A Soil Scientist Review Of Lechuza Pon // DIY Lechuza Pon Recipe // Lechuza Pon Maintenance

[@GardeningInCanada]

Here is your online guide over on the website gardeningincanada.net/lechuza-pon/ This is the DIY Recipe gardeningincanada.net/diy-lechuza-pon/ Here is how to transfer a plant to Lechuza gardeningincanada.net/transplanting-into-lechuza-pon/

[@ezcape49]

Hi I need your help on some research. My neighbor stained their fence and the over spray got all over my vegetable garden. I know my plants are done for but the soil concerns me. The brand is call Ready Seal and they claim it’s Biodegradable and it won’t contaminate the soil. I just don’t know how ture that might be since it’s a petroleum byproduct. They claim it will Break down in 14 days in soil and 21 days in water. Thank you

[@Silly7852]

Would it be good for a young indoor mango tree?

[@plantingwithnat]

I am not able to get the recipe for DIY Lachuza there is an issue with your account.

[@chowfun1976]

I transitioned my Monstera obliqua peru’s to pon after they languished in soil and they sent out new growth like gang busters. As did every other plant I switched to semi hydro. I really really really love this product.

[@maryannmahlmeister524]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I have been searching for more information on Pon, and you have shared an enormous amount of useful information that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand. I’m so grateful to have found you!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful! feel free too share

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

Great info, thank you. I bought the zeolite & lava rock at Home Hardware, they both are sold as salting icy walkways alternatives. I got the pumice & perlite at my garden store, already had the general fertilizer set, so so I'm good to go!

[@zgoat4127]

I grow mostly Cannabis but love growing everything and I find your videos very informative and really enjoy them

[@GardeningInCanada]

thats perfect

[@DAjanapeterson]

THANK. YOU. SO. MUCH!!! I have struggled to factual information on how to fertilize with lechuza pon in a semi hydroponic setup!! This is honestly the first time I’ve heard any type of knowledgeable recommendations! Thank you again! The part I am surprised on is the flushing. I didn’t think it would be required as much as the leca since there was a coating of fertilizer. That was silly on my part to assume!! BRB going to flush all my plants lol….

[@GardeningInCanada]

I also have a recent video going into very thorough details. Its about 6 videos ago and is about LECA but directly works for lechuza

[@LindaEnfield]

Thank you for producing this video. I’ve used Lechuza Pon for almost a year now, all my plants transitioned fine. I’ve also grown from seed and rooted cuttings with no issues. I flush my plants at least once a month and use Liquid Gold Leaf fertiliser (half dose) when my plants are established, cuttings I use Canna Rhizotonic. I absolutely love the stuff and wouldn’t go back to soil, never tried leca.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Perfect!

[@minciNashu]

Are you using reservoir setups or just use it as regular soil?

[@LindaEnfield]

@@minciNashu reservoir

[@blingblingNme]

@@LindaEnfield Are those organic or inorganic fertilisers? If I'm not wrong, she mentioned in the video to avoid using organic ones. And the inorganic fertilisers available where I'm based all seem to be granular. So hard to find liquid based types😭😭

[@LindaEnfield]

@@blingblingNme according to their site…. No it’s not organic but it is biorational. It works with beneficial organisms.

[@MsDragonfire1992]

Thank you for this video. Someone advised me to try lechuza pon when I menchiomed to them about slowley changing ally plants over to lecca saying it was better than lecca. I've just ordered some from their site to try out. The reason I wanted to go for a semi hydro set up for most of my plants is I'm disabled and some plants that need regular watering especially in summer if I'm having a few days where I'm really poorly amd can't water them they suffer for it. Where a semi hydro set up can go longer inbetween waterings plus the pon will last much longer and won't need to be changed put and just flushed now and again rather than my soil plants that I have to repot and change all the soil out every year or 2 which takes so long and works out long term more expensive. Plus another thing when I water my plants I do sometimes over water if I feel I'm getting poorly and not going to be able to water then for a while again ans because I initially over watered they then suffer with root rot and such so I feel there will be less chance of it happening with the pon as they will just absorb what they need as and when they need it and develop water roots as apose to soil roots that become suffocated when they have too much water.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Lechuza works awesome. If you neutralize the pH it is even more effective

[@laurendao4467]

I’m so glad I watched this! Just got some “diy” pon and would have wanted to use organic fertilizer when the slow release was use up. Will definitely not now, thanks to you!

