LECA Update + Maintenance | Pros + Cons, Nutrients, FAQ

[@RobertMontero-j9j]

For anyone watching this lately, the new roots that grow into water are considered water roots and are totally good being in water. The roots that shouldn’t be in water are the soil roots. Not all plants like leca. Generally speaking, if it isn’t easy to get the soil off the roots, it’s probably not going to do well. Hydroponic and semi hydroponic loving plants tend to have large diameter roots. My Monstera’, Alocacias, and calatheas love semi/hydroponics but the philodendrons hate it. Thin roots bad. Rope roots good.

[@savannahray7665]

The white stuff isn’t mold! it’s nutrient deposits on the outside of the leca balls. this means there are too many for that plant to absorb, or more than it needs. so - either water less frequently or lower your nutrient concentration. could be that this is a cuttting so it doesn’t have as many roots to absorb it but it’s not a huge deal, just reduce nutrients and you’ll be good! 🪴

[@coqui_tasha]

I was now catching up on this video and was about to post this!!! 🥰

[@mollysgotmakeup13]

Adding on to this, if you have hard water, that will also leave mineral build-up on the leca! Even if I don't add any nutrients to my plants I get the mineral build-up since my water is so hard. (:

[@savannahray7665]

@@mollysgotmakeup13 I didn’t think of that but definitely makes sense!

[@jake6681]

I heard when learning about leca, because I don’t have any plants of my own in leca, but if the roots are naturally growing into the water in the leca pot, that they are growing to withstand the water. Kind of like water propagation if that makes sense. But if you take a plant from dirt to leca, those roots aren’t meant to withstand being in water, cause they’ve been grown for soil, so they have to grow new roots towards the water that will be able to.

[@feelspecial9084]

Yes and also i like your profile picture.

[@poonywooon]

This makes a lot of sense!

[@jake6681]

@@feelspecial9084 Thank you so much

[@adelafuente2012]

My monstera Got root rot I scrubbed it all off with soap and water and let it dry out for A-day. I now have it in water and was thinking of putting it in leca. Do you think this is a good idea? I am new to this

[@jake6681]

@@adelafuente2012 Monstera Deliciosa generally has a good success rate in leca. I think it’s a good idea, here’s a good detailed video, kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqWZdYOejb9kgbM you probably only need a couple of minutes where she describes how to transfer it.

[@ravensandoval7659]

I think from my research the advising of having a layer of leca between the roots and the water is mostly for when you are first transferring a plant from soil to leca. Especially if you are transferring to leca to battle root rot, its to give the plant a chance to grow water roots rather than having them sitting in the water to continue to rot. All my plants in leca, (really only a few) have now grown well into the water and are doing great. I have my large monstera in leca after root rot and shes putting out new leaves constantly after almost all her roots rotted prior to leca.

[@aliciacuetureyes]

I am afraid to put my monstera constellations back to soils after 3 months in water for RR.

[@tiffanykp3899]

I love this helpful video!! 🌱♥️ Can you do one on sphagnum moss on the future?

[@wildfern]

Yep sure!

[@soilfreebee115]

I let my water roots sit in the cache pot! My plants are happy and the roots don't seem to rot!

[@Chronically.sarahdayton]

Thank you so much for doing this video! I really enjoy your content, and it's so encouraging to me that you're so patient with us newbies. Just a warning on using mason jars or other jars that are smaller at the top (or even in the middle)- after the roots get too large, it's nearly impossible to get the roots and LECA out without breaking the glass jar or the roots. It will definitely work for a bit, but not long term. I only know from experience lol 😅

[@LaurensLeaves]

As someone who has around 30 plants in leca, I think the biggest con is flushing them😅 it takes a long time and is definitely a labor of love. As for your question about the roots being submerged in water, I don’t mind it when the roots are in water. If it gets to be too much I just rearrange the roots back up into the same pot. I’m considering transitioning some plants from leca > soil, wish me luck!

[@wildfern]

Thanks for the info! How often do you flush yours?

[@rosesnewbeginning3547]

Do you still have many plants in leca ? And of so how often do you flush ?

