I was packing up plants for shipping today before heading to the Bahamas and decided I'd post a quick informative article for anyone interested.
The substrate you use for growing your CPs can greatly impact their overall health and appearance. To illustrate, I've attached pictures of two identical plants from the same leaf pullings; P 'weser'.
In this picture, you will see the difference of them side by side.
Here is a closeup of the pot on the left. The substrate is a 50/50 sand/vermiculite mixture. Notice how small they grow, almost in a ball shape. Having picked one up for shipping today though, it has produced MANY roots that have grabbed the substrate quite well. The light color of the substrate may actually reflect more light potentially causing the leaf size to be smaller. While these plants may be tiny, they are quite healthy and are dewing prolifically.
Here is a closeup of the pot on the right. The substrate is a washed Ping Mix (25/25/25/25) sand/peat/perlite/vermiculite). I've found that peaty mixtures create much larger plants, though the lower leaves will eventually shrivel and die because of lack of light and too much moisture close to the substrate. These plants are indeed incredibly healthy.
In short, while multiple mediums can be used for healthy plants, they may have different effects on them. It's definitely worth trying a variety until you find what your plant grows best in.
Xantius
The substrate you use for growing your CPs can greatly impact their overall health and appearance. To illustrate, I've attached pictures of two identical plants from the same leaf pullings; P 'weser'.
In this picture, you will see the difference of them side by side.
Here is a closeup of the pot on the left. The substrate is a 50/50 sand/vermiculite mixture. Notice how small they grow, almost in a ball shape. Having picked one up for shipping today though, it has produced MANY roots that have grabbed the substrate quite well. The light color of the substrate may actually reflect more light potentially causing the leaf size to be smaller. While these plants may be tiny, they are quite healthy and are dewing prolifically.
Here is a closeup of the pot on the right. The substrate is a washed Ping Mix (25/25/25/25) sand/peat/perlite/vermiculite). I've found that peaty mixtures create much larger plants, though the lower leaves will eventually shrivel and die because of lack of light and too much moisture close to the substrate. These plants are indeed incredibly healthy.
In short, while multiple mediums can be used for healthy plants, they may have different effects on them. It's definitely worth trying a variety until you find what your plant grows best in.
Xantius