[@single_use_planet_]

I rinsed it until it went clear, then potted up a plant, watered it and got a brown soup at the bottom, so I washed it all again and got more brown soup! Washed until clear again and I hope this time it's actually clean...

[@Reefspidey]

Very interesting stuff! I’ve definitely noticed that plants transition to semi hydro better in pon vs LECA. (I get asthma when I work with soil so all my plants are in LECA or Pon)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Now that's interesting! thank you for sharing that other folks will find that helpful

[@katherinesanchez_]

dude!!! thank you so much!! I have been thinking about making my own pon, and this video has really helped clear some things up..

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s awesome!

[@skyangelthefan]

Great Video! Thank You for making this video. As a Nurse, I enjoy learning about scientific 🧪 break downs and learning about the “medical/scientific” break downs. I am taking notes 📝 👏🏼👍👏🏼.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@suekuan1540]

..and I noticed some of the planter pots that Lechuza makes ( German manufacturer of Playmobil toys subsidiary) includes a bit of the Pon material for a base substrate!

[@sabinpantis4149]

I use Lechuza-pon for my entire haworthia colection. everyting is fine so far.They just love it

[@GardeningInCanada]

thats awesome

[@Zen.....]

@Sabin Pantis do you use this as a mix replacement no reservoir? have you tried it for echeveria and other succulents?

[@sabinpantis4149]

@@Zen..... I use it exactly how it is.no reservoir.works perfect for lithops, crassula, Aloe,etc

[@ladyhagaming]

just a quick little fyi or by the way thing.... lechuza pon does make some without the fertilizer in it , and i have noticed that sometimes getting more lechuza can be tricky since a lot of time its out of stock . thank you for sharing

[@gyzmo8]

Was just looking for a vid on pon. Perfect timing. This was super great, thanks! Subscribed :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

awesome! welcome

[@mhalle36]

Hi ! Loved this video, very informative. I did not get the recipe for homemade pon…. I realize the video is 3 years old but I would really appreciate your advice on this.

[@Sockermonstret]

Oooh, I've been waiting for this video! Finally 😍

[@shannon7543]

(If you haven’t yet) Could you do a video explaining how growing in perlite works? I have several plants that THRIVE in perlite but not in pon or leca. Thank you!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I do have a perlite video

[@positiveandhealthy2728]

I'm glad I found You! I need to know where to start, with budgeting and living a healthy lifestyle.

[@damiansutube]

This seems very interesting to me. I personally am attracted to inert media. To be honest it’s very very similar to bonsai mixes that don’t include Akadama like the many USA sourced blends. Seems good for the cost but seems hard to find in stock which could be an issue. A lot of good alternatives out there too. Thanks for the video.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea I agree lots of options

[@YaGirlCorinne]

Hi, I swear I'm not crazy but once I saw a reminder for this, I freaked out with excitement to watch. I have been waiting -- not patiently -- for this lmaooo so I'm so excited to watch. I swear I'm not crazy lmaooooo love your channel! The best!

[@GardeningInCanada]

hahaha thats awesome

[@GianJurado]

Thanks for the really awesome video! Always love learning about the science behind these things :D

[@GardeningInCanada]

awesome

[@erinestes7598]

Fantastic video. Fan girrling over here. Also waiting for someone in my life to lie so I can raise an eyebrow and say, that’s bold of you.