[@rawrritsxreptar]

Love this update! I've been transferring a lot of my plants to leca lately and am waiting to get some Lechuza Pon to try out, too!!

[@rawrritsxreptar]

Also, I don't think it's a big deal if the roots grow down into the water. I have had no issue with it. I think the roots grow accustomed to the water so they shouldn't so easily rot.

[@suedub5156]

I'm a 100% soil girl but I love your hair, plants, and your updates!

[@jojojogonzalez2371]

Actually you can mix thenpotting soil with leca, that gives more aeration to the soil and you plant will grow healthier. So you can totally do that with your monstera, just mix 60% potting soil with 20% of leca and the rest you can add chunks of orchid bark or active charcoal (it’s awesome for the plants, every single one of mine have that) 🤍

[@wildfern]

Awesome thank you!

[@kaakaa1998]

Could you elaborate on this more please?

[@Renzyyyyyy]

As a beginner in using leca, this video is so helpful. Thank you so much ❤️ Love from Philippines 🥰

[@gabrieleweidhuner5727]

White deposits are excess calcium & mineral salts from your water & nutrients. Just flush frequently. If you want to transfer from leca to soil, just remember the roots from lec are essentially "water" roots so the plant will have to grow "soil" roots so there will be another adjustment period.🙂

[@alphaanomalous1520]

@wildfern I grow all of my plants in Leca. I have an Oncidium "Sharry Baby" 2 Moth Orchids, 1 "Grand Duke Of Tuscany" Jasmine A Tea Rose Begonia Golden Pothos and 2 Lily of the Valley all on Leca. They are in self watering pots. The kind without a wick in them. I rinse the Leca with the plants still in them once every 3 months due to salt build up from fertilizer. I use only Hydroponic based fertilizer. All of the roots eventually grow inside the self watering pots. I have never had an issue and they are all healthy.

[@gurlmadeincanada]

Leca looks so weird to me, just like aesthetically. I like to get my hands dirty, and plant in my basic ole'soil mix . Glad your TC is finally thriving tho! ☺️💚🌿

[@wildfern]

I know right hahah. I definitely prefer the look of soil, but it it makes my plants happy... 😆

[@gurlmadeincanada]

@@wildfern and thats what matters most !!!

[@diannawarner340]

I have many plants in Leca. The roots always find their way to the water. I don't bother them unless there are a lot out of the net pot. I have never had issues with the roots that escape the net pot and are growing in the water. Many times, if the roots growing in the water bothers you it can be unpotted and repositioned in the pot. It doesn't necessarily need a bigger pot.

[@hazeieris4478]

Do you put it in a pot with drainage holes or one that contains the water? I've kept mine in glass jars at the moment but just see the lower roots sitting in a little bit of water collected at the bottom... not sure if whether that's a good thing or not...

[@MrGeemonty]

Love the video! All these "semi-hydroponics" videos just recently started popping up on youtube for me. I grow cannabis using hydroponics but had never heard of this "semi-hydroponics". Had to check this out thinking it was like partial soil or something but this is just a slightly modified kratky method, basically more leca less water. I mostly grow using the Deep Water Culture method which uses an air stone and air pump to oxygenate the water the roots are sitting in. If you are having troubles keeping the roots from rotting this might be something to consider. I have a giant golden pothos that I grow this way and it is super healthy compared to my soil grown one and looks super awesome with the clear water reservoir I use which allows me to see the bubbles. Cleaning algae sucks. The downside to this is that if the air pump stops working for w/e reason the roots can rot on most plants once the air stops flowing, some plants wont have this issue as they can develop "water" roots. For this reason I never have my roots fully submerged as a sort of short term kratky system until I can get my air flowing again.

[@sonyvaioboy]

Just an FYI.. I use rain water for all my house plant watering. Even bringing the water inside the house to acclimatise before use. My Monstera Albo is in Leca, the roots are going mental but leaf output is slow at the mo.

[@meowjessicarose]

Minimalist Cali let’s the roots sit in water because they’re adapted to water and won’t rot :)

[@coqui_tasha]

I have no issues with it either.... if it grew into it, is used to the water.

