Exo,
All I can say is...
Av8 knows what he's talking about, and what works best for him.
It's not that you can't grow a ceph in the mix you are talking about,
after all, you got it planted in that mix.
BUT!!!!....
as you yourself are saying, the plant is not doing well under its current conditions.
There are so many subtle variables (temperature, humidity, light-how long/how intense,
etc.) that affect a plant and the subtle "balance" that it needs. Each type of plant has its own general "range" of ideal conditions, and when one variable is off, it affects the balance and so something else needs to change in order to keep that balance and stay within the needed "range" under which the plant will thrive.
There's also a difference between surviving and thriving. Your plant may survive in peat/sand/charcoal, but under general conditions it may not "thrive".
For a rare and expensive plant like a Cephlotus, I would think it would be worth it to run out within a few days to find some perlite (or to order it online), along with whatever else you may need.
Something Av8 was saying, was that in addition to moisture, a Ceph's roots need AIR exchange in order to supply the needed oxygen! The heavy mix of peat and sand may hold a lot of moisture, but heavy mixes don't allow for the exchange of air, and so the plant suffers.
Again, as Av8 himself says, there are a lot of ways to do things. Indeed because we all have varying factors (micro-climate-environments) in which we grow our plants in, there is some variation (within a range) of what we can get away doing with our plants. Someone living in Oregon or Washington state is going to have a different environment in so many ways, from a person in Arizona or New York or Florida! That is why growing say...certain Neps... outdoors, is extremely easy for one person but near impossible for someone else. (But then that "someone else" may be able to grow VFT's outdoors thru the year better than the person in Oregon/Washington!) Even growing indoors varies tremendously from one home to another. Because of this, some variation is necessary in growing conditions and techniques for the same plant!
People forget that, even here, and that is what has led to the "conflicts about growing methods" that Av8 spoke of.
Back to YOUR Ceph plant... Keep in mind that watering it weekly isn't just about giving it moisture, it is about the exchange of air (oxygen/Co2). Indeed, adjusting the mixture will be necessary if you plan on watering it more regularly. As Av8 tried to tell you, your wanting to stay with only peat/sand/charcoal mixture may not keep your plant in the "range" of ideal conditions the plant desires and needs.
As far as transplanting it safely,
I assume you have already done a search on TF under "Cephalotus transplanting" or "re-potting", or even looked at other posts by Av8 to see what else he might have said about Cephs, or/and searched the net/online for other Ceph-sites like
(
http://www.aqph26.dsl.pipex.com/index.html ) for instance.
If you have, I also assume you have found some techniques, like the water submerging method to loosen the planting mix, or seen some of the many pics online showing how they did their re-potting.... Keep in mind that there are many ways to "skin a cat" (or transplant a Ceph, in this case), and like anything else, what works best for one person may not work best for another.
I can tell you that from what I have seen, there are a few people here who seem to know quite a bit about growing cephs. Of the people here who come to mind who I would trust on the subject, Av8 does have a lot of good experience and knows what he is talking about.
Again, do keep in mind, YOUR individual environment has variations only you can be aware of, and so you ultimately are the one to determine what is best to do. What works for me may not work for Av8, and what works for him may not work best for you. One size does not ENTIRELY fit-all!
I know you thought AV8 was being vague earlier, but from the sidelines he seemed pretty straight forward. Offhand from the look of it, it seemed you were wanting him to give you permission to plant your ceph in peat/sand only, so you wouldn't have to get perlite and other desired media. He kept talking about you using the mix he suggested (to get the best results/success), but your question was indeed confusing!
You said:
I just want to find a mix that I can make with the ingredients I have so that I won't lose my ceph.
Well, he told you that using ONLY the ingredients you had was NOT in the best interest of your plant. It was only when you asked this:
Considering the list of ingredients I have on hand, can you recommend the best possible mix that I could make with them?
that he gave you a guess/suggestion.
If you really are concerned about your plant as you said, I myself would suggest going out and getting the proper ingredients for a good "soil-mix" as Av8 first suggested you do. (We have all been there at one point or another, so I DO understand where you are at.) However from experience, I am making the suggestion that I am. Until you get the "knack" of it, Cephs can be a bit difficult to grow, and if you are serious about wanting to grow one, then you need to give the plant the best chance you can, and that means the best
care you can.
Making do with "the things I have on-hand" is not much as far as getting a Ceph to survive.
I am not sure what prevents you from buying the recommended ingredients, but I am sure you have a good reason. I hope you have better success than many of us have had when cutting corners.
Good luck and good growing!