FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Anyone growing cephs outside where summer temps hang out in the 90s for a couple of months and only drop down to 80s at night? I think my little guy would appreciate the sunlight but I'm not sure how it would take the heat. It is in a loose mix that I water and let completely drain so the soil stays damp but not super wet. I'm concerned about how to keep it watered in the heat.

yeah, I've have mine outside all year round, we get higher temps than 90 here. I shade cloth them in the extreme days.

How do you water? Just top water daily?

@Panman, that's something I'm still trying to figure out, I've always top watered and let it drain out and I've had my cephs since 2016 and they done really well and I got a load of divisions when I repotted last year... However, I lost a load last year to fungus attacks I assume, and I'm down to 3 small plants which I'm not sure if they making a good comeback or not. I'm unsure what to do, but I suspect it was from top watering and getting the crowns wet.... So I was thinking to try watering from the bottom, letting them sit for 10-20min in a tray of water until they soak enough up in the media then take them out and let them drain.

@Panman, no not daily, maybe weekly if that, I normally wait for the topsoil to go a little dry. it all depends on the weather, in summer it is almost daily but then ill try and give them a tad shade also as the summer sun here is brutal.

Here's what I don't understand about cephalotus. Why wouldn't you just simulate the conditions found in Albany?

In that situation, they'd get top watering (a.ka. rain) with full sun (maybe some shading from tall grasses), average summer highs of 75F, and average winter lows of 48F.

I also wonder if the soil has some trace amount of salt which would inhibit fungus since they're located along the coast.

Just a thought.

@davinstewart, that's something that always puzzles me... many say,, Oh don't water Cephs from the top.... and I'm there thinking, how have these bloody things managed to survive themselves in the wild..lol.

@panman

Im starting to grow my ceph outside.

I live in West Central Florida and the temp right now averages around 80 to early 90s in the summer. I had my ceph in full sun for the past few days after acclimating it and I noticed it got a lil burn (very minute and small, more like the leaf got a little browner, less green if that makes sense) so i put it in a shadier spot out of direct sun for the whole day. Ill definitely see if im able to grow it outside in that spot out here in florida.

I have tried growing cephs outside here in Eastern Washington with zero success. Too dry in the summer, too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer. I can see it working in less extreme climates though. Sarracenia Northwest keeps some of theirs outside year round, IIRC.