[@brandyward1167]

Helpful video! I enjoyed watching during my breakfast ☺ Love your kitchen countertops btw!🤎

[@alanaBAWK]

Basie Plants has lots of cool videos about hydroponic growing and some of the myths people talk about regarding leca (like not letting roots into the water reservoir - it’s totally fine and they shouldn’t rot). I’ve also recently tried making my own version of lechuza pon and that’s been really great for hydroponics too! It seems like transition soil roots into pon is easier than transferring into Leca.

[@emmasplantz]

I've been wanting to get into LECA...this is motivating me ! Great video :)

[@rosterdam7198]

Omg you’re absolutely stunning

[@allisons2509]

I’m loving all of these videos and your consistency 💕💕💕💕

[@wildfern]

Thank you so much 🤗

[@EpiphanyX5323]

I've been debating switching plants to Lechuza-Pon ever since I've been having a battle with wood mites that I got from some coconut husk chips I bought off of Etsy. Impossible to get rid of unless I throw out the mix they are in and repot them all, which sucks since that is a lot of money being thrown away because of all the amendments added. Luckily, they don't hurt my plants, but they are annoying. The general consensus, from what I have read online, is: Week 1: Nutrient mix. Week 2: Water only. Week 3: Flush and new nutrient mix. Week 4: Water only.

[@syafiqahazmin4777]

I have all of my plants in leca and I'm a lazy plant person so I just let my roots in the water. Sometimes I put leca in the water to elevate my net pot so it wont touch the water. I usually just rearrange my roots in the same net pot and it will take me around 3 mins to do each one. I'll take out half of the leca, take out the plant and fill my catch pot with water untill its 3/4. then i submerge my net pot with half of the leca that is in there, put my plant in and then the rest of the leca balls. The water makes it easier to arrange plants especially when you have few plants growing in the same pot. I hope it works well for you. Goodluck!

[@judymckerrow6720]

Looks like your Thai constellation is living a good life. I would probably be checking the PH of your water after you put the nutrients in. I just recently asked someone who has a BEAUTIFUL collection of plants living in leca. They certainly seem to know what they’re doing.💚🙃

[@AquaStevae]

Ooooooookay Fern. You've finally convinced me, and thus I ordered the General Hydroponics set. Looking forward to some great success. How much nutrient water do you make at one time, and will it keep once it's in water, or do you only make as much as you need at that moment? Thanks.

[@wildfern]

I just make as much as I need at the time. Good luck - hope you get good results!

[@plantwithrae3656]

Finally!!! I am pumped for this update! I’ve been wanting to get into leca so bad

[@plantwithrae3656]

Also I think that’s mineral buildup on the leca not mold but I could be wrong.

[@jennifersilva7434]

Oh and it was nice chatting with you in the description box😂

[@wildfern]

😆

[@angelinemccloud1258]

Thanks for this video because this is exactly what I was looking for cause I’m wanting to try it.

[@noahvandenberg2214]

I’ve been using leca as well as seramis for quite a while now and I have many opinions on it. On the one hand I love it bc of the low maintenance and I also agree they don’t get pests easily bc they tend to be happier. The only thing I noticed was that whenever I get lazy and leave the water in the reservoir too long the roots will rot bc the water does. I also noticed this happened when the water got too hot. Another point is that I have a mature mamei, white princess and atabapoense in LECA and they loveee it. So they do grow mature they were all cuttings once. This is my opinion but I find using leca succesfully is very personal but I advise anyone struggling with a plant they love to try it out. (oh and keeping the pH low is also very important I found) :)

[@beautifulenigma1724]

The dried leca reminds me of freeze dried raspberries and the wet leca reminds me of cherries. Apparently I’m ready for spring and summer foods haha. Love your videos!

