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Transplanting Cephs

PlantAKiss

Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I know many CPs don't like root disturbance.  Do cephalotus fall into that category? I wouldn't mind moving mine up to a larger pot.  But I'm scared to death it would hurt it and I'd lose it.

Anyone have any experience or advice?

Thankee!  
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Heyla PAK,

Everyone says that ceph have issues with root disturbance but I haven't experienced problems relating to that (hence the ability to pluck them from their friends and ship them in the mail
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) However, they do seem to get fussy with quick location changes. Not sure if this is light/temperature specific or what - but my plants would stop growing if I moved them more than 2 feet one way or the other. Then they'd take a few weeks to adjust.

I'd wait to hear from the experts, but my advice it to take at least an inch of soil around the plant and place that in the new pot with it. You can use a spoon to scoop it carefully. Leave it in the same location if you can.
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Just to be on the safe side, when i moved mine from a 3 inch to a 5 inch pot, I actually cut the smaller pot off with scissors. I got my plant as one leaf from John Phillip last January. John believes that there is some kind of microbiotic or mycorhizzal relationship going on with the roots of the plant and the soil. He suggests scooping out a spoon or two of the old soil and mixing it with the new soil and wait a day or two mixing it once in a while to innoculate the new mix. I did that when I transplanted and have not had any problems.

I hope this helps.

WildBill
 
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My my WildBill! "mycorhizzal" is my new vocab word for the day. The first time I read "mycorhizzal relationship" I thought "My core fizzle? Snizzle the soil and roots izzle?"
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I don't allow my young plants to have relationships, especially sizzling ones.  But they're not far from the TV and, given what they must overhear, it's awfully tough.  But that's getting off topic.  I find Cephs are unpredictably touchy about root disturbance.  I had rooted probably 8-10 with 100% suucess until last spring, when I divided a large plant into four.  The two largest divisions, which kept almost all the roots, are both dead
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.  The two smallest, which I thought were goners, are thriving
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Normally when I transplant anything, I take the entire pot of soil as carefully as I can and place it in a larger pot with fresh soil with a hole in the center to accommodate the old root ball and soil. I figure its safer that way and less root disturbance. This works better with plants that have a hefty root system though. Cutting the pot away is something I was considering but if the root system isn't extensive, I expect soil to drop away.

Hmmm...that's interesting Bruce. Its funny when these plants surprise you by doing the opposite of what you expect. I think the plants like to keep us on our toes by sometimes doing the unexpected.
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Hmm, a common theme here is that perhaps the youngest ones don't mind the root disturbance. All of mine are tiny -1" plants, so that's why I didn't get any talkin' back from them. PAK, I guess if you're gonna repot, now's the best time if any!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Dec. 16 2003,22:22)]Normally when I transplant anything, I take the entire pot of soil as carefully as I can and place it in a larger pot with fresh soil with a hole in the center to accommodate the old root ball and soil.  I figure its safer that way and less root disturbance.  This works better with plants that have a hefty root system though.  Cutting the pot away is something I was considering but if the root system isn't extensive, I expect soil to drop away.

Hmmm...that's interesting Bruce.  Its funny when these plants surprise you by doing the opposite of what you expect.  I think the plants like to keep us on our toes by sometimes doing the unexpected.  
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Thats what I do too... Anyone know how I could get a hold of a ceph? I really like them.
 
Hi all;

I could not resist to give my opinion on this matter.... Cephs are interesting and challenging to grow. I have found out that for a successful transplanting of cephs, it does not matter how much soil you take with the roots and repot it, as long as you have enough of the original soil around the roots in the new pot. I have done this at least 30 times and each time i get the same result. The worst mistake one can do is to leave it bare rooted and then transplant it into a new pot, the cephs will start dying in no more than 2 weeks after the transplant, of course the plant will grow back again, but it may take 2-4 months depending on the growing conditions.

