Re: Intro

Phil (cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk)
Wed, 10 Jul 1996 21:18:25 GMT

In your message dated Tuesday 9, July 1996 you wrote :
> Hi,
> I've been subscribed to this list for a few days and thought I'd
> best introduce myself:*) Where to begin...? Well I live in London and
I've
> a little bog garden in which grow Drosera rotundifolia, a few Sarracenia
> (flava, purpurea, ?alata x catesbaei), Darlingtonia, and pinguicula
> vulgaris. Although the surface area's small ~5ft square it's nearlt 3ft
> deep so it dosn't dry out. Over the years the cobra is the plant that's
> taken over with five or six runner plants over the bog.
>
> Indoors/summer cold frame are a cephalotus, dionaea, U.livida, D.adelae
and
> P.grandifolia.
> I'm also building a terrarium as I write.
>
> I presume the best time to re-pot the cephalotus is autumn/winter, I was
> advised by someone to include fallen oak leaves in the potting mix - any
> comments on this?
> Anyway 'nuff said for now, I may have some questions about lights for the
> terrarium if I run into problems, if that's OK.
>
> Anyway, bye for now. Iain.

Welcome to the list.

I would advise you to repot your Cephalotus during spring. This is the time
when it, along with most other carnivorous plants are in most active growth
which will enable your plant to recover quickly from the disturbance.
Repotting while the plant is dormant will leave the plant much more
susceptible to fungal infections and rot.

As far as using oak leaves in the compost I would not advise it. The oak
leaves are likely to encourage the growth of Botrytis mould which will
rapidly move onto your plant. You are far better off using a standard
peat/perlite sand mixture.

-- 
Phil Wilson
(cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk)