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Traps closing on my Cephalotus


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Hiya

 

Got a Cephalotus follicularis the other week from the Southport Flower Show and its traps are closing up. Its on a cill to a west facing window in the front room, I've been spraying and watering it with water from the water butt outside and it is coming to the end of flowering.

I would like to know whether this is expected or am I doing something wrong and may have make some changes?

 

I'll be gratefull for any tips and advice.

 

Cheers

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I have mine growing on a south east windowsill which it loves, but when I got my first cephalotus it was grown in a humid greenhouse and when I just dumped it on the windowsill without acclimatising it to my window first it slowly closed the lids and then after a while the pitchers started to die from the list humidity, but all the new pitchers it produced were fine.

Mark

Edited by carni grower
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Hi, a pic would be good if possible, I find cephs don't need spraying and can be grown on a windowsill . I grow mine on a southerly windowsill and sit the pot in about 2 cm ish of water during the warmer parts of the year. A bit difficult to know the conditions it was grown in before you got it, if it was in high humidity and low light it would probably need to be acclimatised slowly to low humidity and high light for example . Edit Mark you beat me to it ;-)

Edited by corky
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The two care sheets that I've looked at (flytrapcare.com/cephalotus-follicularis and growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=267) are pretty comflicting as one says that cephs don't particularly like sitting in water and to have the plant in bright shade to get good sized traps. Whilst the other suggests something different for light and water. Which is pretty comfusing and I don't want to risk trial and error incase the plant perishes due to stress.

The fella who had the display where I bought the plant from was in a fairly shaded marquee and I can briefly remember him saying that some of his display plants were struggling in the low light. Its most likely that he would of been growing on his plants in a glasshouse with being a grower and a whole saler.

Could move it to my bedroom window where its south facing, but it is a small window and it gets roughly about 2-3 hours of direct sun. Where it'll get more in the living room window. Plus my rooms window cill is already crowded with pots of Pinguicula and Sarracenia seed which I've been waiting for them to germinate. Bit of a shame that I haven't got access to a greenhouse.

 

I can't seem to be able to get any photos up sorry. Bit of a technaphobe and there doesn't seem to be an attachment option.

 

Mike

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Yeah I wouldn't spray your cephalotus it could cause more problems than you trying to solve. What type of soil mix is it in, what does it have in it and does it look airy lots perlite or sand, pure peat? As it depends what mix it is in to how you water it, I keep mine in water as well in the hot months, and I use peat with a lot of perlite.

Mark

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Hi I got a Ceph from Gardeners world this year and on some traps the lids were shut once I got it home.

I assumed that this was due to either....

1. Me damaging and squashing the lids closed in the bag I was carrying it in.

2. Humidity and other growing conditions causing the closure.

I have to say when I got it I didn't notice that any lids were shut, and they never reopened but all still look healthy, just with lids shut, new traps have grown as normal.

If you look at my post under Cephalotus called "New addition" it shows the plant with lids shut.

I would just grow it as normal others are better growers than me do a search on here but keep to the basics full sun or part sun water tray method not too much water and skip the overhead spraying it doesn't really need it.

James

Edited by James
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Yeah I wouldn't spray your cephalotus it could cause more problems than you trying to solve. What type of soil mix is it in, what does it have in it and does it look airy lots perlite or sand, pure peat? As it depends what mix it is in to how you water it, I keep mine in water as well in the hot months, and I use peat with a lot of perlite.

Mark

Its in a grit sand and peat mix. Managed to get that tapatalk for my phone and hopefully this pic will show up.

f65002c4684f1da30b0fa529ac1d8b83.jpg

Sent from my GT-S6810P using Tapatalk

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Lovely cephalotus there, yeah I would put it in a couple cm of water and let the tray dry for a day or two and then fill the tray again, should beer fine this way. From the lovely red pitchers I would say it wasn't grown in low light so I would say it's the humidity that has caused it, nothing to worry about as the new pitchers will be fine. Have a great time with your new cephalotus

Mark

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Let me first say that I have no experience with Ceph's but plenty with other plants.

