil..
Getting the crown wet = death/rot is a myth and doesn't hold true (IME). I flood my pots about once every 3-4 weeks without any issues. submerging the entire plant for a few seconds each time.
I also use an extremely fast draining/fast drying media that retains very little moisture. Water drains out as fast as it gets poured in.
media mix: 2:2:2:1:1
orchid bark, charcoal, peat, sand, perlite
in my experience, LFS in a ceph's media mix causes inevitable rot. But that's not true for all.

hope some of this helps. Just my experiences..
 
My Ceph was the first pitcher plant I've grown. It sits in a pot on a sunny windowsill in an environment that is typically not very humid (humidity gets as low as 20%) and gets watered about twice a week. The soil is a mix of peat, perlite, and sand. About twice a month, I feed it bits of freeze dried bloodworms. Here's what it looks like:

2czxe37.jpg


Cephs are surprisingly easy to care for. They just tend to have very slow growth rates. My question is, when should a grower consider breaking up a plant? The center of my Ceph is starting to get pretty crowded.
 
I think it looks like an OK sized clump and no need to break it up. Root some cuttings if you want more plants though - looks like you have enough material for it :lol:

It worries me a little that some of those pitchers are a bit yellow though - how much light exactly are you giving it? It looks like it could use more.
 
  • #10
My question is, when should a grower consider breaking up a plant? The center of my Ceph is starting to get pretty crowded.

Crowded is what Cephalotus does best, its their "thing". See my photo for a "crowded" plant. IMO these plants look their best when they are a jumbled mass of lunatic hats tossed into a heap.
 
  • #11
nothing get's me drooling faster than a well stacked Cephalotus.
 
  • #12
I think it looks like an OK sized clump and no need to break it up. Root some cuttings if you want more plants though - looks like you have enough material for it :lol:

It worries me a little that some of those pitchers are a bit yellow though - how much light exactly are you giving it? It looks like it could use more.

No doubt. It gets about 3 and 1/2 hours of direct sunlight. It's enough to partially color some pitchers after a few weeks but not enough to get a solid maroon color. That yellowish tinge is more likely the result of my camera. It's quite old and colors tend to look off when using flash.

Also, amazing looking plant you have there Whimgrinder. I wish I could get that kind of coloration. :)
 
  • #13
  • #14
Also, amazing looking plant you have there Whimgrinder. I wish I could get that kind of coloration. :)

Thank you. My Cephalotus's reside in my Nepenthes house, in a row right up against the south wall where they get full sun exposure, minus whatever amount of light the twin-wall polycarbonate absorbs, which is maybe 10%. So, these are getting lots of really strong sunlight, for all but the last two hours of the day when the house starts to cast a shadow on on the GH. That is how you get good sturdy growth and rich coloring.
 
  • #16
I've been saying that since I saw the pic a while back...... :)
 
Back
Top