I don't think the weight of the sand would be much of a problem. The native conditions for Cephs are pretty sandy. What kind of lava rock did you use? Red or black?
Red. I picked up a couple from my college and I brought them home, smashed them with a hammer until they were small (no bigger than a fingernail) and then mixed them into the soil.
Aha! Dr. Watson, we may have a suspect in the mysterious murders of the cephalotus.
This could be a possible source of decline for some of your cephs... copper poisoning. Copper is toxic to a lot of plants. Colleges often use red lava rock because algae will not grow on it and it can kill the weeds that grow up between it, ergo, it is ridiculously cheap and easy for grounds crews to maintain. Red lava rock leaches copper into the soil. So, this would not surprise me if it was the source of at least some of your woes.
-Hermes.
So here's my thinking: I order the medium sized bare-root plants, and when they arrive, I plant them in a very well-drained soil (like 75% perlite/sand and 25% peat moss) and I barely water them and grow them under a florescent light most of the time (I had a Nepenthes Ventricosa that thrived and grew red under this light)
why repot so soon they can stay in the pot they vome in mine came in the pot its in now almost two years ago .
Im just now thinking about repotting , in the spring, just because i think it may now need a deeper pot , but i still think the diameter only needs to be about an inch larger in diameter.
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do keep in mind this a regular cephalotus , if you get a hummers giant it may outgrow the pot , but i still wouldnt repot it as soon as i got it, i would atleast give it a chance to acclimate to your conditions say a few months at least.
It will be beautiful in any pot , dont rush it, or you could loose it as well.
If it is the soil that the supplier grows their Cephalotus in then why is it the incorrect soil and, if it is incorrect, why are you purchasing plants from that supplier?I've thought about that, but it isn't in the correct soil and the last time I ordered from them, the plants were already coming out of the soil and pot.
The plant will be under enough stress from being transported and being put in a new location without having to deal with the additional stress of being repotted in a soil mix that it is not currently growing in.Besides, it would be better just to immediately transfer it to it's "permanent pot" and allow it to adjust there. I've done that in the past with no problems.
Hmm, people seem to be saying Cephs can grow warm, how many of you who are growing them in warm conditions have been doing so for over a year? I ask because I thought they needed the seasonal variation (temp/light) change to stay healthy. I grew my first one for a year or two in my old HL chamber, it became a very nice clump and then it just sort of petered out. Years later I've got another and put it in low light hours (but under relatively bright lights which grow/flower my succulents) and cool day/night temps ("winter") and it's really just poking along, it's been working on the same two new pitchers for a couple weeks now and they're still pretty small.
Perhaps I should put it into warm LL conditions with my N. amp "Harlequin' to kick start it?
Yup. Cephs are amazingly adaptable in cultivation - able to grow well in a wide variety of conditions. I have some on windowsills, in terrariums and with my VFTs (outside all summer & in basement back room under lights all winter). The 'best' conditions for pure growth are probably in a moderately-humid terrarium with some night drop in temp. They grow fastest there. However, windowsill in low winter humidity is only a bit slower and so far, the ones keeping the VFTs company are the only ones to bloom each summer.swords ive asked the question of slowing down for a semi rest of ceph and get mixed answers...
If it is the soil that the supplier grows their Cephalotus in then why is it the incorrect soil and, if it is incorrect, why are you purchasing plants from that supplier?