First time Cephalotus owner

[gerhart]

I just bought my first Cephalotus, and have couple questions i was hoping someone could clear up. I'm growing it outdoors in San Diego, CA.

So in reading about these plants, I saw that the recommended soil is something like 2 parts sand to 1 part peat, to allow draining and prevent rot. I also read this is why you shouldn't top water, and to allow the tray of water you're watering from to dry out before re watering. Does this seem sensible to everyone?

My second question is that the plant i ordered came in what looks like a 2 inch deep pot, planted in what looks like probably sphagnum. this seems a lot more moist than the above soil mixture, and I'm worried this will be bad for it, except this is obviously what the plant was grown in. So my question is, should I re-pot, or let it sit?

[sykosarah]

Personally, I would let it stay as it is for at least a week or two, the plant has already gone through the shipping process, and those have relatively sensitive roots. Just make sure it has plenty of bright light, and seeing as sphagnum moss is one of the best mediums for most CPs, I wouldn't repot it because it has it. The pot is a tad shallow though, so you might want to put it in something a little taller when you have the time.

[sykosarah]

Live sphagnum or dead? I love when plants come with live sphagnum, as it is a grow able medium and just holds the perfect amount of water so well. 

[gerhart]

hmm, I think it's dead. It looks weirdly dense too. I'll should have posted a picture; I'll do that tomorrow.

So is the water regimen i described correct?

[hcarlton]

Unless you end up one of those odd growers for whom Cephalotus likes the sphagnum potting regime, I'd get it out of that mix. It tends to be too dense and wet for the species. They like sandier, more well draining soils, and from what I've heard (and experienced with the one plant I once had), certainly the tray method you described would work far better than top watering.

[tanukimo]

Apr 20, 2014 3:09:49 GMT sykosarah said:

The pot is a tad shallow though, so you might want to put it in something a little taller when you have the time.

I definitely agree with this. If you want to keep it in that medium, definitely get a taller pot because that will decrease the chances of the medium becoming waterlogged and rotting the roots. The same logic to any plants for which root rot is a danger.

[sykosarah]

Weird, I have seen a lot of Cephalotus growers use sphagnum moss. Oh well, everyone has their medium of choice.

[Aidan]

'Odd'... I can live with that.

I've tried all sorts of media mixes over the years and the best results have come from plants potted in milled, dried Sphagnum.

[gerhart]

OK, so I feel a little dumb, but after poking around more today, I can see that the plant is actually just grown on layer of moss, and below is a peat and sand mix. Here are a few pictures of the plant, if anyone can tell me how the pot size looks and about how long I can keep it in there. I plan on watering from the bottom with about a centimeter of distilled water, and waiting a day after it evaporates to refill.

Attachments:

[sykosarah]

Deeper pot, yeah, you need a deeper pot for sure. Repot it when you have the time. It is a nice looking plant, you don't want to give it root rot. Hmm, maybe around 2 inches deeper at least, what do you guys think? The medium is good though, I will say that.

[fredg]

Beware the myths and legends of the CP world. Cephalotus in my experience will sit happily in water, they will even shoot out of the bottom of the pot ( underwater). I have grown them in peat/grit/sand, peat/perlite, live sphagnum and combinations thereof. By all means treat the plant as you have described but do not be afraid of overwatering. They are a lot tougher than some would have you believe.

I would certainly get it into a bigger pot and would advise potting it with the current medium still intact.

[paulbarden]

+1 what Fred said.
There is a LOT of misinformation pandered as fact in regard to cultivation of this species. FWIW, I top water my Cephalotus all the time - have done so for three years now, with no ill effects. The "no water in the crown!" Myth is total BS as far as I'm concerned. Are we supposed to think it doesn't rain in coastal Australia?!

[gerhart]

Thanks for all the comments!

So it sounds like I should re-pot in a deeper pot soon. how does this pot look? It's glazed on the inside. I guess i should keep it in the medium it's in now, without disturbing roots. Just pop the original soil block into the new pot. 

On a side not, when it says something like '1 part peat to 2 parts sand' are you measuring damp peat or dry peat, because I've always pre-soaked the peat i was going to use and the wrung out the excess when measuring, but I saw someone online scoop what looked like dry peat, and it seems that these two methods would give you very different values.

Attachments:

[fredg]

Better to use a standard plastic pot with bottom drainage. When you come to repotting in future it's easy to cut a plastic pot off if necessary. Smashing a ceramic glazed pot with a hammer may not be conducive to your plants future well being.
Do not presoak your peat as you would be in danger of overcompacting the medium. Personally, I've never understood the practice, it's messy at best.

[sykosarah]

Presoaking peat is messy, but it is really hard to get even moisture in it as a medium if you use it by itself without doing that first. You could end up with a soaked top part of the soil and bone dry patches in the middle, etc. plus, it helps to better estimate how much you need in the pot.