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Carnivorous Plants/Cephalotus Fertilization
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Question
Hi there. I'm trying to help my Cephalotus grow a bit faster and I read several online sources that they can take Osmocote pellets in mature pitchers once they develop them. My problem is that I've tried this several times, even with newly developed mature pitchers, and it seems to kill them off in a short amount of time. One pitcher started dying within a week but another lasted a month and eventually began to discolor and die. I only put one pellet inside, but the pitchers eventually develop discoloration at the bottom of the pitcher that eventually kills off the entire pitcher to my dismay.
I grow my Cephalotus outside and they receive lots of sun but avoid the intense afternoon light. Our humidity is pretty low here in California (10-20%). I tried using the pellets several months ago during winter and simply lost 2-3 mature pitchers. Do the pitchers die because my Cephalotus aren't able to hold water in their pitchers or could there be some other problem? Is there another easy alternative to Osmocote? I had the Ceph for several months before I tried it, so it should've been acclimated. I started feeding them fish food pellets recently but it hasn't been long enough to notice a difference yet. Thank you in advance.
Hi Nicholas,
I recommend not using Osmocote with Cephalotus. Your experience already shows it may not be appropriate. We use a very weak foliar fertilizer spray weekly on our plants and they seem to do fine. We use Maxsea, but any good orchid fertilizer mixed to 1/4 strength would be fine. If you have pitchers on your plants simply giving them small insects will help too, but growth will never be fast.
The bottom line with Cephalotus, however, is that they are slow growing. You're not going to speed their growth very significantly, and you have to be resigned to that as a condition of growing them. Cephalotus along with some of the ultra-highland Nepenthes are not plants for the impatient gardener. We currently are propagating from seed, and it takes us 3-4 years to get a small marketable plant. Even from cuttings it's about two years.
California weather is pretty close to what they experience in nature, so just be patient with your plant. Growth in these little guys is measured in months, not weeks.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Thank you for the fast response! That seems to confirm what I was thinking -- that Osmocote is simply too much for them. I have Maxsea so I may try that. I got my first Ceph (a seedling) from you all and it now has two new crowns that it developed while dormant and it's still my favorite and is doing great. Thank you again. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each year.
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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION: We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?). Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
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