Growing Cephs Well

[wallsg7]

Hi i thought id start a thread where people can share any tips they have on growing cephs.

Ive been growing cephs this year for the first time in my greenhouse.While pampering them constantly they have never realy grown that well.They have always looked sad with sickly looking leaves.Not pests or disease as such-just not entirely happy.I tried moving them around,different water,different ways of watering ect.Nothing worked.Then recently i tried placing a bell jar over the plant to increase its local humidity.To my surprise, almost instantly,the plant picked up and has started growing healthily.Beautiful glowing leaves,faster growth...the plant is a picture of health.

I thought i would share this info in case anyone else was having the same problems.One downside to this though is that the plants cannot catch their own food so they will need to be fed while under glass.

Gary

[Nepenthusiast]

Here is how I grow my Ceph:

Low humidity under 40%

Bright light (under florescants+natural sun)

Heat: Day temp=69-71 f, night temp=63 f

Soil: 2 part sand, 1 part peat, .5 part perlite

No dormancy (yay)

Congrats on your Ceph success, I'm surprised it needed high humidity, mine hasn't been stressing out at all and its pretty low.

I've only been growing it for a month, and its a cutting from a private grower. Very cute little plant that has started making pitchers recantly. Good to know that if I experience these problems I know what to do...put a jar over it. Thanks for sharing.

Edited November 27, 2007 by Nepenthusiast

[Guest FredG]

One downside to this though is that the plants cannot catch their own food so they will need to be fed while under glass.

They don't need to be fed at all.

As for the bell jar, that sounds worrying.

To me, you are either keeping the plant too dry or you have a problem at the roots.

Edited November 27, 2007 by FredG

[Nepenthusiast]

I just realized, wouldn't that rot the roots? And the lack of airflow isn't good for Cephs or is that just Nepenthes?

[vraev]

I have contemplated this issue of putting a dome thingy on the pot for my ceph...but everytime I got the verdict that slow growth is better than plant loss by root or SCDS. Hence, I now grow my ceph out in the open conditions of my room under lights in a very open media. I can't really attest much...but it seems to be not having the fungal issues for now and has gotten over the rot I had earlier...so I am happy that i saved my ceph.

[agustin franco]

Hi i thought id start a thread where people can share any tips they have on growing cephs.

Ive been growing cephs this year for the first time in my greenhouse.While pampering them constantly they have never realy grown that well.They have always looked sad with sickly looking leaves.Not pests or disease as such-just not entirely happy.I tried moving them around,different water,different ways of watering ect.Nothing worked.Then recently i tried placing a bell jar over the plant to increase its local humidity.To my surprise, almost instantly,the plant picked up and has started growing healthily.Beautiful glowing leaves,faster growth...the plant is a picture of health.

I thought i would share this info in case anyone else was having the same problems.One downside to this though is that the plants cannot catch their own food so they will need to be fed while under glass.

Gary

Hi Gary:

With all my due respects, increased humidity is a must for a well grown ceph.

Gus

[pulsar]

i would agree with high humidity i grow mine in large gravel trays and always standing in water during the summer and they have always thrived (well exept this year when i went on holiday for longer than expected and they died).

rob

[Guest FredG]

Humidity, yes, considering their natural habitat and the fact they're so close to the medium surface.

But a bell jar?

If the leaves are going limp, the roots are not delivering.

I suspect a little too much moving and pampering.

[wallsg7]

Thanks for everyones views.It interests me that some people feel high humidity is necessary and some dont.

I am only going on my own experiences and for me, at first, i found cephs difficult to please.However under a jar they seem to love it!Perhaps its just my conditions?

To explain in more detail- before i placed them under a jar the leaves didnt look well.They had purple marks-discolouration.The growing points struggled and sometimes died.The leaves were not limp though.I have been watering with distilled water making sure not to leave the plants sitting in water too long.A couple of times in summer i thought i was going to lose some of them as many growing points just stopped.Once under the bell jars though a totaly different story.The growth points are going mad and now the young leaves are covered with white fluff or hairs.The mature pitchers are radiant and glowing with health.I know that cephs are notoriously difficult so i thought id share my findings.If it doesnt work for you-thats fine-i fully appreciate that.