[@r3i2x]

Thank you for these basic information you shared. Let see what rock scientists has to say about lechuza pon since it is more under their scope of support.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Rock scientist study nutrient uptake in plants? That’s interesting didn’t know that

[@lnltropa12]

Excited for this video 😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

Woohoo! That’s awesome

[@jeffnoble3316]

Can you do a video on fluval stratum? A lot of plant people I know are switching over to stratum to root their plants similar to a perlite prop. It's like halfway being perlite and pon I'd say

[@GardeningInCanada]

I will look into this!

[@jeffnoble521]

What exactly is the buffering regions for zeolite? All I can find on it is that is can buffer regions in pH 2.5 and 10, both outside the typical range for plants and nutrient bioavailability

[@smackers102]

Have you reviewed Molly's Aroid mix yet?? I would be interested in your thoughts on it. My plants seem to enjoy it. :)

[@mari.n.w155]

I was doing some research of making my own pon and found bonsai soil. It seems to be the same as pon. Do you know of this would work the same?

[@zgoat4127]

Also love the ink

[@GardeningInCanada]

thanks!

[@ThatanOmega]

Would a hydroponic fertaliser be better? Especially if you are using a reservoir?

[@GardeningInCanada]

yes it would

[@jodaboda1]

You've probably seen it, but Swedish Plant Guys basically just drop a root ball, soil and all, into a pumice semi-hydro setup and they say it works great (no root rot). Presumable the pumice wicks away excess moisture. Probably depends on the amount of soil and pumice, saturation, humidity, etc.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I havent!

[@CoFFee123..]

I did exactly what Swedish Plantguy said. I remove my Rex Begonia from it’s original nursery pot and placed the whole plant into a self-watering pot of pumice and rainbow rocks ( similar to pon). And the begonia is thriving. I did that more than 2 months ago. I did the same with Alocasia and it’s also doing wells . I added slow release fertilizer every 2 weeks. Last time, I removed almost all the soil from my plants and all died.

[@lilyt5855]

​@@CoFFee123..are they still doing okay? I'm definitely attracted to the idea of not having to get all that soil off, but there just didn't seem to be enough other people who have tried this for me to have dived into it yet. I didn't want to be the first!

[@CoFFee123..]

@@lilyt5855 The begonias were doing well in the beginning but later not so. So, I decided to remove as much of the soil as possible from the root ball and grow them only in rainbows rocks( similar to pons) but they are not doing well. Cane begonias seem to do better in the self- watering pot and In rainbow rocks compared to the Rex begonias. Hopefully my Rex begonias will recover with time .

[@sarahm1894]

OMG!!!! This is soooooo informative!!! Thank you!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed! Be sure to share it helps the channel out a lot ❤️❤️

[@EliezaBaby]

Can you do Fluval for aquarium substrate now becoming popular for household plants collector for roofing cuttings please 🙏

[@GardeningInCanada]

Really? thats so interesting thats just pumice

[@melanieklarofficial]

Super helpful. Thank you for this!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stitISH]

can I mix Leca with pon? and i bought big lava rocks by mistake , can i I use it with the mix of leca and pon? thank you

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yup! No issues there

[@ginonymous]

Would Osmocote Plus be a good substitute fertilizer in your DIY recipe? Thanks for the video btw! :)

[@723snoopy]

I've been seeing lechuza pon everywhere but have been waiting to see what you think before I buy anything! Now I don't know what to do with my 25L of leca balls, since I want to change to pon haha

[@mwoods4608]

Sell or trade on fb

[@GardeningInCanada]

good point

[@silverdicer]

Hi Ashley, firstly thank you so much for such an informative video, it's appreciated. I have a question..since using 100% 'Pon' is considered semi hydroponics, at what PH level would you recommend I water my plants with?..I have placed my Monstera Deliciosa and philodendron pink princess plants into this 'medium' and want to make sure I'm watering with the correct PH to ensure nutrients are readily available to the plants. Thank you for your time.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You want to be at the 6.5-7 range forsure

[@silverdicer]

@@GardeningInCanada Thank you for the swift reply, you're a star!

