cosmoking: Archive from the old forum

[David]

Reply: Cosmoking
« Reply #5 on Apr 11, 2007, 10:54pm »


Hello David,

Cpehalotus are not difficult plants to grow. The main mistake that people make is that they keep them wet over winter; the plnts deteriorate and die.
Cpehalotus growing season starts around June and they should NOT be on the tray system between around November to May.(This depends when your plant slows down, though)
At this point, treat them like houseplants-watering only occasionally when they get dry. When June comes round and they're starting to grow quickly, keep them on the tray system, but let the tray stay dry for about a day before you re-water. As for lighting, they dont need a huge amount. I have mine on a West(partly sunny) facing windowsill. If you grow in lower light levels theyw ill have bigger but green coloured pitchers: in higher light levels they will have somewhat smaller but more colourful pitchers.

Heliamphora should be very easy, provided you have the right conditions. I used to struggle with mine because I did not give them enough light and humidity, which are the two most important factors for good growth in Heliamphora. Some are very hardy highlanders which will survive almost down to freezing temperatures, while some are tropical lowlanders. Because they all grow in places where there are storms and high winds, they can survive almost any storm without problems. However, as a result of this the pitchers are very brittle: be careful not to snap them! I only grow heterodoxa x minor now, but its doing much better now Im giving it what it wants. Good luck!