Several years ago, I started to become interested in exotic plants. One of my favorites was Cephalotus follicularis. At the time a plant cost more than I was willing to spend, so I bought some seeds from the UK and did my best to germinate them, with no luck. In August 2010 I decided to buy a freshly divided plant from a seller on Ebay (see pic below). For me the best place to keep the plant was in my office at work, because the temperature is in the low 70's year round. Also my wife couldn't complain about my buying another plant, if it lived at work. When I recieved the plant, it was in a plastic pot with a cover , which resulted in high humidity. Once I repoted the plant, I covered it with plastic wrap. Over a several week period I made holes in the plastic wrap, then made them bigger to gradually acclimate the plant to lower humidity. I eventually removed the plastic wrap and have been able to leave the plant uncovered ever since. I have no windows in my office, so I hung a compact fluorescent bulb about eight inches above the plant on a timer so it recieves 12hrs of light a day (shown in the second pic). I water twice a week with RO (reverse osmosis) water by placing the entire pot inside a plastic container that is filled with water, until it is thouroughly soaked, or until I remember to take it out. The last pic I took this week, after being off on paternity leave for four weeks, I had a co-worker do the watering while I was gone. The large pitcher has finally died, which I've been expecting to happen as a result of my repotting the plant when I got it. My Cephalotus is doing quite well, and I can't wait to get some big pitchers on it.
Aug 2010
The cardboard in the above picture is there to block the light from shining in my eyes while at my computer.
Jan 2011
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