[@NaTyra6411]

Great video! How often should you flush pon and do you need to flush perlite also?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Whenever you start seeing that salt build up or once a month is good

[@Reefspidey]

When you were talking about fertilizing, did you mean after 6 months or do you mean we should microdose fertilizer while the slow release stuff is still active?

[@GardeningInCanada]

After the 6 month. You don’t want to OD the plant

[@margimorris7360]

When you say micro dose at the end of the video, do you mean fertilising at 1/4 strength for PON

[@gp6254]

Thank you!!! Questions… their website says the slow release fertilizer originally coating lechuza pon is organic. What does this mean in conjunction with what you said about using organic fertilizer?

[@GardeningInCanada]

You can use organic it’s just important to keep on top of the water. Organic can get semi slimy!

[@gp6254]

@@GardeningInCanada oh wow awesome. I’m still kinda scared to after watching this video 😅 Btw just to update, I emailed them and their website has an error when it says they use organic fertilizer. It’s actually synthetic!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ohhhh! That makes sense

[@frasercook5823]

A couple of my Hoya species are in this, they thrive very well. My choice was a mix of shared experience of using pon for said species or trying pon instead of hydroponic which they had said was fairly working. I don't think every plant need to be in this as mimicking nature work the best.

[@GardeningInCanada]

thats awesome

[@gp6254]

1 more question pls 🙋‍♀️ If using a mix of soil and pon, would using organic fertilizer then be ok? Thank you for sharing all this w us!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would stick with synthetic if possible

[@gp6254]

@@GardeningInCanada will do thanks 😊

[@mwoods4608]

I have a hoya that had one of those stupid orchid plugs on it. I tried to get it off, but the roots are already so small... so I just added the pon to the pot n mixed it best I could. Do you think I should pull it back out n clean off the roots??

[@GardeningInCanada]

leave it but watch for signs of rot.

[@plantyhappyandneedcoffee]

So if you had a plant rot in lechuza...could you sterilize it and reuse? How would you sterilize it? Boil it?

[@GardeningInCanada]

yes absolutely

[@plantyhappyandneedcoffee]

@@GardeningInCanada thank you so much!

[@degendary]

Hello, thank you for video, i will start to prepare my pon mixture, i also think to add charcoal, what do you think about it, i thought it might prevent bacterial activity in water...

[@GardeningInCanada]

It might to a point yes.

[@lindsaysisti3813]

Best video on pon I've ever seen. Thank you so much, it was incredibly informative. Just what I needed to nerd out on!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to share!

[@maria-giulianalatini1724]

when you rinse the pon so thouroughly wont it rinse away precious fertilizer? How do you get rid of, or even avoid, growth of algae?

[@GardeningInCanada]

No a lot still needs to decompose a bit before being bioavailable. And the Algae May happen but it’s not a bad thing. It provides oxygen

[@sherrystone2396]

I used lime stones and dosent seem to be making a difference. My imp pink is turning yellow and im wondering if i could add dolomite lime and if so how much? Should i add it to the pon or soak it in the water and water it in? Is there a different kind of lime i should use? Not sure where to go from here.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Was it in soil before? It could be transition shock

[@sherrystone2396]

@@GardeningInCanada Its been in pon for a few months and was doing good but now getting kinda yellow

[@leho2617]

Great Video! Though sodium ions aren’t all that large

[@love4plantsnmore182]

Can i used a hydro fertelizer with lechoza pon rigth away or i have to wait the Six month before fertelizing it

[@GardeningInCanada]

Wait the 6 months

[@love4plantsnmore182]

Ok thank u soo much💚💚💚

[@GardeningInCanada]

Anytime

[@charlesdeuter]

Great video! I wish I had a video like this when i was trying to figure out what the deal was with pon! If it hasn't been suggested already can I nominate the famous 'Al's gritty mix' recipe for some attention? I'm really curious about how it works! Specifically is the claim that 1/8th-1/4th is ideal for drainage.

