FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

G'day everyone, several months back I bought two small Cephalotus plants which were only about 3cm across. Before I ordered my plants, I did some research on potting mediums and found that recipes for soil mixes varied wildly. The only constant recommendation was that the soil mix had to be free draining - this I found a bit unusual as in nature, Cephalotus are often found growing in areas that are very wet or on the margins of a pond or bog. I decided on a couple of free draining soil mixes - One I planted in a mix of peat, sand and vermiculite, the other I planted in a mix of peat, sand and perlite. Otherwise the two plants have been given identical growing conditions - same pot size, same amount of light & moisture and same temperature and to my surprise there has been quite a difference in the growth rate of the two plants.
See for yourself.

That's interesting Linton. I'm not sure that 2 plants provide you with enough information to make any concrete statements (you'd probably need a few more), but have you drawn any conclusions from the two potting mixes?

True, the only way to scientifically test the theory is to use lots of plants that are genetically identical - but as I only had two, I thought that it would be interesting to try two different soil mixes and share the results so that our members can judge for themselves.

linton wrote:True, the only way to scientifically test the theory is to use lots of plants that are genetically identical

Sounds like a good project for someone with a lot of cephs!

Thyey look cool

The mature pitchers look very prehistoric, and in this form very red. Many people have said to me that Cephalotus can be temperamental and difficult to cultivate - but so far, I have found quite the opposite. I'm quite looking forward to Spring when the new growth should really take off and am hoping to see some non-carnivorous leaves develop.

awesome pics were did u buy those plants???