Cephalotus pics - rhizhomes and pitchers in hot weather

[Cindy]

They were plants meant for sale during SGF but the leaves and pitchers turned brown. So I trimmed the dead parts off and left them alone. Somehow, I forgot until I found them in a ziploc bag amongst the mess at my balcony yesterday. :P

Good news is, some of them are already sending new shoots. They are now laid on LSM and in a couple of months' time, there will be new Ceph ****es.

[Cindy]

Mildew - Cephs kept in conditions of low light, too humid and stagnant air
Chemical burns - Cephs fried with overdose of what I deemed as safe fertiliser
Mealybugs and scales - Cephs with yellowing leaves which I ignored for several weeks
...all of which I have to admit is a lack of cultivation knowledge rather than the plant being fussy or difficult.
In bright indirect light and getting the afternoon heat of 33C, the largest pitcher to date is 1.25".





This pot of Cephs is worth watching as I push its limit to grow at the balcony, in year round lowland conditions.

[TS]

Haha Cindy, happy to see that your cephalotus pitcher can get as big as 1.5" in our climate. Mind to elaborate more on your growing condition, watering and what is the best mixture for the growing media?
Mine I placed it under direct sunlight for more then a year already, it kept on putting offshoot and now formed a clump of slightly bigger then a 20 cent coin. But it hardly put out any pitchers that is more than 1 cm. I have recently cut an offshoot and try growing in different condition, it's now growing already, hopefully your growing tips could help to boost the pitcher to your pitcher's size
Can cephalous be grown in pure life sphagnum moss? It seems this plant is quite "long life", just look at the new life that emerged from the old bruised stems!!!
Is the flower stalk lying in the life sphagnum moss D. prolifera, Cindy?

[Cindy]

Hi TS,

Heat from direct sunlight will encourage the Cephs to produce offshoots. That is why your pitchers are not getting larger. Interestingly, when Cephs are grown in air-con room, they do the reverse. Less offshoots but larger pitchers.

This pot of plant was grown under lights at my balcony. Until about a month ago when I discovered that it had mealybugs, I moved it to an area with natural light. It is doing even better with more air-circulation. I also try my best to keep the pot cool by hiding it behind other plants.

Cephalotus can be grown in live sphagnum. I used to have a large pot of it for about 2 years. I also have a few small plants growing in it inside the N. ampullaria pot. They started out as leaf cuttings so I just decided to leave them there since they are doing well.

Yup, D. prolifera flower stalk. I can't be sure if it will work because after I got it from a friend, I read online that the new plants will develop on the flower stalk while it is on the plant. LOL Well, So far so good. The rhizomes are sprouting and the flower stalk has grown quite a bit. Sphagnum moss is amazing for cuttings.

[TS]

Thanks Cindy on your reply.
Does the pot you moved to a place with natural light receive direct sunlight, if so how many hours? how do you water it?
Oh yeah, how about the growing media, what is the mixture you find the best so far, I mean for ceph?
Won't life sphagnum overgrown the cephalotus since it is so slow growing? I always like life sphagnum to grow on my neps, they are so green and nice. And it acts as an indicater to humidity around the plants too.
Sorry to ask so many questions, Cindy.

[Cindy]

Hi TS,

We are all here to share experiences right? I won't have all the right answers though. But here goes...

The pot is now at an area without direct sunlight at all. The afternoon sun comes in but just fall short of the pot. Top watering daily and I discard the excess water collected on the tray.

The media used is 50% sand and 50% peat. That is the best so far for me in my condition. I tried a higher percentage of sand but it dries out too fast.

Sphagnum moss grows rather slowly for me. Probably because my area is quite hot and dry. Year end it tend to speed up its growth but never fast enough to overgrow the Cephs. 'Cos during the cool and wet season, the Cephs pick up growth too. By that time I have to put them back under the lights because the sun shifts and my balcony is in the shade.

Sphagnum moss tends to die after a while for me. I kinda like the moss you see in the pic. It appeared in one of the pots and I just dug it out and put them on the mound. Can tell from it too that the media is dry.

[TS]

Thanks Cindy, your answers do help alot.
Yes, I like the mosses in your pic too, like a piece of carpet. They made a natural combination and the whole thing looked more lively and comfortable.

[edmund83]

hi TS,

the moss is called star moss... you can easily can get from the road side or "Longkang"...hehehe

[TS]

Hey Edmund, don't have to go "longkang' lah, they appeared in some of my pots too, but not as nice as Cindy's.

[Cindy]

I was about to say that my poor Cephs all growing in longkang moss...

I like the star moss. Very dainty and compact.

Btw, what is this stringy moss that runs across the media? This type sometimes grow with the star moss and too much of it kinda suffocates the other.

TS, there is a trick to make your star moss look green, fluffy and healthy. Mist your Cephs...