- Sun Nov 15, 2020 5:33 pm
#368926
Watching this thread, I'd like to acquire a Ceph myself if possible.
Sponsored by FlytrapStore.com
Moderator: Matt
Matt wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 5:36 pm I have a bunch of Cephalotus going in the greenhouse right now but they're not quite ready for sale yet. I also have a TON coming out of TC so I'm hoping we can keep them in stock at FTS through most of 2021.I have a sole heli in TC. And some nep seeds. I have real trouble with sterility due to no fume hood, but how do you sterilize cephs?
hungry carnivores wrote:I have real trouble with sterility due to no fume hoodYeah, laminar flow hoods make TC much, much easier. I worked in a 30-gallon aquarium laid on its side for many years, but am so very grateful to have a flow hood now.
hungry carnivores wrote:but how do you sterilize cephs? Everytime I try that danged endocarp stays septic.Lots and lots of practice and hard work
murrkywaters wrote:It might help to turn off anything that could be circulating air. I haven't worked with plant TC but I've grown fungi and brewed beer. Most people do this sort of thing in the kitchen and most kitchens have vents and fans that blow contaminants around.That's true. Anything moving air is an enemy to doing tissue culture without a flow hood. Ideally, the air is perfectly still and you move very, very slowly so as not to stir up any dust that contains mold spores and/or bacteria that could possibly land in the cultures.
Panman wrote:So, what you're saying is that this isn't a "cut it off and stick it in some moss" kind of thing?Haha, not quite! I sure wish it were. It would save me many hours of failures before finally figuring out something that works
Panman wrote:A while back someone posted on Facebook wanting to know why Cephs are so expensive. After reading this discussion and seeing your latest video, it makes perfect sense. Tissue culture is long and demanding work, not without a few expenses.Yeah, Cephalotus are slow to propagate without TC and very slow to grow to any reasonable size coming out of TC -- not to mention that they are challening to establish in vivo (in soil) after propagating in vitro. Thus we only offer a very few Cephalotus each year even though I literally produce hundreds of them in TC.
Matt wrote: Yeah, Cephalotus are slow to propagate without TC and very slow to grow to any reasonable size coming out of TC -- not to mention that they are challening to establish in vivo (in soil) after propagating in vitro. Thus we only offer a very few Cephalotus each year even though I literally produce hundreds of them in TC.This is gospel. I purchased a "small" cephalotus from a nursery over the summer. Small was an understatement. The entire clump was the size of a quarter, maybe. The pitchers were about 1/8-1/4 inch tall buried halfway in star moss lol. It took them a very long time to get going. I think I've owned the plant for 8 months and it just very recently put out its first adult pitcher (though I fertilize it a LOT). I was inspired to do the Sarracenia style fertilization you were talking about. I did that to my own EB clone, keeping the pitchers filled. I gave it a tough love approach and just kept it out in the open and let it work itself out with ambient humidity. After the plant acclimated, it began growing 13 pitchers simultaneously. It started with 5, its insane lol. I've lost a pitcher and half a lid, but overall I'm satisfied with the result. I was thinking of posting a pic once a couple of them open up. Seems to like the Mars Hydro, but the distance only has it coloring up so much.
Apollyon wrote:I was inspired to do the Sarracenia style fertilization you were talking about. I did that to my own EB clone, keeping the pitchers filled. I gave it a tough love approach and just kept it out in the open and let it work itself out with ambient humidity. After the plant acclimated, it began growing 13 pitchers simultaneously. It started with 5, its insane lol. I've lost a pitcher and half a lid, but overall I'm satisfied with the result.That's awesome! Thanks for the update. I think I burned most of the pitchers on my OG Black and Hummer's Giant and have backed off on the fertilizing a bit since then, but I should probably start at it again because they're all putting out lots of new growth now. It's super emerald green and very healthy looking too! And honestly, it could have been heat stress and acclimatization that killed most of the older pitchers. We had a very hot late summer and fall here and the greenhouse was regularly over 90F and often up near 100F. Cephs can handle that but they don't like it!
Apollyon wrote:I was thinking of posting a pic once a couple of them open up. Seems to like the Mars Hydro, but the distance only has it coloring up so much.Please do post photos soon! And what distance do you have them growing from your Mars Hydro? I am planning on moving most, if not all, of our Cephalotus into the garage near the window and under the new Spider Farmer SF-2000 I recently acquired. It seems to be pretty equivalent to the Mars Hydro TSL 2000W, so I'd love to hear any guidance you have in terms of using that light. They should be much happier in that setting because the temperatures are much more mild than in the greenhouse.
Matt wrote:And what distance do you have them growing from your Mars Hydro? I am planning on moving most, if not all, of our Cephalotus into the garage near the window and under the new Spider Farmer SF-2000 I recently acquired. It seems to be pretty equivalent to the Mars Hydro TSL 2000W, so I'd love to hear any guidance you have in terms of using that light. They should be much happier in that setting because the temperatures are much more mild than in the greenhouse.When it comes to the fertilizer, it may very well boil down to the factors of intensity(type) and light/temps with the plant. I find that Maxsea is a very gentle fertilizer with CPs. To the point where I get away with foliar fertilizing about every week with virtually all of them, cephs included. I know most people say they're too sensitive for that but with my own lighting, I've had no troubles. I use the Maxsea to fill the pitchers as well. I don't top it off every day, but every few days or so when I notice it's lower I inject some into it again. Perhaps it'd be worth trying out.
I stopped by John Brittnacher's house again on Sunday afternoon. He grows the best collection of Cephalotus I've ever seen in person and he does it in very minimal space. His technique is pretty easy to mimic too. He grows in them in pots that are about 4 inches tall, uses a mix of peat and sand that is about 50/50, perhaps a bit more in favor of the sand, and he keeps a very, very low water level in the tray at all times (less than 1/2 inch -- looks like 1/4 inch). He thoroughly top-dresses the soil mix with sand, entirely covering the surface of the soil with it. This prevents mold and algae growth because it can't really take hold on nothing but dry sand on top of the pot. He never top waters them. His plants are beautiful too under the combination of LEDs and fluorescents he uses. I should have snapped a photo or two...
Berrybob wrote:I finally got my new led grow light up. My drosera are already getting a lot more dew. The eden black hasn't darkened drastically, but the light has only been up for two days.I noticed it takes a while and the old pitchers aren't coloring up as well as ones grown in my conditions. Mine isn't exactly colored up all the way I think in my case the temperatures are just too warm. Considering where it's at, I'm thinking of getting a division and placing it outside next year in the winter where it's more habitable for them and see where it lands. Hope the light works well for you man
It's all good, just funnin'. SASE received. Order[…]
SASE received. Order is fulfilled. Return envelope[…]
Support the community - Shop at FlytrapStore.com!