Albany Pitcher Plant (Cephalotus) Cultivation Information
Cephalotus seeds can be sown directly onto wet medium. Peat and Sand, Peat and Perlite, or a mix of all three are what I use, but other mediums can be used. The seeds can benefit from a cold stratification period in a refrigerator to increase germination success. Keep the seeds between 65-75F, 60-70% humidity, and keep the light cycle on for at least 13 hours. The jump from the refrigerator to the warm moist conditions would be similar the ideal spring conditions. Make sure to keep and eye of fungus, as the humidity can allow growth. Mist often to reduce the chance of mold growth. Shortly after germination, separate the seedlings to avoid root shock and over crowding.
After about a 1-3 years, the plant will start to produce “mature pitchers”. Before this, I consider Cephalotus in the “seedling” phase. This phase is marked by the smaller pitchers with large windows in the lid. It can be a pain to feed the plants with a pipette or other method, so I recommend light 200ppm Maxsea foliar feeding twice a month. Eventually the plants will be large enough to feed the traps more directly. At this time you can move up to 800-1000ppm Maxsea to fill the pitchers. Intense lighting, 300-400ppfd is recommended for seedlings on. Temperatures around 70-80F with humidity ranging between 50-60% is ideal. It is critical to never repot a Cephalotus of this size, as they cannot handle the root shock.
Once the plants start to produce “mature” pitchers, they've reached the adult phase of their life. This stage also marks that the plant is likely to divide and flower if left alone for long enough. If left undivided, Cephalotus will easily fill their pot with divisions, both from the main rhizome as well as from the root system! This makes older Cephalotus pots look extremely awe inspiring to see.
Though, a word needs to be said about the multiple different ways people want to water Cephalotus. You will find everyone has a different method, with root and crown rot being the number killers of Cephalotus over time. The key to maintaining Cephalotus is to keep their root system well oxygenated. You can overhead water them, as long as you take care to shake the plant and ensure no water is trapper on the crown. You can tray water them, as long as you water high enough up and the water evaporates quick enough to pull in the oxygen they need. Their inclination to growing near running or flowing water say that they have an extreme preference for well oxygenated soils. If you can replicate this, you will have great long term success, no mater how you water the plants.
Propagation
Cephalotus are straightforward when it comes to pollination. Pollen from the anther to the stigma and in 6-8 months seed will form and mature. The seed can be dried and store for several years. Cold stratification greatly increases the chances of germination success.
Now for the cool part, Cephalotus can be cloned from almost any section of the plant. The non carnivorous leaves and pitchers can be pulled downward, producing a white tip on the end pulled off from the center. If there's no white, the chance of success are low. Place these pullings, white side nearest the center of the plant, into your desired moist medium. Keep in high humidity under 300ppfd light. Successful strikes can take 2-6 months to form, with unsuccessful attempts usually drying up and dying within a few weeks. Mature pitchers have the highest chance of striking. Cloning this way requires immense patience.
Root cuttings work exceptionally well. I find that when I need to repot a large plant, it's easier for me to shred the leaves, pitchers, and roots all at once for mass propagation. The thick tap roots can be segmented every 2-3 inches and place directly into the soil. Make sure to keep the original “topside” pointed up. The hormones that make the clones work best when oriented in the original position, as gravity forces the rooting hormones to pull existing cells to make new roots. Putting it upside down will make those hormones have to travel the opposite direction of where they are facing. Strikes from root cuttings are seen in a similar timetable of 2-6 months like the pullings, but usually form much more vigorously and have a potential to form clumps on the top of the “root stump”.