If it works, DON'T FIX IT! I learned this the hard way with my Cephalotus :(
Before - August 2018, growing on a south-facing windowsill
After - August 2020 :( :( :(
I received this Cephalotus as a gift from my friend Jason Varian in 2016. I admit that I had no idea what kind of carnivorous plant he was giving me! He knew I liked Nepenthes and gave me this little Cephalotus because it wasn't doing well for him. I placed it in my south-facing window without giving it much thought and lo and behold, it really liked my south-facing windowsill! It grew from a couple tiny plants to the mounds of beautiful, nearly inch-long traps you see in the "before" picture above.
Fooled by my serendipitous success, I decided to try it under my new artificial lights in summer 2020. I also re-potted it. TWO BIG MISTAKES! The plant was not large enough to pot up, nor did it appreciate the fish tank terrarium! You can see in the "after" photo above that I absolutely fried it :( Many of the traps are absolutely miniscule, a clear sign of stress. Hubris!
"If it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT!!"
On the slow path to recovery :( October 2020
I was hoping to get more red coloration under my artificial lights, but something just wasn't right. I moved it back to its original placement on my south-facing windowsill and it is recovering! Lots of new, healthy traps forming already.
To be honest, I am not exactly sure WHAT about my south-facing windowsill the Cephalotus so clearly requires that my terrarium does not. The temperatures vary much more on my windowsill based on the weather, but in general the nightly drops are only 5 degrees Fahrenheit lower on the windowsill compared to the terrarium. Lux readings are in fact slightly higher on the windowsill, even though a lot of experienced CP growers said that it looked like it was getting way too much light in the terrarium picture! Watering is the same. Perhaps it will remain a mystery, along with so much else about these finicky plants!
Current Growing Conditions: South-Facing Living Room Window Light: ~260 - 460 PPFD or 16530 - 20110 Lux (depends on the weather outside) Humidity: ~80% night and 55% day Temperature: ~68F night and 90F day (depends on weather outside) Water: Moist but not wet - I water it just like my Nepenthes Potting Mix: 50% peat and 50% sharp sand Fertilizer: MaxSea (1/4 tsp/gallon) once a month into pitchers/foliar spray Additional Notes: A true mystery to me why it thrives on my windowsill but absolutely hates my growing conditions under artificial lights! Lesson learned - do NOT move a plant that is happy where it is!!