[@charlesdeuter]

KZbin won't let me link to it but if you google 'Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention IV' you should find a link to a forum post on 'Dave's garden' There is also a company called Bonsai Jack that sells a modified version packaged!

[@GardeningInCanada]

that actually looks really good!

[@LindaEnfield]

Please rinse lechuza pon outside if you can otherwise you may end up with a blocked sink

[@GardeningInCanada]

oh really?! thats crazy

[@LindaEnfield]

@@GardeningInCanada there’s a lot of dust and grit that comes out of it initially so best to be on the safe side 😉

[@suekuan1540]

You mention the Pon mix is not good for carnivorous plants. Do you think you concoct one up for us carnivorous plant lovers ( eg. Venus flytrap)? Good to see a Canadian out doing this content😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

You could do a mix just without the slow release

[@5085858]

Do you need to balance the PH of pon or does the zeolite perform this function?

[@GardeningInCanada]

no it should be just fine.

[@mariaurbana23]

looking online for zeolite, i see a few options. there is 'green zeolite', as well as stuff branded for plants, for pet cleanup, aquarium use, etc. are these actually different products, or is it all the same and just branded differently?

[@GardeningInCanada]

its all the same relatively speaking

[@sherrystone2396]

Hi, i would like to make my own pon for eriostemmas. I currently have a ruthie i would like to root and grow in pon but it would need to be alkaline i think. Could i add lime ztone and if so how much? Its recommended to add oyster shells but dont think that would go well with pon. Any ideas would be great!!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would do 10% lime for that. And oyster shells are not going to do much.

[@sherrystone2396]

There are a lot of different recipes for diy pon what do u think would work best? 1part pumice or 2? 1 part lava or 2? And same for zeolite?

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would do 1 part each

[@edgardriba7513]

Thanks Ashley for this video. I am just now looking at lechuza pon as an alternative for growing figs in containers. I live in Panama, and where I live it rains a lot, and the figs don't like (at all) the excess rain. I had a couple of questions. When you said to not use organic fertilizers, does that include things like vermicompost? Adding vermicompost or other organic matter to this growth medium is not desirable? And the other question I had has to do with fertilizers. Right now I am using a chemical fertilizer 12-24-12 that I add monthly to my fig trees (about 1 1/2 tablespoons per month). After the fertilizer that comes with coated on the lechuza pon wears out, can I continue to add the fertilizer that I currently use? < Thanks again!

[@GardeningInCanada]

perfect

[@mogwaii2912]

So for a combo soil/pon mix for Alicia elephant ear, 70/30 maybe? Thanks 😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

yes! perfect

[@mogwaii2912]

Thanks 😊

[@martabm9985]

So it's safe to mix pon with soil as I mix soil with perlite, right? I've been told I could never ever mix pon with soil.

[@GardeningInCanada]

There is no reason why you can't

[@aniliname]

I do it all the time. It works very well. As an addition to soil it's great. I guess the other way around (some soil in the pon), it can become anaerobic and that might've been what they were warning you about?

[@lindak7251]

Lovely video! How often would it be good to rinse the pot with pon to flush out sodium etc?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Whenever you start to see salt crust building up

[@renatosantana9308]

Hi! I haven't seen the video yet, but I have a question. What are renewable options that can replace Lechuza-Pon/Leca to do semi hydroponics with houseplants? I've started cultivating monstera in clay and the results are amazing but I'm a little concerned about the impact of using those mineral substrates.

