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Is something wrong with my Cephalotus?

Wolfn

Agent of Chaos
I've had this Cephalotus since July now. It put up a few new leaves which are seen here. However, it appears to have stopped growing. I replanted it a month ago into a 4-inch pot with an airy soil (one part peat, one part perlite, one part Quartz sand) with a light layer of peat on top. I only water it once a month allowing the saucer to dry out. It gets one hour of direct sunlight a day from the window and spends the rest of the day in bright shade or under my 14 watt lamp.

I haven't noticed any growth in about a month or two, and one of the leaves rotted off a few weeks ago.

Is something wrong?


sickCeph1.jpg

SickCeph2.jpg
 
I know you've explained it before, but I can't remember the details. You water once a month and leave a tray, right? How deep is the water in the tray? It seems to be strange only needing to water once a month, so I might say that if you have it in a deep tray, it could be too wet for a while, and then dry out after a month. Or, it isn't getting enough water for an entire month.

Could also still be adjusting after potting it.

xvart.
 
I know you've explained it before, but I can't remember the details. You water once a month and leave a tray, right? How deep is the water in the tray? It seems to be strange only needing to water once a month, so I might say that if you have it in a deep tray, it could be too wet for a while, and then dry out after a month. Or, it isn't getting enough water for an entire month.

Could also still be adjusting after potting it.

xvart.


There's about an inch of water when the tray is full. When the water evaporates, I let the soil air out a little because I know that Cephs need an airy soil and are prone to root rot.
 
There's about an inch of water when the tray is full. When the water evaporates, I let the soil air out a little because I know that Cephs need an airy soil and are prone to root rot.

I wouldn't necessarily think that it is rot at this time, but I would definitely modify your watering method. How tall is that pot? Three inches? If you have an inch of water that high, the soil is going to be very saturated with water, and then take longer to dry out.

My bet is still that it is just stalled from repotting.

xvart.
 
I wouldn't necessarily think that it is rot at this time, but I would definitely modify your watering method. How tall is that pot? Three inches? If you have an inch of water that high, the soil is going to be very saturated with water, and then take longer to dry out.

My bet is still that it is just stalled from repotting.

xvart.


The pot is 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall.

Btw, is this pot size okay for a Cephalotus that's almost an inch big?
 
cephalotus likes being overpotted, i dont see that as being a problem. Your media seems rather peaty for cephs, which as you said yourself, like welldrained media. It could be a sign that drainage and airation for the roots may become an issue.
 
I've had this Cephalotus since July now. It put up a few new leaves which are seen here. However, it appears to have stopped growing. I replanted it a month ago into a 4-inch pot with an airy soil (one part peat, one part perlite, one part Quartz sand) with a light layer of peat on top. I only water it once a month allowing the saucer to dry out. It gets one hour of direct sunlight a day from the window and spends the rest of the day in bright shade or under my 14 watt lamp.

I haven't noticed any growth in about a month or two, and one of the leaves rotted off a few weeks ago.

Is something wrong?

One consideration is that your Cephalotus is simply slowing its growth in response to shorter days as mine are. The plants were producing leaves left and right up to a month or so ago, but have decreased their speed lately.

My plants spend the entire year in shallow water trays, deeper in summer -- shallower in winter months; and I never allow Cephalotus to dry completely. The death of the leaf you mention may simply be that: a dead leaf. They all have finite lives after all -- particularly while young . . .
 
Bigbella makes a good point, but it could also be transplant shock, cephs HATE having their roots disturbed...and it very well could take over a month for it to settle back in
 
Bigbella makes a good point, but it could also be transplant shock, cephs HATE having their roots disturbed...and it very well could take over a month for it to settle back in

Transplant-shock can pose a potential problem; but if you manage to repot the Cephalotus with a ball of compost, and not expose the rhizome completely, there shouldn't be any halt in growth. I routinely repot mine, while taking divisions and cuttings, every year to two years without any problems whatsoever . . .
 