Agustin
 
  • #10
Thanks Agustin.
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Once the holidays settle down, I might attempt this tranfer.
 
  • #11
WooHoo!!!!

Today I noticed some tiny green leaves coming up around 3 of my Ceph cuttings I did back in mid October. I'm keeping my eye on the others.

Just a year ago I never imagined I would even own a Ceph! Thanks to fellow NECPS members John Phillip (for my first one leaf plant) and Jeff Matheson (for his tips).

WildBill
 
  • #12
CONGRATS!!  Now if you're looking for a home to trade them to....
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SF
 
  • #13
So might I ask what everyone is growing their Cephs in?
 
  • #14
I'm growing mine in peat/sphag/sand/burnt oak leaves in about a 6in pot.

Cole
 
  • #15
I dared to repot mine this winter break. It's in peat/sand with a bit of spag at the bottom.
 
  • #16
I've read that many who have seen Cephalotus on the field find the the plants colonizing disturbed sites, and some speculate that root disturbance might actually be "good" for them. Like anything, it may be variable by clone. In my own experience, I've divided and transplanted without too much adverse effect, except for the annoying die-back and die-off I seem to experience with my Cephs no matter what I'm doing with them!
 
  • #17
Tell me about it Jay!  I lost 2 clones and still don't understand why: I took a small cutting from each.  The cuttings died, and the plants rapidly followed in their, errrr....wake.  I had been keeping them very moist, and with phenomenal results.  Then everything went sad and bad.  The largest clone looked like it had a bad night with tequila out in the sissor factory.  Everything I did after that was wrong: if I watered it it died more, if I didn't water it it died more.  I reduced the humidity and it went downhill.  I increased the humidity and the newest leaves withered and mold began to appear.  I decreased humidity and increased water, and guess what?  It died more.  Finally, in a fit of pure spite, I encouraged the ravaged thing to die.  I stuck it back where I wouldn't have to look at it's wastedness way back there on the shelf that just has only 2 lights and they weren't even above it.  I kept it in the bin, but I put it in a smaller holeless container to keep it from the tray water so I could control the wetness and still keep it a little more humid with some air circulation.  My memory didn't let me down: it was as good as ever, and I totally forgot about the plant.  I happened to see it when I was getting ready for your visit (madly discarding ugly stuff, hee hee) and the pot was light as a feather (I use LFS as a medium) and BONE dry to the touch.  Lo and behold, poking up out of this impossibly arid substrate were the first new pitchers: happy and bright green, and with vigorous new growth beginning on all the old brown and ruined stem heads.  Like Tom Petty said "Even the losers get lucky sometimes".

My thoughts and conclusions: This species has a distinct seasonal rhythm. Wet is fine during the Aussie winter (our summer), and they respond. But there comes a time when the roots that grew so well in the wet season must cure and harden, and thats when they need aeration: this would be our winter. I think this is the case with many of the Australian tropical species: there is more than meets the eye with their culture despite their apparent lack of a need for dormancy. They continue to grow, sure, but in cultivation species like this often decline, and no one knows why. (e.g. The Queensland Drosera) It's because the rules changed, and we weren't aware that they did until the plants started dying back. My plants needed to slowly dry out more than I allowed them too. I assumed that because they were growing well in the conditions that I provided, that they would continue to do so which was an incorrect assumption in hindsight.

I think these plants always keep in touch with their distant home, and remain unconvinced with the seasons here. They grow best in our summer because they "think" it is the cool winter back home when they would grow best, and then they can't understand why it's so infernally hot! They want cool roots during their wet and active growing period, not a hot summer in the U.S. In our winter (their summer), they want more warmth, and less substrate wetness. Both these conditions require some effort for growers to provide in the relative seasons since neither are natural in most of the Northern hemisphere. I also believe it's true that they don't like to be disturbed. They're probably just too busy trying to convince themselves that they are back home down under.

Welcome to the Forums by the way!
 
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