[@romy1223]

It’s basically just types of lava rocks … you can sanitize and use again and again so this is very sustainable especially compared to moss or soil. The 4th ingredient is just fertilizer… which you add yourself anyway

[@SeungCanFade]

Hi Ashley, so I have a question about Lechuza Pon and a popular fertilizer called liquidirt. To my understanding LiquiDirt is a blend of organic matter ground to nanoparticle size for speedier decomposition into bioavailable nutrients for the plant. Is this process through bacterial activity or can this decomposition happen naturally/temporally? I've been using this fertilizer with Lechuza Pon and I worry that using a mineral based substrate will inhibit bacterial activity that breaks down the organic fertilizer. My background is in chemical engineering so I may be misunderstanding something.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea… so liquid dirt or an organic fertilizer is not really compatible with hydroponic growing unfortunately. I have a video coming out today on this actually

[@blingblingNme]

@@GardeningInCanada Anxiously anticipating this!! Thank you :)

[@mohdyazeedibrahim9015]

what is the recommended ratio of Pumice: Lava Rocks : Zeolite?

[@ginonymous]

It’s 1:1:1 as per recipe on her site

[@nwyk153]

my plants grew like crazy in pon! except for my alocasia mac. Such a drama.

[@stitISH]

can i use pumice instead of leca and pon for my plants? thanks

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yup! Absolutely

[@melanieklarofficial]

What is an agronomist?

[@ezcape49]

Hi I need your help on some research. My neighbor stained their fence and the over spray got all over my vegetable garden. I know my plants are done for but the soil concerns me. The brand is call Ready Seal and they claim it’s Biodegradable and it won’t contaminate the soil. I just don’t know how ture that might be since it’s a petroleum byproduct. They claim it will Break down in 14 days in soil and 21 days in water. Thank you.

[@GardeningInCanada]

oh goodness... um the best way to reclaim that if they say its biodegradable is to keep it moist and warm.

[@ezcape49]

@@GardeningInCanada Thank you.

[@marilingargari1866]

Hi! I just watched your video and it was incredibly informative, thank you! I wanted to make your DIY pin recipe but when I entered your website it says that the account has been suspended 😢 Where can I find your recipe? Greetings from San Antonio Texas!

[@kuppelhagen]

Hi there. Got a few questions that I hope you can answer; what kind of roots does the plant (in my case my Coleus collection only) develop when planted in lechuza pon only - soil roots, water roots or aerial roots? Can plants grown in Lechuza pon be transfered to soil later? I got lots of air-pots. Would it work to fill them with lechuza pon only, or would it dry out too quickly? How would vermiculite work with lechuza pon - would it be beneficial (in a air-pot if possible since I have so many?) or do nothing for it? And all the hype with Mycorrhiza Fungi - would it work to sprinkle some of that onto the roots when re-potting to a larger pot ( I mean, the lechuza pon does keep the roots pretty clean so it would be easy access to the roots) or does mycorrihiza only work/work best in soil? Loved the video - great information!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Soil roots due too the abrasive nature of the substrate. And therefore I can be easily transferred into soil.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Lechuza pon and air pots won’t mix well it’s too porous

[@GardeningInCanada]

The myco may survive in lechuza but I have my reservations as to whether or not it would work. And vermiculite I believe has too much water holding capacity

[@kuppelhagen]

@@GardeningInCanada Sorry, English not being my first language. When I wrote you the idea was the have a mesh like tulle or something on the inside just small enough for the Pon to stay inside but large enough for the roots to get air pruned and encourage axillary roots/growth of new roots. Untill now, when watering the air pots I have not watered from above, but submerged the entire pot in a large container with water and let it soak throughout, then let it drain the excess water before being placed back under plant lights. I didn't write that in my comment. Was just wondering if it would be possible to run the same routine, but with Pon instead of soil. When you say Pon is too porous, do you mean they would not hold inside the pot or the way it would affect the root growth in a negative way?