[@Peggles83]

I have been growing orchids in semi hydro with pumice and lecca for a couple of years, if the roots grow into the water then they have adapted to it, so its usually not an issue in they stay in the water, but make sure your now submerging roots used to air. I have also grown calathea in lecca with good results (it literally broke the bottom off my vase with its root growth) i had to put it into soil, so added more aeration to my mix and made sure I kept it constantly moist until it had time to adapt, and had no issues

[@cristybrown7685]

Wow! This is super attractive because I had spider mites and fungus gnats. Summer is coming. I will have to investigate further. Thanks!

[@charlesdeuter]

As long as you leave some portion of the leca above water (about 2/3s above the waterline is the rule of thumb most people seem to recommend) you should be fine. This is really just to keep a healthy population of air roots. Superthrive doesn't have all the macronutrients you need to grow plants, but it does contain lots of natural growth hormones (auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins) from the kelp and will help the plant establish itself faster.

[@lexiesmith4235]

Omg you made one. Thank you fern!!! 💕💕

[@wildfern]

No problem 😊

[@sillyNAHcheeto]

I love your leca vids. First of all, I always wondered about transitioning water levels from props to rooted plants. Honest updates are so helpful too. Thank you!!

[@ThePlantedCarlyflower]

I have a bunch of plants in leca. Never had a real issue with it. But I’m moving most into a DIY PON mix. I find it much easier and much less maintenance.

[@natassianewton8420]

I was under the assumption that plants in leca cant get pests so I didnt spray them down like I do with my plants in soil, but then my Cebu Blue thats potted in leca ended up getting spider mites. So it is possible for them to find their way to plants in leca as well. 😒 As for the roots submerged in water, a lot of my plants in leca end up doing this and I have had no issues. I believe they form "water roots" which is why they are green and white and super thick and healthy. I dont repot until the roots start looking a little rootbound or if it looks like its going to be an issue untangling them. 😊❤

[@sloeberdoet]

thrips and mites lay their eggs into the leaves and not into the soil. Leca is known for getting less pest like fungus gnats, root mealybugs and a few other pests that lay their eggs into the soil but not mite an d thrips sadly.

[@anoekremminga6228]

Not sure if you can go back to soil once the plant is in leca! I feel like its becoming more like a water plant and in my experience a plant that has lived in water for a longer period of time doesn't really like it to be back in soil. I also feel like the succes ratio of leca is way higher when the plant goes from water to leca than from soil to leca :)

[@jennifersilva7434]

It's ok if the roots set in the water reservoir since they are water roots. If I need to repot or check the roots, sometimes I have to pull the plant out for maintenance, I will repot the roots above the reservoir. I haven't had any problems yet and it's been almost a year for a lot of my plants. I also use dyna gro foliage pro nutrients, it's just one mix and works great.

[@angelinemccloud1258]

Wow I have had issues with my raphidora tetrasperma rot as well so had to re root then potted in a coco chunks n some noot n perlite n it’s finally doing good awesome roots and finally getting new growth.

[@pink408209]

No resources but I have now transitioned two plants for leca to soil. One was a Thai constellation I used chunky soil and a net pot and it loves it. I have tons of new root growth and need to repot soon because the roots are poking out.

[@notafraidtogarden4806]

I have been using LECA for about a year now. I have a syngonium in LECA and it’s doing wonderful. I just took clippings from it because it was to big. I haven’t used any nutrients yet and my plants seem to be doing fine. I haven’t repotted my syngonium and the roots are fine. The roots are touching the bottom. I might purchase the nutrients and use in case I see my plants looking sad.

[@mathilda6763]

I have a few plants in leca and didn't notice any negative impact from the roots growing into the water. Tbh I've got some plants in passive hydro with (airy) soil with a piece of synthetic rope as a wick...the roots grew down into the water reservoir without rotting either. I personally like leca for epiphytic plants because I think it's giving the roots more air than a soil...can't say if it keeps plants from maturing because all my plants in leca are still relatively young.

[@xkgditsiraogxpyjtd8079]

This is perfect. I just bought leca this morning 😍😂

[@tackybydesign5226]

I am also in the same boat my Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma, sigh it rotted initially (both of them). I switched over to a pon alternative. My plant still had some rot during the transitioning so we will see. Seeing your plant living well gives me hope lolll

[@tammystewart2734]

Thank you Fern for sharing that. I think I will try a few of my new Hoya plants. Much appreciated from Idaho

[@wildfern]

Best of luck!

