|
Post by Tramén on Nov 8, 2016 9:26:54 GMT -5
Hi guys just of having silica sand which is the ratio to use for the mixing of the Cephalotus I always have used perlite and peatmoss Thank
|
|
|
Post by curlingguy on Nov 8, 2016 12:51:53 GMT -5
1-1-1 mix of peat/16 grit silica sand/perlite is the mix I use. Grown dozens of cephs successfully. Check out my past posts.
|
|
|
Post by Tramén on Nov 9, 2016 9:16:55 GMT -5
Thanks a lot curlingguy for you suggestion much appreciated
|
|
|
Post by vraev on Dec 2, 2016 1:08:22 GMT -5
As long as the mix is open enough, the plants don't really care. I know someone on TF grew cephs in miraclegrow yard soil as well. lol
|
|
|
Post by Apoplast on Dec 3, 2016 22:39:18 GMT -5
Hi Varun - This is a species that limps along for me. I've not gotten its cultivation down to where I am happy. I am certain soil mix is part of the problem. And it's doubly frustrating when everyone says soil mix doesn't matter - and yours is a perfect example! I have no doubt that it can grow well in a wide range of soil mixes. Most plants can. I knew a woman who grow some of the most impressive saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea) cacti in posts I'd ever seen, from seed no less. The entire time she grew them in Miracle-Gro African Violet mix! It can be done, but it's much harder. Just so it's clear, I'm totally not upset with you, or really upset. It's just funny to me how people who have this species down are so casual with them, and I still can't get it dialed in. Frustrating. But to the point of being ridiculous for me. Hi Curling Guy - I've seen your plants, and the ones you have on offer. I've drooled at how beautifully grown they are, knowing I can't get them from you thanks to that pesky border between us - though I am sure from that side it has loads of benefits these days! Thanks for sharing your mix! I've started having some better luck with a mix of sand, peat, and Turface. I don't let this pot sit in water. I water it maybe once a week until water drains through. I'm thinking of trying another plant in a similar mix with a little Gnat Nix to add some more aeration. Yes, the stuff is pricey, but I'm dedicated to getting the cultivation of this species down (plus I hate perlite). Question for you, how do you water your plants in that mix?
|
|
|
Post by WillyCKH on Dec 4, 2016 16:06:08 GMT -5
I can share mine, I use 1:2 peat:perlite, the pinguicula mix for my ceph And they are fine with the mix.
|
|
|
Post by vraev on Dec 5, 2016 1:35:40 GMT -5
Hi Varun - This is a species that limps along for me. I've not gotten its cultivation down to where I am happy. I am certain soil mix is part of the problem. And it's doubly frustrating when everyone says soil mix doesn't matter - and yours is a perfect example! I have no doubt that it can grow well in a wide range of soil mixes. Most plants can. I knew a woman who grow some of the most impressive saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea) cacti in posts I'd ever seen, from seed no less. The entire time she grew them in Miracle-Gro African Violet mix! It can be done, but it's much harder. Just so it's clear, I'm totally not upset with you, or really upset. It's just funny to me how people who have this species down are so casual with them, and I still can't get it dialed in. Frustrating. But to the point of being ridiculous for me. Hey Alex, Lets troubleshoot... what are your conditions? I eyeball my mixes...depending on how it feels in my hand. I use sphagnum peat, perlite and orchid bark as the primary mix for cephs/vfts. I have also on occassion used a orchid mix (sponge rock + bark + charcoal) thrown in instead of the other components with peat. I also have thrown in long fiber sphagnum in there. When I started with ceph cultivation, I stuck to the peat (40%), bark (30%), perlite (20%) and LFS (10%). The point of the mix is free drainage. The most important thing in my conditions that cephs didn't like was heat and lack of airflow. WHat is your lighting ? humidity? airflow? How far from the lights are your plants? cheers V
|
|
|
Post by Apoplast on Dec 5, 2016 8:34:27 GMT -5
Hi Willy - Thanks. They sure do look like they are happy with that mix.
Hi Varun - You are very kind! I know you are quite adept at growing this species. Really, I was just poking fun at the fact this question of ceph soil mix comes up constantly despite that the folks who succeed best with this are proof there is no magic formula. Right now my plants are looking better than they have in years in my highland grow room under LED shop lights with a fan for air circulation, and in a mix containing peat, sand, and Turface. But the best luck I've ever had with them was when I grew them from seed, in a 10 gal aquarium with the lid on, in a 50:50 peat:perlite mix, sitting in a tray of water. You know, all the things you aren't supposed to do. Then a few years into that, something seemed like it changed, because like everyone else that environment became toxic for them. My own hypothesis is that there is some type or class of fungus they are highly susceptible to, and I didn't have it for years. Until I bought a plant to add to my seed grown specimens. Rot is an interesting thing in plants, and it's control over their growth, not juts horticulturally but ecologically as well, is not well understood yet. I guess I am just still adapting to my new growing reality for this species. I do appreciate your interest in troubleshooting though. You are, as ever, incredibly kind!
|
|
|
Post by WillyCKH on Dec 5, 2016 10:27:51 GMT -5
Hi Alex, I know how you feel. In the past, even with the same conditions I have Cephs that thrive and Cephs that hate me. I'm still unsure why...
|
|