[@kuppelhagen]

@@GardeningInCanada Gotcha, I was merely curious 🦝

[@aprilwebb330]

Thank you. I have used both DYI pon and Lechuza name brand pon successfully for most plants. Plants with tiny roots usually die. I am not sure if that is because they are too fragile or if i am doing something wrong? Also, do you think winter (U.S. indiana weather almost as cold as Canada) weather will cause some of these plants to die off when they are not drinking as much water?

[@GardeningInCanada]

no typically the roots are different when grown in water

[@pyan5197]

Great video. Thanks for your detailed explanation. I live in Ontario, and don't know where I can buy pumice other than amazon which is very expensive. Can I replace it with coarse perlite or diatamaceous earth rocks ( available in hardware stores for use as oil absorbents)?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed

[@sherrystone2396]

Could recharge be used in pon?

[@GardeningInCanada]

You could! just remind me real quick we are talk myco recharge right?

[@sherrystone2396]

Yes that is the stuff!!! I think it has some organic stuff in it though. Should i only bottom water or does it not really matter?

[@plantedwithashley3367]

So good to know about the organic fertilizer being a no-no! Pon isn’t a fit for me and that’s ok!

[@GardeningInCanada]

love that attitude

[@deborah3783]

Hi Ashley! Thanks for the video and blog post! Very helpful! Glad to know that lava rocks don't actually help that much. Due to the weight of lava rocks, I've been planting my water-rooted plants in pumice & zeolite only. Good to know that's ok. Question though... I'm not keeping a reservoir and have been top-watering my plants (in pumice & zeolite) as if it's normal soil, but using hydroponics fertilizers (not organic). Will it be ok if I stop using zeolite and plant only in pumice in the future? I'm in the process of trying to transfer a big pothos into pumice & zeolite (I'm sick of dealing with fungus ngats). It's sitting in water right now for a few weeks of adjustment period. Wish me luck. T_T About not getting rid of the soil in the root ball... have you seen the video about planting in pumice by the Swedish Plant Guys? They actually take entire root ball (soil and all) and replant it in a bigger pot with pumice all around it. They mix their pumice with clay powder. They use this system along with a self-watering system and seem to be quite successful with it. BTW, I found this video only through your blog because it's unlisted in KZbin. Not sure if it's on purpose? Oh, and I can't wait for your zeolite video!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea! I actually don't have it live on KZbin get and won't for a while. I pre film a lot of my videos and have them unlisted. But you are such a good subscriber you found out my secret ;) I will post videos on the website regardless of the KZbin release date. I haven't seen the Swedish plant guys video no but it would definitely work so long as its not a hydroponic or semi hydroponic system. If you intend on leaving any water in the system you'll want to revisit the idea of leaving soil in place. As for you question about zeolite. Yes, absolutely you can remove it and go with straight pumice. The key is to continue to use the hydroponic fertilizers regardless. Thanks for all the support

[@SL-pr1lw]

@@GardeningInCanada It’s in my feed on KZbin as scheduled for august…I can’t find a way to watch it yet through your site but I’ll settle for reading the blog post until it’s live!

[@deborah3783]

@@GardeningInCanada Oops! By yay for secret not-yet-release video. XD XD Kool! I'll continue using hydroponics fertilizer and stop mixing zeolite in once I'm done with the current batch then.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’ll take it of the schedule and unlist it so you can watch

[@kesselbrenner]

Great video Would you recommend using lechuza alone in a large container maple tree or adding it to a mixture or adding organic material to lechuza?

[@GardeningInCanada]

i would add organics for something that large

[@manuelvizcarra4110]

Az phoenix do the lactobasila video pleas

[@GardeningInCanada]

sounds good!