 

I would be tempted to stop the spraying altogether and water as 'carni grower' suggests above. Grow it a little drier and water from below when you do water. Unless it is deteriorating fast I wouldn't re-pot it ATM, your profile says that you are in Lancashire so we are at the end of the growing season outside of an artificial environment.

 

The main reason I replied with no Ceph experience is that I was looking at getting one myself when I came across this post. Mine would be growing in a 'fish tank' though and I got the impression, from other reading, that I would have to be careful about spraying this particular species. Unfortunatly that is how the tank gets watered so I will have to ponder that one. 

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Hi if your thinking of putting it in a terranium, make sure there is lots of air flow. I used to grow mine in a terranium and it always had problems with fungus, when I brought it out of the terranium that sorted the fungus, it did lose mist of its pitchers but happily been growing on the window for years now with no problems. I definitely wouldn't put it in a terrarium with overhead watering.

Regards

Mark

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Hi if your thinking of putting it in a terranium, make sure there is lots of air flow. I used to grow mine in a terranium and it always had problems with fungus, when I brought it out of the terranium that sorted the fungus, it did lose mist of its pitchers but happily been growing on the window for years now with no problems. I definitely wouldn't put it in a terrarium with overhead watering. Regards Mark

 

I installed a fan when I first came across this problem with other plants. I soon discovered another benifit ... The glass is clear from about an hour after the lights (and fan) come on and so I get to see my plants all day, through nice fan assisted, clear glass.

 

Something any budding 'terrarium' enthusiast should consider. No good having a terrarium where you cannot see the contents. Get a fan. Any old suitable, size wise, fan will do. Just a constant gentle air flow through the terraium is fine.

Edited by Hud357
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Lovely cephalotus there, yeah I would put it in a couple cm of water and let the tray dry for a day or two and then fill the tray again, should beer fine this way. From the lovely red pitchers I would say it wasn't grown in low light so I would say it's the humidity that has caused it, nothing to worry about as the new pitchers will be fine. Have a great time with your new cephalotus Mark

Nice one and cheers for the advice from everyone.

Stopped the spraying a couple of days ago after recieving the first reply and shall see what happens in the near future.Could well have been climatizing from the glasshouse to my front room and possibly be responding to the days shortening as Hud mentioned with the seasons changing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hiya

Its been just over a week since the last post and things could well be turning for the worse after checking up on my ceph this morning.

I've swapped it with an orchid on the landing window which gets a fair amount of light and most of it being morning light. Which I've read on Cephalotus care guide that morning light is ideal and the landing warms up quicker than the front room. I've also prunned back the flowers as they were past their best and as advised I've been topping up the water in the dish.

My concern is that the main plant (what looks like the mother plant) in the pot doesn't look particularly happy, as the non carnivorous leaves on it are yellowing along with the traps looking more shrivalled than last week.

I'm wondering whether the plant could do with being repotted as the pot feels a bit loose or am I being impatient and it'll take more than a week for the plant to recover.

 

Mike

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Personally, I would not repot unless I was sure that there was something wrong with the potting mix, as this will likely lead to loss of pitchers or worse. Looking at the moss, it would appear that the plant has been in this mix for quite some time, so I wouldn't suspect it unless I knew that something had been added subsequently, e.g. unsuitable water.

 

I suspect that the issue is moisture related, either caused by the plant being moved from high to low(er) humidity, or low potting mix moisture levels. I wouldn't suspect light levels, unless the plant has been moved from low levels to blazing sun.

 

I use the saucer method for my Cephalotus, where I fill the saucer with ~2cm, or more, of RO or rainwater. In summer I top up the saucer as soon as it empties. In winter I let the saucer sit empty for a few days before topping up, but I never let the potting mix totally dry out.

 

The reason you see varying cultivation advise is because Cephalotus are tolerant of different conditions and depending on local environment, some conditions might be slightly more preferable to others.

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