Gary

[joeb004]

I'm in the high humidity camp too. I grow all mine in terriarums, but I also leave the lid propped slightly open and a computer fan running inside for air flow. Humidity is usually around 70%. I tried growing cephs in a window sill this summer, but that didn't go well. They didn't die, but they certainly weren't happy. I may try again when the plant is bigger and stronger. Has anyone had luck with them in a window sill environment in a relatively low humidity area?

Regards,

Joe

[mobile]

Has anyone had luck with them in a window sill environment in a relatively low humidity area?

I grow one of mine in a goldfish bowl on a window sill. The opening of the bowl is very large so there is little chance of humidity building up in it. I think that the plant is doing well but you can judge for yourself from the pictures.

Plant when I received it in April 2007...

Plant now, November 2007...

And the bowl it grows in...

One downside to this though is that the plants cannot catch their own food so they will need to be fed while under glass.

My plant has never caught its own food so I feed it with ant eggs - you can just about see the tub in the bottom picture. There are some people who will say not to feed and others will tell you it's ok. Edited November 28, 2007 by mobile

[LJ]

Joe, in response to your question about windowsill growing, my cephs have spent all summer in the conservatory and porch (not quite a windowsill but similar) and half of them are staying there for the winter. I use the tray method to water and keep in peat/perlite mix. Not sure how high the humidity is, there are quite a lot of plants piled in together so the local enviroment might be a fairly humid?? although I have no way to measure it. They seem to have thrived even the one i repotted (turned upside down and removed the soil which I later learned isnt advisable), they seems to be pretty easy plants in my book although I can only go on my very limted experience..........

I have moved some of my cephs to be under a grow lamp currently on 15 hrs of daylight, soon to be 16 hrs. They've only been there a couple of weeks but seem to be happy there aswell, my leaf cuttings are growing pretty quickly now.

I think people should experiment until they find conditions that work for them, if a bell jar or a fish bowl works then why not!! Just make sure the air circulation is good

Heather

[RL7836]

Personally I'd be somewhat concerned that something is wrong if I needed to grow a ceph fully enclosed. While many plants may need that environment (hospital zone) for a temporary period of time, I have found Cephs to be very forgiving with respect to light, humidity, media, temperatures (& probably other stuff I'm forgetting).

For the last 3-8 years, I've grown 5 adult cephs as VFT companion plants outside all summer after frost and in a basement cool room under lights all winter. They try to bloom most summers (when I haven't repotted them the previous winter). Unlike another poster, I take extra efforts to ensure they do not sit in standing water for more than a day. I also usually have one or two growing on an east-facing windowsill out in the open as well as many in various stages of growth (from leaf propagation) in a terrarium which is kept open on both ends.

[Sigesti]

I was curious about growth speed for the pitchers. About how long did it commonly take folks to go from juvenile to adult pitchers?

[pulsar]

ive had plants taken as cuttings flower in about 12 months and mature sized pitchers in about 8 months

rob

[RL7836]

I was curious about growth speed for the pitchers. About how long did it commonly take folks to go from juvenile to adult pitchers?

I can't say what 'commonly' is, but I just checked the dates on 2 pots and they went from rooted cutting to adult pitchers in a tad less than 6 months. On the flip side, I've had stubborn plants retain the baby pitchers for over a year (but there were lots of baby pitchers >20+).

[bww3101]

I've got some my leaf cuttings that I took over 22 months ago and have still not produced adult pitchers. 3 cuttings and one adult pitcher between them.

Link to pictures from previous topic:

http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24137

[wallsg7]

Hi,ive just had my first case of cephalotus wilt : ( with all my plants growing well under glass this was a most unpleasant surprise.However there is something very interesting to report.While all my other cephs are doing very well the one that has died is in a unique position.It is right next to the transformer for the lighting system.This transformer gives off a lot of heat-so much so that you would burn if you touched it.Therefore im speculating that the heat from this transferred through the pot to the roots and caused the death of the plant.Has anyone else had something similar happen or am i speculating wildly?

