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Sick Ceph


GreenCurry

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I have had a ceph for a few weeks now and it's looking alot more dry than when I first got it, some of the larger pitchers are drying up and shrivvling and two of the smaller pitchers have completely shrivvled and died. There is some small bright green growth that has appeared and a one new bright green pitcher has appeared and starting to form. Some leaves on the crown of the plant have also died and turned brown :sun_bespectacled:

Any ideas what could be wrong ? The plant is in a windowsill and is watered with dionised water 3-4 times a week.

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I have had a ceph for a few weeks now and it's looking alot more dry than when I first got it, some of the larger pitchers are drying up and shrivvling and two of the smaller pitchers have completely shrivvled and died. There is some small bright green growth that has appeared and a one new bright green pitcher has appeared and starting to form. Some leaves on the crown of the plant have also died and turned brown :sun_bespectacled:

Any ideas what could be wrong ? The plant is in a windowsill and is watered with dionised water 3-4 times a week.

Without a photo, it is difficult to diagnose any problem. Given that it is watered several times a week may be the issue itself, since Cephalotus is sensitive to over-watering; and I would really consider backing away on that a bit . . .

Edited by loligo1964
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yes...photos always help. Pitchers and leaves don't last forever, hopefully yours is just doing what's natural. However, as has already been said,be careful with the watering. Depending on the size of saucer you use, once it's dry re-fill two days later, the compost simply has to be damp. Test it with your finger, it should be like a damp cloth that has been well wrung.

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I hope it is a natural cycle going on. I don't think it is over watered because I water it untill water starts to drain through the drainage holes and then I wait untill the water has evaperated to water it again, the tray it stands in is only a small round one that in onlt 1.5cm deep and the water level never goes above a few millimetres.

I will post some picks of the ceph when I get home from work, I will post what it looks like now and what it looked like a few weeks ago.

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Hi

What do the non-carnivorous leaves look and feel like? If they are not limp and have a bit of gloss to them I would put the other dieback to natural causes. If however the whole plant is going limp and shrivelled that is not such good news.

Personally in hotter weather like we are getting occasionally at the moment plants are more likely to go limp through being too dry rather than too wet.

A photo indeed will help!

cheers

bill

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the only bit of info I can offer is when I have received some cephs through the post I have found traps and leave tend to die of that may have been damaged in the post. All of my plants have then sent out new traps and leaves which yours is...... maybe it is just stress from being in the post?

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You say you water till it comes out the bottom meaning you are watering it from the top? From what I know, Cephs do not like top watering very much in cultivation so I would just pour 1cm in the bottom of the tray and let that evaporate before filling it again.

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Picture will be coming soon but just like to say that when I water it I use a syringe with the needle taken off so I can slowly injuct water between the leaves and pitchers so the plant itself stays dry. If I remeber correctly the plant arrived in the post about 3 weeks ago (give or take a few days) The first week was fine but it has only been over the last two weeks the plant has stated looking abit unhealthy.

The leaves are not really glossy but look kind of dry with no shine.

A picture says a thousand words so I will post asap.

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Sounds like your ceph is adjusting to your growing conditions.You say new bright green growth is emerging,so it can't be all bad.

The old leaves/traps that are dying could be due to the change in the humidity from its original growing conditions,the new leaves should be o.k.

Water the plant from the bottom via the saucer,it might not affect the plant now,but if you water from the top in autumn/winter you are asking for trouble.

ada

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I agree with petesredtraps, deep pots make watering easier. Nice looking Bigboy you have there :smile: My Cephalotus are in tall rose pots, similar to above, and sit continuously in a deep saucer of water.

As for your limp plant, it could just be transport shock. The Cephalotus I have received through the post don't look at their best until a good while after settling into their new home. Did you receive the plant potted?

Edited by mobile
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I too am in the habit of using deeper pots and water trays for Cephalotus during its active growing season -- and backing away a bit, during what passes for winter here in California. I have used trays for years without so much as a casualty, and haven't looked back . . .

Cephalotus follicularis cv. "Hummer's Giant"

HGA.jpg

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I too am in the habit of using deeper pots and water trays for Cephalotus during its active growing season -- and backing away a bit, during what passes for winter here in California. I have used trays for years without so much as a casualty, and haven't looked back . . .

Cephalotus follicularis cv. "Hummer's Giant"

HGA.jpg

That looks like a big Hummer... what size do the pitchers measure?

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I go back to what I said......a recent ceph I bought looked great then after about 3 weeks when I planned to take some leaf pullings they all went brown! but I have new growth coming......

Did your completely die back and then regrow or was there new green growth forming while it was turning brown at the same time ? From what I have read and what people have said I think my growing conditions are not as good as the person I bought it from and so the plant is getting used to its new enviroment, at least I hope this is the situation.

When did you get you ceph garyhove as it sound like we have the same problem, maybe.

I have read that if a Ceph dies for any reason then it is best to leave it alone and wait as new growth and finally a new Ceph will eventually appear, is this true ? I'm just expecting the worst scenario.

I will post pics tonight when I get home and thanks you for the tips about a deep pot, I will grab one from the garden centre on the way home.

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Gorgeous Hummers giant I hope mine grow some pitchers that big soon!!!

Greencurry I will tell a tale of 2 situations I have had with Cephs

My first Cephs I bought where from a grower on here where they were kept at about 10c over winter. I was told to try and copy the same conditions the current grower had them in. So I brought them inside my flat to have a higher temperature but this was a bad idea, I had lots of mildew issues which took a long time to clear and the loss of a lot of the plants leaves and pitchers......I put them in my greenhouse which is barely heated and repotted them in the spring and they have come back full force with lots of leaves and pitchers.

The most recent plant bought of ebay about 6 weeks ago looked fine and then after a couple of weeks the leaves went brown and crispy and the pitchers went brown too. I have now potted it up in much bigger pot which is much deeper the small pot it was grown in and it has only just started to show some new growth.

All I can say is be patient! I am not expert by any means but the one thing I have found is everyone grows them differently!! You will find a happy medium and just stick with it once they are happy you will know!

I agree with the others I have mine potted in deeper pots, the adult plants I have are in deep rose pots.

Happy growing

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It almost appears that there may be a fungal issue with the Cephalotus, having noticed a conspicuous white patch on one of the leaves; if that is the case, some neem oil treatments also include a fungicide and are fairly safe to use with the species . . .

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It almost appears that there may be a fungal issue with the Cephalotus, having noticed a conspicuous white patch on one of the leaves; if that is the case, some neem oil treatments also include a fungicide and are fairly safe to use with the species . . .

Maybe it caught it from the website the pictures are hosted on - Mycotopia :nuke:

myco- or myc-

pref. Fungus: mycology.

[From Greek mukēs, fungus.]

Dictionary Quote Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/myco-

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It almost appears that there may be a fungal issue with the Cephalotus, having noticed a conspicuous white patch on one of the leaves; if that is the case, some neem oil treatments also include a fungicide and are fairly safe to use with the species . . .

Anything else I can use apart from neem oil, I'm broke. Weak solution of bleach or H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) ??? There is definatly a white substance on a couple of leaves that are not visable in the photos.

Funny Mobile :oops:

Edited by GreenCurry
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Guest cephalotus.info

Looks like mildew to me.

Has been too dry at the roots for a while.

Try RoseClear - spray once a week for 2/3 weeks and keep it wetter and in a more bouyant atmosphere.

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