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Could a companion plant encourage growth?


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I have two Cephalotus growing side-by-side, in exactly the same medium, repotted the same time, and in the same size pots. They have been growing together for a few years and have always been approximately the same size, though they are not the same clone. This year a fern, presumably a seed from the peat, has grown in the pot of one of the Cephalotus and that plant has grown significantly larger than the other. It could be down to a number of factors, but has anyone got any thoughts as to whether the companion plant could be causing this, maybe through increased competition?

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This is very interesting, I have two Cephalotus (a standard specimen and a 'big boy') on my windowsill next to each other - again same medium but the standard one has a large D. Capensis and lots of moss growing in it. The one with the companion plants flourishes and is putting out lots of new growth, the other (the big boy) continually struggles.

I was begining to wonder if the companion plant was having a positive effect. My theory was that the additional plants offered protection to the growing point from the sun; the big boy is rather exposed and I continually loose the growing point for some reason.

Richard

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Could the fern be fixing something in the compost in the same way that legumes (peas, beans) fix nitrogen?

Have a look on Wikipedia for "Companion Planting", there's a bit about mosquito fern being used by the Chinese for a thousand years as a companion to rice for just this purpose.

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Very Interesting concept gentlemen. I seen a ceph with a local sea grass growing in the same pot. The overall look was just more appealing. I haven't found a grass that I like yet, but I have lots of sundews I could add to the pot.

I wonder of somehow the competition for space has something to do with it?

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This topic has piqued my curiosity for a few years. Like many, I typically figured that additional plants were just competition. However, I read the page of a noted Nep grower who used straight peat to grow his plants - I always wondered how he could do this successfully. A friend visited his place & posted pics - almost all of his pots were infested by an invasive local grass.

I'm thinking that the companion plants make the media more hospitable - possibly more aerated. A few months ago, I added some U. pubescens to a few Heli pots to play in that direction. I've also been starting to look for some sedge/rush/grass species that I could plant with Cephs that wouldn't totally overwhelm the pot & the Ceph. Suggestions?

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I've also been starting to look for some sedge/rush/grass species that I could plant with Cephs that wouldn't totally overwhelm the pot & the Ceph. Suggestions?

Xyris would be a possibility too.

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I can tell you that cephs in the wild grow with certain plants most of the time, like particular shrubs , near particular tress, with native grass ext. and is how you find the cephs , so yes they do like to live with particular plants for what ever reason , being a symbolic relation ship or they just like the same habitat , as in a few locations some of these other plants,shrubs are absent , like coal mine beach and sand site !. . weather they like other plants that are not AU natives who knows , all ways worth a try I think .

Edited by snapperhead51
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From what I remember from Plant Science lectures, many plants grow together not only because the do best in similar conditions but because they share a relationship with particular fungi. One species may be the carrier of the fungus (it spreads with that plants seeds or in some other way) and the other plants then do best when that plant is present with the fungus.

This occurs with some of our native ground orchids which makes some harder to grow in pots as they need to be at the base of certain trees to do well. From memory there have been a few attempts to see if this is a factor in Ceph's growth but nothing conclusive was determined.

Try different plants and see what happens, if you have Cephs to spare.

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I can tell you that cephs in the wild grow with certain plants most of the time, like particular shrubs , near particular tress, with native grass ext. and is how you find the cephs , so yes they do like to live with particular plants for what ever reason , being a symbolic relation ship or they just like the same habitat , as in a few locations some of these other plants,shrubs are absent , like coal mine beach and sand site !. . weather they like other plants that are not AU natives who knows , all ways worth a try I think .

Can you share with us the particular plants that cephs grow beside in the wild? Mainly the grasses. Those will be the most realistic for us to duplicate.

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Can you share with us the particular plants that cephs grow beside in the wild? Mainly the grasses. Those will be the most realistic for us to duplicate.

the grasses in these photos of coal mine beach shots , dont know there names or where you can get them , there just native to the area

http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50360&hl=

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I guess the fern will be taking up nutrients from the soil. Could you post a photo, be nice to ID it. Do you know the source of your medium (I'm guessing peat?).

I think I potted this one in Moorland Gold. Here's a few hurried snaps:

DFddIL9.jpg

nWiEbx2.jpg

YIkFuDe.jpg

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you really need not worry about plants growing in with Cephs , as if you just feed the pitchers , they get all the nutrients they need, not just from the roots, , where they grow other than coal mine beach , there root systems are massively intertwined with the roots from grass and shrubs , and they grow fine , because they feed them self's, but I Do think they draw some nutrients up through the roots system as well ,

personally I think that growing grass and ferns with the cephs just detracts from the great looking growth habits .and eventually cut to much light out and you will get more leaf and less pitchers . as seen below

P1120327.jpg

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