Gary

[ada]

Gary here's some of my ceph's all grown in different conditions,from indoors centrally heated to two different greenhouses and amongst the sarra's subjected to cold wind and frosts.

ada

[James]

Hi all don't profess to being any type of expert but, my Ceph is grown on a south facing double glazed windowsill all year round so in summer it does get pretty hot and I do tend to treat it very harshly missing a lot of waterings, a lot of the times I only water when I see the lids shut which is waaaayy too long I do try to keep an eye on it but it seems to be thriving previous Cephs have been in an east facing window watered possibly about the same probably a bit better as I used to pass it on the stairs and that died of sudden Ceph death syndrome, it may just come down to lots of factors working together but mine is doing better being hot/warm and fairly dry.

James

[Sigesti]

I can't say what 'commonly' is, but I just checked the dates on 2 pots and they went from rooted cutting to adult pitchers in a tad less than 6 months. On the flip side, I've had stubborn plants retain the baby pitchers for over a year (but there were lots of baby pitchers >20+).

I've got that latter case right now. With toooons of baby pitchers. Here's hoping they grow a bit faster!

[chrispy]

I have grown Cephalotus for over 25 years & have come to the conclusion that many growers kill them with kindness. I keep mine in shallow trays in a cold greenhouse in about one cm. of rainwater - less in winter when I just keep them damp. If I expect a severe frost I heat the greenhouse just enough to keep the frost away. Humidity is fairly high in the winter as I keep the door & windows closed much of the time. Sometimes the temperature has dropped a little lower but has not caused any problems. I have no growlights so the plants get natural daylight year round - which at the moment is only about 7 hours. I feel that using artificial lights will keep them in growth longer but it is a soft growth which can make the plants susceptible to disease. I re-pot every couple of years but don't remove the compost attached to the roots. This is when I take root cuttings from any bits of root that stick out. Compost mix is Sphagnum peat : perlite : coarse grit, 2:1:1 . I lie the roots horizontally on the surface, cover with a sprikling of compost & firm down. I then put the pots on a tray & water as mentioned previously. Most produce leaves & even small pitchers in about six months.

My motto is do the basics & leave well alone. I worry when I hear of them being kept in a terrarium. Still it shows that they will grow happily in a wide range of conditions.

If your method works for you - stick with it!!

Cheers,

Chris

[RL7836]

I've got that latter case right now. With toooons of baby pitchers. Here's hoping they grow a bit faster!

One of the things I've noticed is that frequently the transition from baby pitchers to adult is sudden and not gradual. It's almost like they say the time to grow up is now and then just do it.

Here's a pic from today of 2 plants that show the adult pitchers with the baby pitchers. For size reference - the pots are 2.5" (~6.5cm)

Here's a close up of the pot on the left. The large pitcher on the bottom right opened a while back and the other 2 popped their lids in the last few days.

[wallsg7]

Chrispy-thanks for the advice.25 years of growing cephs is a lot of experience!.Have you ever encountered cephalotus wilt during that time?If so what do you believe is the cause?

Ada,it seems you are able to grow cephs in wide ranging conditions all with success!While i totaly believe you-this contradicts my own experiences.My plants were very unhappy in the greenhouse last summer.Although they did survive...they complained bitterly.Under lights they were a little happier but under glass indoors is bliss for them.While i totaly respect everybodys views and experiences it seems somewhat odd to me that everyones advice is different.Some say high humidity is necessary some say not.Some say they can grow on windowsills while others cant.Some say they should be in extra deep pots and watered in special ways.Others say they totaly abuse their plants (by watering with tap water indoors on a windowsill)and they do well.So i am no wiser- after reading everyones posts as to the best way to grow my cephs.I guess i will just have to continue 'listening' to my own plants and hope for the best.

Gary

[gardenofeden]

my own view, getting some good healthy stock to start with!

Never encountered Cephalotus wilt/SCD (except for a traded plant, got rid of that quickly) in 22 years...there are some very poor clones going around "from the early days" when that was all there was.