Cephalotus follucularis care sheet

General
Cephalotus are native to the extreme Southwestern corner of Australia where they grow in peaty costal and swampy environments. Their natural habitat is subtropical where light freezes happen in the winter. They are a very low growing plant and are outcompeted by most vegetation. Hence, they have adopted both carnivory to live in nutrient poor areas that most plants cannot survive in, and the ability for regeneration after fire. They produce both carnivorous and non-carnivorous leaves. They enjoy full sun but can thrive in partial sun as they must survive being shaded by low sedges and other small plants.

Cephalotus prefer stable conditions. The ideal location for them is a sunny windowsill (4+ hours or direct sun, more is better), or under grow lights that mimic that scenario, where the humidity is around 30% (they will be more than happy with higher humidty, but it is not required). Never drastically change the growing conditions of a Cephalotus in a short period. If you must increase the light exposure or decrease the humidity, do so over 10 – 15 days.

Your plant has been grown indoors at a constant temperature of 70 F, 30% humidity, and under LED lights with similar intensity to a windowsill that receives 6 hours of direct sun.

Sunlight
Cephalotus require partial sun with 4 or more hours of direct sunlight, or equivalent with artificial lighting. If your Cephalotus  is not getting an ideal amount of light it’s pitchers will be entirely green. Generally, pitchers produced in lower light tend to be bigger and greener than those produced in full sunlight which tend to be smaller and shades of red to extremely dark purple,

Temperature
Cephalotus are subtropical plants and generally prefer daytime temperatures between 70°F to 90°F. They can withstand temperatures of 100°F or slightly more. Higher temperatures during the day necessitate a significant night-time temperature drop for long term survival where as temperature drops are not necessary for indoor grown plants. My experience has been that Cephalotus does best with cool roots, so I have found that growing them in terracotta pots is beneficial for the evaporative cooling action they have. Being subtropical, Cephalotus can withstand freezing temperatures down to about 26°F.

Humidity
Cephalotus prefer humidity within 30% to 60%. They do fine in typical household humidity. In my experience, higher humidity over 30% does not seem to benefit the plant.

Water
Watering Cephalotus can be tricky. They require low mineral water (under 50 ppm), they do fine with the water in the Colorado Springs area. They benefit from top watering one to two times a week to avoid fungus/mildew spores from taking hold, but top watering too much can cause the crowns of the plants to rot. You can keep them in a tray with a shallow 0.25 – 0.5 inches of water for the humidity and ease of watering, but any deeper is not good and you should let this water completely evaporate before re-filling. Never let your Cephalotus completely dry out. 

Soil/Pots/Fertilizer
Cephalotus enjoy a free draining soil mix of 1:1:1 peat/perlite/sand. They do not do well in very shallow pots due to being prone to root rot. Pots 4.5 inches tall or little bit taller work best. As stated earlier, I have found they enjoy terracotta pots. Cephalotus enjoy very weak fertilizer of about 0.25 tsp/gallon of a natural non-urea containing fertilizer fed directly in their pitchers every couple of weeks. I use Grow More products.

Dormancy/Troubleshooting

Cephalotus don’t require a dormancy, but may exhibit seasonality to their growth. If lids on every pitcher, including brand new ones, start to have droopy leads, and the soil was never allowed to dry out, this is an indication of the  problem most likely with the root system. Cephalotus is very prone to root rot. If you experience an acute decline in health, it is likely a root issue. Perform an emergency repot bare-rooting the plant to clean the roots, and then plant it in fresh soil. Bag the plant to provide 100% humidity and do not open the bag until growth has resumed. Once growth has resumed, slowly open the bag over a period of ~two weeks using the drooping lids an indication you are going to fast. If powdery mildew occurs, apply sulphur.