Cephalotus in a bonsai dish​

Following one of the golden rules in the cultivation of Cephalotus - deep pots- I was always ​surprised how shallow they actually rooted when I repotted them. Even my 20years-old plant never rooted deeper than some 10 cm, although I offered it much deeper containers. Today I think it is the volume of soil that assures some buffer capacity against fluctuations in temperature and moisture, what is really beneficial here. Deep pots have the disadvantage of stagnant conditions in the bottom area, and less permeability of oxygen, both of which will increase the danger of a fungal infestation.

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To use the benefits of greater volume without taking the stagnation risks, I chose to try a very shallow dish and pile up the soil to a little hill. The container of my choice was a bonsai dish, 24x18 cm wide and only 6cm deep. I used a mix of equal parts of sand, low decomposed peat (H1 grade) and long-fibered Sphagnum, and topped it with some live Sphagnum - a mixture that kept the stability for three years now, standing in the open and exposed to wind and rain. 

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Here some pictures over the course of 18 months - quite happy how the Cephalotus developed in there. 

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