  • #10
BigBella, take in account, the size of the plant. Id imagine mature plants could take root disturbance and division alot easier than a young cephalotus. Maybe Ahmad can clarify is repotting method?
 
  • #11
BigBella, take in account, the size of the plant. Id imagine mature plants could take root disturbance and division alot easier than a young cephalotus. Maybe Ahmad can clarify is repotting method?


I did disturb the roots when I repotted it. I took it out of the soil and put it into fresh soil in a new pot
 
  • #12
BigBella, take in account, the size of the plant. Id imagine mature plants could take root disturbance and division alot easier than a young cephalotus. Maybe Ahmad can clarify is repotting method?

Oddly enough, it is often the more established and older Cephalotus that have the greater reputation for setbacks or death from transplant shock than the younger plants.

In the future, when transplanting, take a small amount of the compost along with the Cephalotus to minimize any potential shock; although, I've received bare-rooted plants for years, especially from overseas, without any incident . . .
 
  • #13
That mix seems kind of thick to me. I'm no Ceph expert, but I think that the addition of a larger grain of perlite would help - or better yet, lava rock. My own Ceph is potted in a mix loose enough that I need to water weekly, because it holds very little water on its own. I also keep it in a tray, but I try to not leave much or any standing water. At most, there's a centimeter or so in there at a time, and the pots are all five inches or taller. I also have my Ceph pot mounded, so that the plant and most of its rhizome is actually above the rim of the pot.
Superthrive is always worth trying, too.
~Joe
 
  • #14
There you go Ahmad, root disturbance and poor soil airation are the two most like culprits. ill let the experts take it past this though
 
  • #15
That mix seems kind of thick to me. I'm no Ceph expert, but I think that the addition of a larger grain of perlite would help - or better yet, lava rock. My own Ceph is potted in a mix loose enough that I need to water weekly, because it holds very little water on its own. I also keep it in a tray, but I try to not leave much or any standing water. At most, there's a centimeter or so in there at a time, and the pots are all five inches or taller. I also have my Ceph pot mounded, so that the plant and most of its rhizome is actually above the rim of the pot.
Superthrive is always worth trying, too.
~Joe

I think that the mix is fairly conventional (save for the peat top-dressing) and not too far from what I use with some of my plants. Typically, I use a 2:1:1 ratio of sphagnum peat, perlite, and horticultural sand, or the so-called "Charles Brewer mix" often mentioned on this site, which also includes some chopped long-fiber sphagnum, pumice, and charcoal in the mix.

Half of my Cephalotus also have a live sphagnum top-dressing -- more for aesthetic purposes than anything else. I also use a sphagnum "wick" through the drainage holes to ensure constant moisture . . .
 
  • #16
Having Cephs pause for a while after repotting isn't completely abnormal.

Other's mentioned the mix having excessive peat - not imho. I've grown them in all sorts of mixes ranging from 100% peat to lighter mixes - no difference in growth that I could see (although I prefer an approx 2:1 organic to inorganic mix - which is even heavier than your mix).

One suggestion: don't allow it to sit in water for very long but water somewhat more frequently...

Hopefully, it is just taking some time to establish a good root structure down below before it resumes topside growth. Earlier this year, I had an adult ceph cease growth for 2-3 months. About the time I was starting to move past curious and get a tad concerned, it sent out several pitchers in a few weeks. Why did it just stop growing? Who knows...? They can definitely be idiosyncratic little plants ... ???
 
  • #17
They're not that touchy. I've severed plants while just trying to pull the leaf for propogation. I've picked them up and moved them and while they go into a short funk they don't die. As to my mix, it is sand and peat, with a topdressing of LFS, preferably live. I water from overhead when the tray is essentially dry and the plant is in the center of the mounded surface.
 
  • #18
if you did repot it, it may be doing its growing under the soil. Its still green, so don't sweat it too much.
 
  • #19
I see the growing point on my plant now and it looks like it's about to shoot up a new leaf in a couple weeks.
 
  • #20
How's the ceph doing? Has it recovered?
 
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