Question

Cephalotus   Hello! Yesterday I recieved a bouncing baby cephalotus (yay!). It is currently recovering from a two day trip in a ups box on my kitchen winsowsill that only gets about 2-3 hours of stronger sunlight(a P. Lutea is flourishing there), but I know that it will eventually need more sunlight to maintain vigor and coloration. I do not have many "bright" windowsills for any long duration of time during the day, so I am considering moving it outside. That said, here is my question...I live in zone 9, Pasco county, Florida. According to the cephalotus care pages on Sarracenia Northwest, this is a location that you can grow them outdoors, however it is also mentioned that they require cooler nights to flourish, and we usually stay in the mid to upper 70's at night through the duration of the summer (as does the inside of my home, usually 79/80). We are currently running in the mid 90's during the days. Where do you believe would be my best bet for giving this little bundle of joy optimum growing conditions? It is currently in a 2 1/2 inch pot, growing in spagnum and other unknown medium, on the tray method, absorbing the RO water before being replenished. (Drosera capensis growing alongside it was a bonus..will not even try to sperate them until the cephalotus absolutly needs repotting, if there is no issue with that) Thank you so much in advance for your help and suggestions. It is so nice to have a knowledgeable source to ask questions and suggestions. You guys rock!

Answer
Hi Terri,

I'm going to vote for outside, but it's definitely going to be location, location, location.  Look for a spot that will get a good shot of morning sun, but shaded in the hot afternoon.  

I also highly recommend transplanting to an unglazed terracotta pot.  Go for about a 6 inch pot.  The terracotta will help cool the roots from the evaporative cooling.
Use the equal parts peat/perlite/sand mix.  When you transplant, just leave the soil ball around the roots intact, and be gentle.  The soil media it's currently in was probably for propagation.  They tend to be very prone to root-rot, so sphagnum moss media can be troublesome long-term.

Your watering technique is fine, you just might need to keep it a little wetter outside to keep it from drying out.

In nature Cephalotus is a zone 9 plant, and grows in very sandy soil.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com