FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Just thought I would ask the more experienced Ceph growers how my plant is doing. I have had it for about a month now and has probably grown 3-4 new pitchers. Notice how nothing has turned red yet. I have them under my same lights that color up a drosera capensis "red" and also red flytraps. So I feel like the light intensity is correct. I have been trying to avoid root rot as well as crown rot, which explains some dryness on the top layer of the moss. I can assure you the bottom of the pot is watered correctly and has enough weight. Should I be doing anything differently? Is the plant still looking healthy?





Thanks in advance,
Andrew

It looks fine from what I can tell

Your ceph still looks good. Give it some more time to settle in since you only have had it for a month. I'm not sure what lights you're using but if your droseras are doing well the lights should be good enough for your ceph. I kept mine under 6500k fluorescent lights and it colored up and grew great. I moved it to a window down stairs because I think it was staying to hot for it and the new pitchers are green. If its a FTS ceph you can guarantee it'll do well as long as you keep giving it proper care.

Thanks, I am using two 6500k T5 HO bulbs, but I have no elevated the ceph closer to the light. It is probably 7-8" from the bulb, where my flytraps and sundews are about 4-5".

I'm surprised you don't have more color. I think mine may have been within 5" at 16 hr photoperiod and colored up fast. Mine was in the FTS soil mixture instead of spaghnum too. I don't know how much of a difference that makes. I still think if you give itmore time as the plant gets bigger you'll get some good coloration.

I just looked at mine and it was at least two months before I saw more color and four months it was completely red. If you want to, click on my grow list and then click on cephalotus and it'll take you to my thread... for reference.

Forgot you'll have to click to page one.

I will try to move it a little closer to the light. Your ceph looks really cool. I thought it grew much slower than it appears to in your photo.

Once you figure out your water routine and it gets established, they grow quite quickly.

Hopefully I will. Your beginning cephalotus looks like exactly like mine so I appear to be on the right track.

Hey everyone. I am experiencing some difficulties with my cephalotus. I have been trying to avoid crown and root rot so I have been keeping the media on the drier side. I am wondering if I am actually keeping it TOO dry? there is weight to the pot but it is not substantial. I have not changed any settings with the ceph since I purchased it. It is under artificial light, definitely bright enough. There is alot of wind movement from a fan that circulates air around my plants. It is enough wind that it makes the moisture in my pots deplete faster than without a fan. For example, I use self-watering pots except for the cephalotus. I have had to water via the watering holes more frequently than before I had the fan. All of my other plants love the air movement, and I mainly added the fan to prevent algae or fungus growth along with any small pests. The ceph is sitting in temperatures that are 76 degrees Fahrenheit while the lights are on and 72 degrees Fahrenheit during night time where I turn off the lights. I am always open to suggestions. It is my first ceph and I can easily change watering schedules and what-not. I am just not used to owning a CP that is known for such picky requirements.

Here are some pictures. As you can see, the pitchers simply look like they are drying up. They are dying at a faster rate than they would naturally. I am just unsure if this kind of dying back is due to lack of water. Honestly, I feel like it cannot be root or crown rot since the pitchers appear to be drying rather than rotting




Thanks for viewing and for help in advance. I really want to get this plant to be mature!!!

They certainly don't look too bad. The loss of pitchers is fairly normal when they're moved to a new growing location. The pitchers that have been kept look good, so the plants seem to be doing fine.

akinkysnorlax wrote:I am experiencing some difficulties with my cephalotus. I have been trying to avoid crown and root rot so I have been keeping the media on the drier side. I am wondering if I am actually keeping it TOO dry?

Perhaps just a bit too dry, but that's better than too wet. So long as the moss is moist, they can stay hydrated. And they'll grow a more elaborate root system with time in drier conditions. After the root system is established, you'll likely see a big burst of growth once the plants switch from growing more roots to growing more leaves/pitchers.

One thing I'd recommend though is to pull out that grass as soon as possible. That stuff is a huge annoyance and can quickly take over a pot. If you're afraid pulling it out might damage the Cephalotus, you can also cut it just below the surface of the moss.

Thanks Matt. I guess one thing I failed to mention is that I changed the lighting setup for my entire collection. I know have a 4-tube T5HO commercial light that puts out 8000+ lumens at 6400K. When I first got the cephalotus it was under two single tube T5HO bulbs at about 2,000 lumens. Perhaps that change of condition is causing the pitchers to dry. And thanks about the grass information. I honestly always pull out the grass because it is rampant in all of my pots that use NZ LFS moss. I did not want to accidently uproot the ceph somehow. I have added a small amount of water for the ceph to soak up. I would have to guess that the moist moss is probably 1/2 up the pot. Thanks for the help again.

Matt wrote:They certainly don't look too bad. The loss of pitchers is fairly normal when they're moved to a new growing location. The pitchers that have been kept look good, so the plants seem to be doing fine.

akinkysnorlax wrote:I am experiencing some difficulties with my cephalotus. I have been trying to avoid crown and root rot so I have been keeping the media on the drier side. I am wondering if I am actually keeping it TOO dry?

Perhaps just a bit too dry, but that's better than too wet. So long as the moss is moist, they can stay hydrated. And they'll grow a more elaborate root system with time in drier conditions. After the root system is established, you'll likely see a big burst of growth once the plants switch from growing more roots to growing more leaves/pitchers.

One thing I'd recommend though is to pull out that grass as soon as possible. That stuff is a huge annoyance and can quickly take over a pot. If you're afraid pulling it out might damage the Cephalotus, you can also cut it just below the surface of the moss.

Would you recommend using a tray method or watering a few times a week?

I top watered my cephs everytime for the first year or two and my ceph grew great. Then I moved and I had a lot of moss growth around my ceph at my new house. The moss seemed to hold onto the water a little longer and I noticed a few pitchers dying a lot quicker so I started using the tray method until the moss died off. I'm not sure if the live wet moss was causing faster decomposition of the pitchers or bordering on crown rout so I just took precautions and started using the tray method and I haven't noticed any more premature pitcher death. So my advice would be as long as whatever you have your ceph growing in doesn't stay to wet around the crown, you can use either method. This is from my experience and growing conditions. Yours could be completely different. I hope other people pitch in with their opinions too.