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By shifter
Posts:  25
Joined:  Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:36 pm
#116979
Hi, this is my Ceph and as you can see its looking fine, since this photo was taken the lids on the two big pitchers seem to be folding down towards the teeth. They are not drying out and the plant itself looks exactly like this photo but the lids are closer to the teeth. Is this normal or an early warning sign that somethings wrong? I repotted him recently into a 1:1 perlite and peat mix, water him with deionised etc. The reason for this post is that I hear they tend to die at the drop of a hat so, paranoid i may be but thought id check!

Image[/quote]

cheers shifter
By dimitar
Posts:  676
Joined:  Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:06 am
#117012
Hi there,
there are many reasons but here are some of them - the closing of the Ceph lids is usually caused by air humidity change. If it is low - the plant closes its lids to keep the liquid inside it. This happens if the plant has been grown before at a high humidity and after that - to lower. But this does not always happen. If the plant is adapted to low humidity, which I prefer for my plants - they won't have problems. Anyway, the closing of the lids can be caused by another reason - if the plant gets direct and burning sun, the plant closes its lids, the pitchers become soft and creased. They prefer the cool air. Although they can survive at very high tepms.
Since you have repotted the plant and maybe disturbed the roots it is possible to lose the plant. Firts, because now is not the season for repotting and second - they easily catch fungus.
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By shifter
Posts:  25
Joined:  Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:36 pm
#117023
thanks, i think its likely to be the humidity then as i keep it on my NW windowsill, not a greenhouse. I dont think its the repotting as i kept it in the mix it came in so didnt even see the roots. Im guessing that the humidity thing isnt going to kill it, i dont need to mist it do I?
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By Steve_D
Location: 
Posts:  3913
Joined:  Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:06 pm
#117054
In additions to the reasons that dimitar stated, Cephalotus lids will also close when the growing medium dries a little too much. :)
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By snapperhead51
Location: 
Posts:  2183
Joined:  Mon May 03, 2010 11:46 am
#117090
Hi cephs can be a hard plant to grow and it can be easy , really depends where you are in the world,and how close your natural climate conditions are , so as close to there natural one the better they will grow !, just now there is a storm in Albany Western Australia and heading my way hitting us tomorrow I believe or the next day ??.not big but a normal weather pattern
cephs like to be top water like they are been rained on , ok its natural , here is a weather site below, so you can see what there are getting now .remember its winter here not summer ok ,summer is totally different again,and you can look that up in a yearly weather chart like this site ok ,this may help you understand what the ceph plant actually lives in,and you can adjust your grow procedures to suit , but out side AU would recomend to keep the potting mix a little dry not soaking wet
J

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/wa/southe ... tal/albany
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By MICKEY
Posts:  166
Joined:  Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:05 pm
#117094
sounds like the weather here but more misty rain than thunder storms
By shifter
Posts:  25
Joined:  Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:36 pm
#117113
ive been watrering him using a tray, not sitting in water just letting the mix soak up a tray full once a week. Ill start top watering him instead and see if he improves. Ill let you all know how I get on, thanks guys
By jht-union
Posts:  3205
Joined:  Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:43 pm
#129848
For some reason my ceph is doing the same(lids closed all the way without opening), and i can only attribute this due to being a new plant that was recently repotted.
Humidity, well as you can see is in a terrrium basically in moss, although the roots of the plant ate growing in a hole inside the terrarium which is completely cover with stone and small stones around. The roots are quiet hanging in the hole too. Temps in the day are 70-73F, and nights of 52-60F. Humidity is pretty high but there's no lid on top but the grow panels, so air is able to escape and humidity as well.
The plant looks healthy and exactly like it came except the lids are closed, some small pitchers have darken, but are not the new ones coming, and the plant is throwing new growth. Any ideas on what could it be? First time this happens, not sure why.

Here's a pic of it( you can even see how the lid is close to the teeth. Now is completely close without opening):

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/post1 ... ml#p129383
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