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!

How slow is Cephalotus?

Wolfn

Agent of Chaos
I know Cephalotus is a slow growing plant, but how slow does it grow? Like how long does it take for a new leaf to develop?
 
depends on the size and how long you have had it. if you just got it its going to be very slow. and i think small cephs are slower growing than more mature ones. conditions also play a factor. but since i have only grown mine in one set of conditions... i cant really comment on that. the speed mine grows is about 1 pitcher every 2-3 weeks. but the more growth points you have on one, the more its going to seem like growing!

Alex
 
I have a 4 year old plant that just makes a new sprout about once a month, and then it takes like a week before it's dead. It MAKES NO PROGRESS AT ALL!!! :censor:

My other clone is much better, just a bit slower than Alex's cephs.
 
For most people I know, it is a slow plant. But mine are anything but slow, personally. One of the one's I've got has grown 4 brand new growth points, and over 20 pitchers of varying sizes over the course of 4 months. It has nearly doubled size, and has many little baby pitchers. Some of the new growth points are even making small mature pitchers, after only being growing for 2 months. I seem to have the perfect conditions for both VFT's and Ceph's.
 
My Ceph makes pitchers in about 1 1/2-3 weeks, I think. But, I have 3 plants in there (a new division :D) and the older two usually have 3-5 pitcher forming on each.
 
I know Cephalotus is a slow growing plant, but how slow does it grow? Like how long does it take for a new leaf to develop?

The speed of Cephalotus growth depends upon a number of factors, including its age, the particular clone, and the growing conditions.

I have a number of different Cephalotus clones and their habits definitely vary; their flowering may be months apart, so too their periods of vegetative and pitcher leaf production. Some particular clones have a reputation for slow growth ("German Giant" for example) while others are quite vigorous and produce mounds of pitchers in lieu of the tiny rosettes others exhibit in the same span of time. Also, whether the Cephalotus was tissue-culture in origin seems to play a role in a slower growth rate. Some TC plant species are tremendously vigorous out of the flask, not so this one for some reason. Those TC Cephalotus clones still remain the slowest in my possession, easily outstripped by all of my vegetatively-produced plants of similar age. On the average, most of my plants produce new leaves every three weeks.

Warmer temperatures seems to increase growth rate -- to a degree, but I have found Cephalotus to be fairly touchy about sustained high Tb (mine now seldom reach 27˚ C / 80˚F). A plant die-back from last Fall that I partially attributed to overheating, only has returned with cooler Tbs this Summer.

Let your plant acclimate to its new surroundings and cultivation. As Cephalotus ages, the growth rate is likely to increase . . .
 
The speed of Cephalotus growth depends upon a number of factors, including its age, the particular clone, and the growing conditions.

I have a number of different Cephalotus clones and their habits definitely vary; their flowering may be months apart, so too their periods of vegetative and pitcher leaf production. Some particular clones have a reputation for slow growth ("German Giant" for example) while others are quite vigorous and produce mounds of pitchers in lieu of the tiny rosettes others exhibit in the same span of time. Also, whether the Cephalotus was tissue-culture in origin seems to play a role in a slower growth rate. Some TC plant species are tremendously vigorous out of the flask, not so this one for some reason. Those TC Cephalotus clones still remain the slowest in my possession, easily outstripped by all of my vegetatively-produced plants of similar age. On the average, most of my plants produce new leaves every three weeks.

Warmer temperatures seems to increase growth rate -- to a degree, but I have found Cephalotus to be fairly touchy about sustained high Tb (mine now seldom reach 27˚ C / 80˚F). A plant die-back from last Fall that I partially attributed to overheating, only has returned with cooler Tbs this Summer.

Let your plant acclimate to its new surroundings and cultivation. As Cephalotus ages, the growth rate is likely to increase . . .

I would have to agree with everything said here. The older/larger the plant the faster the overall growth. Though it is fun to see a juvenile plant start producing its first mature pitchers--the plant can double in apparent size quickly because the mature pitchers are so much larger than the juvenile ones.

My Ceph from CP Jungle is now 7" across and 3" high. The mound of pitchers just grows so fast. Yet my "German Giant" is very slow, producing only one new leaf/pitcher per month, if I'm lucky.

TC plants grow slower and for some reason, they seem more succeptible to crown rot compared to seed grown plants or those from leaf cuttings.

My Cephs really slow down during the summer when temps go up. I don't think the topgrowth minds high heat as it gets pretty hot where they grow in the wild. I think it's more to do with the root mass getting overheated. Having a plant in a pot or terrarium subjects the roots to higher temps than if they were growing naturally in the ground, which takes longer to heat up due to mass effect and a constant supply of groundwater which cools the roots.
 
Back
Top