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My New Cephalotus Follicularis Hummer's Giant

mmorehead

Carnivorous Newbie!
Hello everyone!

I am just getting started with carnivorous plants, and wanted to share my new Cephalotus Follicularis with you. I am considering building a terrarium for it, but I haven't a clue where to begin. I would be extremely grateful for any info, advice or input.

The gentleman I purchased it from had been growning it in a terrarium. There is a root growing out of the bottom of the pot, and was told that it would need repotted. Any repoitting tips would also be appreciated.

This is such a wonderful plant, and I want to do everything I can to help it thrive, but I lack terrarium specific skills and want to be certain I repot it correctly. Thanks for taking the time to help a newbie!

Here are links to some pictures of the plant:
http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l446/myfortune4u/l_0d4c00d1755e4a2a81dfc0de3e57871e.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l446/myfortune4u/l_77258b82de2944e094777660288011b1.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l446/myfortune4u/l_cced39bfce974266b70f8df637427f2b.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l446/myfortune4u/l_c07ca70e9801431daf5fea9e69500238.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l446/myfortune4u/l_163c4917585f4a1cb2ce4d5dc18fdf96.jpg
 
Wow, that's a great looking Ceph! Although, Cephalotus isn't exactly a beginners plant. It likes to stay just moist and hates being waterlogged, or it will die back. But Cephs are good at coming back to life. They like bright light and like coolish temperatures. Don't worry too much about humidity. What are its current conditions?
 
Thank you so much for your prompt reply and comments! :)

I'm currently keeping it with some of my orchids in a room with a 4' quad T8, as well as 4' x 2 T12 fluorescent fixtures for lighting. Temprature averages around 82 degrees in the day, 72 at night with 60-70% humidity. I placed it in an 8" plastic dish filled with rocks with rain water in the base, making sure the water wasn't touching the pot's base. I simply did this for the humidity factor thinking it needed high humidity from my research. Is this temprature range and light set up favorable?

Thanks again for the help!!
 
Very nice. :) I think my little Cephalotus is starting to make some very large pitchers.
 
Eh, yeah, seems fine to me. And yeah, the rocks and water isn't really needed. :p
 
mmorehead, welcome to the forums. You are very lucky to get ahold of a Hummers Giant as one of your first plants. Your lighting sounds quite strong to me (I have 6 T5s) and your pitchers will probably grow smaller and develop a nice red coloration. From what I have read it seems the pitchers will be larger in less light, but of course it's a trade off between color and size to some extent. Mine are in the middle but have a very deep coloration that makes them look striking.

Enjoy it! I mimic the watering method I use with my mexican pings. Simply put, I put about an inch of water in the tray and let it dry +1 day before watering again.

Phil
 
I would keep the Cephalotus in its current pot for the time being, since re-potting can often slow the plant's growth for a time, unless done very carefully (I have often had plants produce new growth points and plants from the rhizome emerging from the drainage holes of the pot); also, a good temperature drop at night will go a long way in keeping the finicky little plant healthy.

I would have to agree that the current lighting is a bit over-kill and I would be very careful that the Cephalotus doen't overheat.

Good luck . . .
 
Nice ceph!!! I love it, take good care of it. :) Those pitchers look big!
 
Thank you to everyone for all of your kind replies. I greatly appreciate it!

I hope to be able to provide the proper conditions to continue growing these pitcher's to their current size. The largest one is 2". Is there a specific wattage you use with your T5s, or lumen or foot candle measurements? I have it under four T8s and two T12s, sitting approx. 3 ft under them. Also, would it be a good idea to build a terrarium for it, or is it better to just control the room environment?

Some other questions I have are the about the pitcher's themselves. I researched a plethora of websites before it arrived, and found so many different methods of care, I just want to be sure I do this right. So, I 've been watering it every other day with rain and reverse osmosis water, and I do so around the outside of the pot to prevent rot. It seemed to be a general consensus from my research that they should not sit in standing water. So it is safe to put it in an inch of water and let it dry out one day before refilling? I also needed to know if they like getting spritzed with a water bottle. The only reason I ask is because I often spritz around it because of my vanda orchids. And is its current temp drop from 82 day/72 night okay?

Also, Should I also be putting water in the pitcher's? And when it comes feeding time, what fish food can I use and how often, which pitcher(s)? The gentleman I purchased it from said that he'd been using chiclid food every couple of weeks. Should I continue that process?

In regard to repotting, how long should I wait to repot?

Sorry for all the questions! I greatly appreciate everyone's help and input. I'm such a newbie!! :) When I saw this plant, I was so taken back that I just couldn't pass it up. Now I want to do everything I can to help it thrive, and can't decipher which information should be applied from my research. So thank you so much for the help!!!
 
  • #10
:boogie: Hey I had a question I looked at the pictures you have there and I was wondering is the white stuff around those are they roots or is that moss?!???
 
  • #11
:boogie: Hey I had a question I looked at the pictures you have there and I was wondering is the white stuff around those are they roots or is that moss?!???

That's Sphagnum, a common media for use on CPs. It is a type of moss.
 
  • #12
Yeah I feel that!! Oh Sphagnum it just looks a little different then what I have seen!!
 
  • #13
hello folks I'm new to this forum , and yes i too have luck with cephalotus i keep mine with my orchids in a south window and also about 12 hours of artificial light my tamps are a little cooler at night and i've read cephy can take much cooler temps at night. I've just brought mine in from full sun all summer meaning sun up to sun down zone 7 and our night temps are now at 40 to 50 it seems to be very happy it has produced
4 new adult pitchers this summer and is now starting its 5th they are all in great shape and show no signs of browning or fading anyone know how long the adult pitchers last and can they be started from hardened off leaf pullings
 
  • #14
Wow, that's a great looking Ceph! Although, Cephalotus isn't exactly a beginners plant.

EVERYBODY who grows their first plant, Ceph. or not, is a beginner. Grow 6,000 Nepenthes or Sarrecenia and you're still a Cephalotus beginner. All that anyone lacking experience can do is read up and try. I hate how people always discourage growing more difficult plants. If we followed this advice, we would never progress. So someone might lose a plant or some money... big deal. Someone might have better success than others did! I hate advice for newbies. He's not thinking about getting it, he has it.
 
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