Ceph pitchers yellowing on frontal ridges.

[Roman Tyrant]

I've had my Ceph for quite a while now but I've noticed over the months that some pitchers seem to be yellowing a bit and the oldest pitchers at the under-center of the plant (hard to see in the pic) are definitely dead. Is this something to be worried about? I've heard the Cephs can often cause problems for themselves when things under the plant begin to rot. Is this plant starting to get too dense and should I break it apart?

I grow this plant on a sunny windowsill. Could the hot summer sun be having a negative impact on it?

 

[Maiden]

I cannot see the picture :-(

 

[Roman Tyrant]

Hmm, I can view it just fine.

 

[BigBella]

It looks like the natural aging of the pitchers to me. Nothing lasts forever . . .

 

[Whimgrinder]

I'm inclined to agree with David: that is natural pitcher aging. However, the surface of your medium suggests to me that it may be too dense. What is in the soil mix? And how long has this plant been in it? Is that a ceramic container? It looks to be a dark red color on the outside. If the pot sits on a sunny windowsill and the dark colored ceramic heats up significantly, you could be distressing the roots, which need to stay on the cool side.

 

[mato]

I've had my Ceph for quite a while now but I've noticed over the months that some pitchers seem to be yellowing a bit and the oldest pitchers at the under-center of the plant (hard to see in the pic) are definitely dead. Is this something to be worried about? I've heard the Cephs can often cause problems for themselves when things under the plant begin to rot. Is this plant starting to get too dense and should I break it apart?

I grow this plant on a sunny windowsill. Could the hot summer sun be having a negative impact on it?

I'm no expert at growing Cephalotus by any means (and frankly, I don't grow them very well at all), but I would be a little bit worried about that if I were you. The media just has a decomposed look about it, and coupled with the recent yellowing (something I only see when I force my plants into dormancy in the winter), there could be something ominous on the horizon. That being said, it could be nothing but senescence and a way for the plant to conserve some energy in the hotter months.

However, I have a plant growing outside in a pot full of Sarracenia, which receives full sun all day - save the occasional shadow from its taller bed mates - and it seems to be growing ok. No yellowing, anyway.

It looks like the natural aging of the pitchers to me. Nothing lasts forever . . .

De Beer's has informed me that diamonds last forever and they're a girl's best friend. Exhume Elizabeth Taylor in "forever" and you will see that I'm right.

What David said^

I'm inclined to agree with David: that is natural pitcher aging. However, the surface of your medium suggests to me that it may be too dense. What is in the soil mix? And how long has this plant been in it? Is that a ceramic container? It looks to be a dark red color on the outside. If the pot sits on a sunny windowsill and the dark colored ceramic heats up significantly, you could be distressing the roots, which need to stay on the cool side.

What Paul said^

 

[Roman Tyrant]

I'm inclined to agree with David: that is natural pitcher aging. However, the surface of your medium suggests to me that it may be too dense. What is in the soil mix? And how long has this plant been in it? Is that a ceramic container? It looks to be a dark red color on the outside. If the pot sits on a sunny windowsill and the dark colored ceramic heats up significantly, you could be distressing the roots, which need to stay on the cool side.

The media mix is 1/2 peat and 1/2 perlite. It's definetly not as fluffy as it used to be and I periodically have to scrap away the carpet moss. The interior pitchers also seem to be getting crushed by the plants newer growth. It's been in that ceramic container for about two years now. I thought heat stress might be a problem, especially with that hot evening sun, but the pitcher lids themselves haven't closed up.

Do you think it's about time to break up the plant and put in some fresh soil?

 

[BigBella]

Do you think it's about time to break up the plant and put in some fresh soil?

Having grown Cephalotus for years, I have come to realize that they can sulk for a while, after a repotting; and it would be a better option, in my opinion, to keep the plant a bit drier and in its original pot . . .

 

[Plant Planter]

...De Beer's has informed me that diamonds last forever and they're a girl's best friend...

No, they don't. It is possible to erode, crack, and even shatter diamonds, the two latter not even needing a second diamond! While the cube crystal arrangement is incredibly strong, the corners are much weaker. It's why the medieval Europeans made round turrets instead of square ones since if the enemy attacked the corners enough, it would break. Although you are right that they can be a girl's best friend.

The media mix is 1/2 peat and 1/2 perlite. It's definetly not as fluffy as it used to be...

If it isn't fluffy, that could be a problem if it's squishing the plant's roots. However, none of the sources I've found suggest that Cephalotus need airy soil. Maybe it is just aging, since (at least what I've noticed on my pitcher plants) leaf drying tends to start from the outer edges and work its way in, with exceptions like sunburn.

 

[Av8tor1]

I would tenderly move a pitcher or two where I could get a good look underneath the clump just for the warm and fuzzy if nothing else.