[@Reefspidey]

What do you think about adding large zeolite chunks to LECA to buffer the pH? Maybe as an alternative to pon :o

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea you could give that an honest shot! its going to come down to your water to a point as well. there are a ton of factors involved so testing and experimenting is always important

[@MrTeenStyle]

Hey Ashley, thank you for the awesome content. You're my indoor gardening guru... 😭 Q: when you say granular fertilizer, does that mean the slow release stuff? Ty!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha awe! And yea I’m referring to slow release

[@MrTeenStyle]

@@GardeningInCanada Ah, okay! Tyvm! Your On The Ledge episodes are so great! Recommending to errbody

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha that’s awesome! Please do it helps enormously

[@mogwaii2912]

Awesome video 🤩

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for watching!

[@xyz-pg3zd]

What's your favorite substrate?

[@GardeningInCanada]

i honestly dont have one i a adjust them all

[@natashaoreilly3546]

Great video!! Do you think it’s okay to use mycorrhiza with pon?

[@GardeningInCanada]

yes you can the only concern is that they don't survive in anaerobic environments

[@natashaoreilly3546]

Thank You 💚

[@lorenville]

Hello from Manitoba 😁

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hello neighbour!

[@plantingwithnat]

Lechuza also has basicpon which has no fertilizer.

[@PlantsLoveandSoul]

Hi new subscriber here. Thank you so much for the info. Which inorganic fertilizer would you recommend?

[@PlantsLoveandSoul]

Nevermind. Found it on your site

[@GardeningInCanada]

awesome! glad you found it but did you find what you needed?

[@carolinasv525]

Thank you so very much for the information, I appreciate it! I am still wondering though, to confirm... Can I use Liquidirt if I make my own Pon, and don't include any osmocote or any other fertilizer? Thanks!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would try to use something else liqui dirt doesn’t have enough nutrients unfortunately

[@carolinasv525]

@@GardeningInCanada oh no! I thought liquidirt was really good for plants! If I may ask, what fertilizer do you recommend? And would it be good for soil, LECA, and pon? Or just pon? Thank youuuuu!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@botanicassie]

Superthrive rocks but I don’t think it’s an all around fertilizer but any liquid fertilizer will do!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would follow this guide gardeningincanada.net/semihydroponic-fertilizer/

[@olivemaclean]

😍

[@lorenville]

Never heard of this

[@GardeningInCanada]

Now you know

[@dominika3762]

Lechuza now sell non fertilised granules

[@SimaShangde]

In my opinion there is nothing special about Lechuza Pon, it's just yet another well marketed product which has some big claims that allows to justify increased profit margin. The ingredients are grit fraction rocks, they are almost chemically inert in the substrate and all the nutrients come from the fertilizer. You can virtually use any type of porous rocks and get very similar results, with some minor differences in capillary actions. Even zeolite, which is known for it's ability to exchange cations, can barely do anything useful there, unless it is ground into at least fine sand or even finer.

[@chowfun1976]

What is “German lava rock”? Are there volcanoes in Germany? Lol

[@estheaslz]

Yes, we actually do have volcanoes 😄 Even active ones. Especially in a low mountain range called “Eifel” ☺️👍🏻 I have climbed the rim of an extinct volcano with my dad once.

[@FBIagent22-q1d]

I didn't understand a word you said. My goodness! I think I will stick to good old fashioned soil.

[@lianecarlson9931]

I know I'm a bit late on the comment train! I have a question on the fertilizer amount for the DIY recipe. You mention a quarter dose - is this a quarter of the recommended dose on the fertilizer? (I plan do put in osmocote which suggests "1 capful per 2 gallons" in which case I would do 1/4 capful per 2 gallons) Or is it 1/4 in ratio to the other ingredients (I notice you suggest 1/4 cup of fertilizer and 1 cup of everything else, so does that mean 1/4 cup of osmocote, 1 cup pumice, 1 cup lava... etc)? Thanks so much! I really enjoyed your video and your scientific breakdown of how pon works. This will be my first time using it for my plants, primarily hoyas.

[@Darknamja]

😉😉

[@Szu-Ping]

Can I use Liqui-Dirt fertilizer?

[@kendravoracek3636]

💚💚