FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I've had this cephalotus for about a year. It was initially young and small, and it grew rather slowly for the first few months, but it went nuts after getting conditions right. The pot is now overflowing with pitchers:
It's currently in a 2.5x2.5in square pot. Do you more experienced cephalotus growers agree that it's a good time to repot it?

I also want to take cuttings but don't have enough space to stick an exacto deep enough to get a good cut. Can I also take pullings by grabbing a pitcher with my hand and pulling until it comes out?

When you transplant it, the odds are that at least one pitcher will detach from the plant.

But when I transplant, I remove all the media from the roots and rhizomes. That extra disturbance is probably the culprit.

At least, that has been my experience.

As usual, just my 02¢ worth.

The best time to take cuttings/pulls is when replanting, wash all media off and you'll probably find several areas that are natural divisions. Or grab lightly and pull down like a VFT pull. You need to make sure that the leaf/pitcher has some white rhizome on it, or even a root or two if you take a natural division. You don't want to leave it in soil as that has started to degrade. It'll be unhappy for a month or two but then should resume its normal growth.

What a nice looking Ceph! When it comes to cuttings, I read that it's best to do it late in winter during the dormancy period where you won't disturb the roots too much. Either way, it'll be disturbed but it'll be fine whenever you decide to. I don't suggest to pull the pitchers upwards. You want to get as much of the white parts of the rhizome when doing pullings/cuttings which is better achieved when pulled downwards like a VFT. I pulled mine upwards and didn't get any of the rhizome on it.

Thanks everyone!

What size pots are good for cephalotus? Do they like deep containers?

I've been using 100% LFS so far but will add sand and/or pumice since the container will be bigger

nice plant mine only gets green

mcgrumpers wrote:Thanks everyone!

What size pots are good for cephalotus? Do they like deep containers?

I've been using 100% LFS so far but will add sand and/or pumice since the container will be bigger

Deep containers will protect the growth point from moisture, which Cephs hate, but they do appreciated being under-potted. Let them overgrow their current pot then slip-pot them into a pot maybe 1/2in wider, let it grow, slip-pot, etc...

Cephalotus can get some giant roots on them, so bear that in mind. Also bear in mind, however, that you need lots of roots in the soil for good soil health. If you have a giant pot, and one tiny cephalotus in the middle, it could die - likely this is due to the fact that plants can control to some degree the microbes in the soil, and in a pot too big, there's not enough roots to control bad microbes from taking over.

In short, if you get a really big pot, make sure you have some sundews and other things with it as well. D. Hamiltonii like's the same conditions.

Jeeper wrote:

mcgrumpers wrote:Thanks everyone!

What size pots are good for cephalotus? Do they like deep containers?

I've been using 100% LFS so far but will add sand and/or pumice since the container will be bigger

Deep containers will protect the growth point from moisture, which Cephs hate, but they do appreciated being under-potted. Let them overgrow their current pot then slip-pot them into a pot maybe 1/2in wider, let it grow, slip-pot, etc...

Do you notice any set back when using the “slip-pot” method? Assuming not as nothing is disturbed.

salty wrote:

Jeeper wrote:

mcgrumpers wrote:Thanks everyone!

What size pots are good for cephalotus? Do they like deep containers?

I've been using 100% LFS so far but will add sand and/or pumice since the container will be bigger

Deep containers will protect the growth point from moisture, which Cephs hate, but they do appreciated being under-potted. Let them overgrow their current pot then slip-pot them into a pot maybe 1/2in wider, let it grow, slip-pot, etc...

Do you notice any set back when using the “slip-pot” method? Assuming not as nothing is disturbed.

Minimal. Biggest fits my plants have is when I buy them and they come in lfsm, I rip em out, clean em, and stick them in 70/30 sand/peat. They absolutely hate it, but I find they become stronger for it...

After slip-potting for some time, is it necessary to eventually do a full repotting to give a cephalotus fresh medium? If so, how often?

Jeeper, do you use the 70/30 sand/peat mix specifically for cephs or for CPs in general? Why do you prefer it over LFS?

mcgrumpers wrote:After slip-potting for some time, is it necessary to eventually do a full repotting to give a cephalotus fresh medium? If so, how often?

Jeeper, do you use the 70/30 sand/peat mix specifically for cephs or for CPs in general? Why do you prefer it over LFS?

I keep and eye on the plants, if I notice the centers not as vigorous as it used to be, or it's dieing off, I'll do a full repot.

I use the 70/30 mix as I use that for my Pygmy Drosera as well. A lot of their natural habitat is something similar, some local their even in pure sand. I also tray water so it keeps the media drier than lfsm. I've tried pure lfsm, I've tried lfsm with sand ontop and options in-between and they all get icky with algae. This mix stays dry.