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Cephalotus question

PlantAKiss

Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I have a cephalotus...still a youngish plant but finally starting to produce more mature pitchers.  For the longest time it only had very tiny, green juvenile pitchers...lots of them!  Now the pitchers are getting larger and more mature...still small (like maybe 1/2" to 2/3").  So its starting to look pretty good.

My question is...my ceph has no leaves.  It used to have a few...2-3 maybe when it was verrrry small.  But now, its just a mass of pitchers (mostly the little ones with the 3-4 newer, largers ones)... and not a leaf to be found.  
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So I want to know if this is out of the range of normal.  I actually want a few leaves so I can try to propagate it (I know you can propagate with pitchers too).  But I want to know if this lack of producing leaves should be telling me something...good or bad.  I see leaves on everybody elses cephs.  
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 Why doesn't mine produce leaves?

I might have a pic to post later when I get home.  Its a cute little bugger.

BIG thanks to Michelle!  
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Suzanne
 
Hey Suzanne,
Mine don't have "leaves" at the moment either. It's just all pitchers, the way I like it
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Don't ya love its transparent lids? They're so cute! My small ones are so small, they can only manage to eat half an ant.
 
PAK, Cephs usually only develop the leaves when you give it dormancy. I always give my plants a dormancy, so I never had a problem with lack of leaves.

Cole
 
can you tell me how you guys grow yours? i have high 70's -low 80's in the day, over 90% humidity always, and low 68-72 nights. is this ok for a ceph?
 
Ahhh...that might be it. Thanks Cole.
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I will check into that.

Larry...yes, I love those transparent lids too. Thats a pretty cool feature. I like the "windows" on darlingtonia too.
 
JustLIkeAPill,

I'm not cephalotus expert, but I grow mine outdoors all year round. So my nighttime temps these days are in the mid forties for the most part. I don't know if these guys need the cool nights, but it certainly doesn't hurt them. In fact, it seems like my plant has started to grow better with the cooler weather. Oh, my daytime temps are in the upper fifties on average this time of year.

Capslock
 
If you grow them with lots of light, you will get a ton of pitchers and no non-carnivorous leaves. If you start weaning the light, as if simulating a Winter photoperiod, they will produce those kind of leaves. This is just what I have noticed.
I have one in very weak light(the bulb is sort of burned), and I think it's all leaves and no pitchers at the moment.

regards,

Joe
 
Like sarracenia, they will grow non trapping leaves over winter dormancy, or 'rest' as is probably more accurate to use with cephs. Mine is all leaves at the moment with the summer pitchers hidden underneath.
 
  • #10
I grow mine in a VERY humid terrarium. It's about 5 inches below fluorescent lights and I feed it ants or fruitflies maybe every two to 3 weeks or so. I got it as 1 leaf from John Phillip one year ago and now it has 8 large ( over 3/4 inch) pitchers and 10 tiny pitchers. It seems to grow leaves and traps simultaneosly. A few months ago I removed 4 leaves and 5 pitchers to try my hand at propagation. I'm still waiting for growth but it looks like some have developed roots. Another very very successful Ceph grower is Jeff Matheson who happens to be another NECPS member. He suggested I try a liquid rooting product called "DipN'Grow" which seems to have helped. When I tried powdered rooting hormone all the cuttings died after a month or so. There are photos of some of Jeff's plants on the NECPS.org website.

Also, I thought some of you Ceph growers would get a kick out of this. I made a one of a kind Ceph holiday ornament for our NECPS December meeting's auction (using my plant as a reference). It goes to the highest bidder tomorrow!

cephorn.jpg


WildBill
 
  • #11
Nice ornament, very realistic. What is it made of?

You should go into bussiness with these, I'd buy a few.
 
  • #12
Nice work Bill!

I find Cephalotus plants grow a bunch of leaves in early Winter, again in late Spring, and then pitchers in in Summer through Fall. I had assumed it was their habit, but after reading the other posts, maybe it has more to do with the growing conditions I impose on them.
 
  • #13
Thanks for the compliments LATrap & Bruce -

It is made of something called FIMO. It's like modeling clay, a brand of polymer clay you can buy in various colors at hobby and craft stores. What's cool is that after you shape it, you can bake it in your oven at 220 to 275 degrees for half an hour to set it. After that you can add more and bake again or sand, drill, paint it etc.

I might make this a yearly thing - each year doing a few copies of the same CP!

WildBill
 
  • #14
Wow! Awsome ornament Wild Bill! Thats beautiful! I wish I could bid on it.

I hope it brings a high price.
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  • #15
Here's a pic of my ceph babies, so cute!
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In the background, you can see Drosera sessilifolia.
ceph_babies.jpg
 
  • #16
Well finally...here is a pic of my ceph.

ceph3RS.jpg


Larry, mine looked just like yours for a long time.  Finally I'm getting larger pitchers.  
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  • #17
Cool Suzanne, your cephs got nice coloration!
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  • #18
I'll just pop my head in here.
I have a Cephalotus that I got at the St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Socitiy Show&Sale for $6.00
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. I am growing it in a terrarium with an average humidity of 70%. My question is... It has been developing a large pitcher(first one) and I think it is fully grown, but it hasn't opened up yet? Any Ideas.???
 
  • #19
Here's a closeup of one of my Ceph pitchers:

20030801-CP-Cephalotus%20follicularis-CloseUp-WBM.jpg


Here's some of Jeff Matheson's plants:



2003101111-NECPS-CP-show-Cephalotus%20terrarium%20closeup-JMatteson.jpg


2003101111-NECPS-CP-show-Cephalotus%20terrarium-Lower%20right%20Hummer%27s%20Giant-JMatteson.jpg


20020630-CP-Cephalotus-JMatteson.jpg


20010821-CP-Cephalotus%20%27Hummers%20giant%27-JMatteson.jpg

Nice Job Jeff!!

WildBill
 
  • #20
WOW Wildbill! You got tons of cephs! They're just beautiful! And BIG!

Something to aspire to! That's really something. GREAT job!
 
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