CEPH CRASHING!

[coldcoffee]

Hmmm....
I bought a cephalotus on eBay the other day. Probably should avoid eBay for Cephs but the price was right and it was a beautiful specimen.

I have had it in my terrarium for about 2 days (50% RH, approx 80F+- 10F, 4 growbulb t5 lighting). At first a few pitchers did not look good, then more (and larger pitchers). I had thought the largest pitchers would be ok. Now one of them is going. Over half of the pitchers have dropped or are in the process.

Things I observed:
1) It was shipped in pot, the soil appears to have shifted slightly during transit, particularly the area around the base of the plant raised.
2) I did not water it much when I received it as it was already well watered.
3) Die-off started the day after I got it

Ideas, I am going to be really POed if this one dies.

[coldcoffee]

Here's a pic

Attachments:

[paulbarden]

I would suggest that you do whatever you can to get the temp DOWN by 5 degrees and get the humidity UP by at least 20%. Is it also getting a significant drop in temps at night? Mine experience daytime highs of 85F max (usually much lower) and at night it drops to 55F or even lower. They MUST have that night-time temp drop below 60 if the days are warm. They also appreciate a rise in humidity at night: I place a lid on my Ceph tank after dusk and the humidity goes up to 85-90%.

That said, I have bought several Cephalotus this year, all mail order, most from a variety of sources. Some settled in fairly quickly and within weeks were making new growth at a surprising rate. Others lost leaf after leaf until they were down to one or two tiny pitchers, and then suddenly they bounced back and pushed out new growth. It ain't dead till the last pitcher withers, and even then, you can't be sure. I would work at getting the humidity up ASAP and make sure the daytime highs are below 80F, then wait and see. Flush the pot with distilled H2O at least once a week, whether it still looks damp or not; these plants are used to living where the soil is constantly percolating water from seeps. (and make sure its REALLY clean water)

Good luck!

[coldcoffee]

Thanks paul, I appreciate it. My intuition tells me that the plant is just doing its thing and I need not worry. What can I say, seeing dead pitchers is nerve racking, especially since my other cephs did nothing of this sort.

I am going to put a plastic bag over it to raise the humidity for now and then slowly harden it off.

It looks like an entire crown has gone into shock

[Aidan]

It's not uncommon for plants to lose most of their leaves and they may take months to recover.

Temperature is unlikely to be a major factor. My plants experience daytime temperatures of 110F and sometimes higher in summer. Humidity may be an issue depending upon the conditions it came from.

However, the one thing Cephalotus appreciate are stable conditions - so don't keep fiddling with it. Get the plant into the environment where it is to grow and leave it alone. Either it will recover in time, or...