FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi,
I wanted to run a test on my first Ceph, wanted to look at the ppm after watering from the top.
What I found wasn't pleasant.
I found 440 ppm, I have no idea why is still alive it has been with me a year, and I think I made a mistake the first time I repoted it.
I didn't have my TDS meter back then.
Is it good idea to change the soil???



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What medium is under those stones on top and what is the TDS of the water your using? Or perhaps the stones on top are leaching something into the medium?
BTW-the plant looks fine to me so why upset the apple cart if you don't have to?

I don't think cephs are that sensitive. Some growers add salt to their soil. I believe the thinking being that cephs grow near the sea shore, salt spray helps prevent fungus.

Some growers have grown cephs in Miracle-Gro.


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It is unwashed sillica sand,vermiculite,perlite and peat moss.
I used to have the dumbest mistake of boiling the water and pouring it into the soil and then using the media. Later, after I received my TDS meter I checked the ppm of boiled water and it was 270ppm that plus not washing the sillica sand.
I take my other cephalotus which it's on a nice media (thanks to the kind advices of Nauz) as a reference.



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If it were me? I would just leave it alone since the plant looks very healthy.

Alvin 415 wrote:I don't think cephs are that sensitive. Some growers add salt to their soil. I believe the thinking being that cephs grow near the sea shore, salt spray helps prevent fungus.

Some growers have grown cephs in Miracle-Gro.


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Thanks for the advice, I actually think the same the only thing that worries me is that I haven't seen as much growth as my other cephalotus, and by growth I mean both new pitchers or sizing up the old pitchers.

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Dredd93 wrote:

Alvin 415 wrote:I don't think cephs are that sensitive. Some growers add salt to their soil. I believe the thinking being that cephs grow near the sea shore, salt spray helps prevent fungus.

Some growers have grown cephs in Miracle-Gro.


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Thanks for the advice, I actually think the same the only thing that worries me is that I haven't seen as much growth as my other cephalotus, and by growth I mean both new pitchers or sizing up the old pitchers.

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This ceph is growing in off the shelf orchid soil and sand.




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Alvin 415 wrote:

Dredd93 wrote:

Alvin 415 wrote:I don't think cephs are that sensitive. Some growers add salt to their soil. I believe the thinking being that cephs grow near the sea shore, salt spray helps prevent fungus.

Some growers have grown cephs in Miracle-Gro.


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Thanks for the advice, I actually think the same the only thing that worries me is that I haven't seen as much growth as my other cephalotus, and by growth I mean both new pitchers or sizing up the old pitchers.

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This ceph is growing in off the shelf orchid soil and sand.




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Hell, I think I need to grow them like that xD, WOW those are really impressive , so those aren't under artificial lights right?

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Dredd93 wrote: Hell, I think I need to grow them like that xD, WOW those are really impressive , so those aren't under artificial lights right?

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Thanks, this plant is in a greenhouse.

But, you raised a good question earlier about growth rates.

Perhaps someone should grow clones side by side. One in high TDS media, one in low TDS, then compare growth rates.


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Your using tap water and then boiling it? If that's so that's not removing mineral content.

^ yeah, that only removes the chlorine gas dissolved into it. The minerals will stay there, and if anything, the concentration is now higher because there is less water.

You can always try a gentle top watering to flush out as much minerals as possible.
Also - some silica sand being sold actually isn't pure silica sand, and has a high concentration of salts or shell fragments in it, as they originate near seas.
When I buy sand, I prefer to get pool filter sand, and test it first by having it stand in RO water, and measuring the TDS of the water after a few hours.

I just tested the water in a tray this morning. I recently foliar sprayed fertilizer, so it could be reading higher because of it. This is one of my full sun cephs.


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Nauz wrote:Your using tap water and then boiling it? If that's so that's not removing mineral content.

I used to do that before I got my TDS meter, and then when I got it I noticed the mistake by only testing tap water which was around 220ppm and after boiling it, it was 560ppm so my first cephalotus is on that soil.
Right now I water all my plants with bottled water which is 7ppm.
And I prepare the media by boiling tap water and then throwing it away then use the same method that sundewman shared on his page.
Which has been very effective lately.

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HeliamphoraWalnut wrote:^ yeah, that only removes the chlorine gas dissolved into it. The minerals will stay there, and if anything, the concentration is now higher because there is less water.

Yeah, I notice that a bit late with this cephalotus and some sundews, now I use 7ppm bottled water for everything.

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