[@alison3623]

I am by no means an expert on leca... I just happened on the things on amazon a few years ago because I thought they were cool. Then by chance I used them to try to rehab my Red Velvet Echeveria who was having root problems. Once I got it to establish roots I put it in fast draining soil and I kept a few of the leca balls mixed with the soil to keep it even more fast draining. My Red Velvet has been a slow grower for me, but she's much better off than a few years ago. She's putting out new growth and she's still in the same pot I put her in after the leca. I realize now that when I repot her I need to get those leca balls out of there. But my suggestion is to transition your leca plants into fast draining soil and see how they do. Thanks for the great video! Still learning about leca and this helps me!

[@wildfern]

Awesome! Thanks! I will probably transfer to soil in the summer.. maybe lol

[@frau_caro]

Hi Fern, love your plant videos! I have 40+ plants in Leca since almost a year now and I am super happy with the transition. It took me weeks! :-) Though, I had some plants that were struggling at first: namely Alocasia Black Velvet, Alocasia Zebrina and two of my Philodenron Scandens as well as some Pilea and my Calathea Zebrina. String of heart and pearls died on me in soil and Leca so I guess that it just me being very unlucky with those. I tested smaller (4/8) and bigger (8/16) Leca balls and the small ones did give me quite some root rot. So I cut them back, put them into water to grow new healthy roots and put them back into bigger Leca balls and they seem do be doing just fine. I guess that might be due to the oxygen and how easy it is to reach the roots with the bigger Lecca balls vs. the smaller ones. All other plants, including Philodendrons, other Alocasia, Calathea, Sanseveria, my Zamioculcas and others were fine since day one in Leca and especially my Monsteras like the Deliciosa and the Adansonii love the Leca so much more than their soil home as it seems - they are thriving! I use fertiliser for nutrition for all the plants, too. Oh and I let the water roots touch the water but am keeping an eye on them once there are bigger chunks in the water, just to be sure :-) I think it should be fine for water roots but once the roots come fresh from soil (cleaned!) I would not let them sit in the water all time right after transitioning as that is more likely to rot from what I see. The white stuff does not look like mold. It might be from hard water or it is just some minerals. I see the same with some of mine. Never PH tested my water yet, but tested filtering it. Greetings from Germany :-)

[@Ryansfiona]

Hey what fertiliser do yo use? Because I am from Germany too

[@frau_caro]

@@Ryansfiona all mine are happy with the simple Seramis "Vitalnahrung für Grünpflanzen und Palmen". So I stick to this and conveniently never needed to try anything fancy that needs mixing :-)

[@Ryansfiona]

@@frau_caro ahhh okay danke :))

[@liv_ryan]

Hi Fern ! have a few LECA plants / cuttings. My favorite thing is the minimal mess. Both have roots that are pretty much in water and been like that for over 4 months and are doing just fine ! That white specks on the top of the adansonii could just be the minerals from the water (like how it shows on clay pots) Ikea has some good LECA and it comes in a resealable bag! I wish all soil had that. :) Cheers

[@CorpseBride64]

I've been gone a long time because Fern's hair is white now, lol. I have certain plants in soil and some in Leca. It all depends on what I feel they need. But so far, so good.

[@torquess454]

Omgosh I have the mate to the cover pot your Adensonii is in! Mines white based though and about 8 inches ID Cool!

[@Coleywoleybeech]

You’re doing better than me!! LOL my croton has been such a pain in the ass I put the nursery pot in a pot that has water in it and I just let it sit in there and it’s in SOIL 😂 it’s been alive like that for atleast 6 months, no new growth but I’m not giving it the sun it needs but yeah ever since I did that it stopped dripping leaves and getting crispy

[@abbeynooy4399]

Hehe so happy to wake up to this videoooo ❤️💚❤️

[@abbeynooy4399]

Also would love to have a water/fertilize w me vlog since it is winter time 😊😊

[@kathrynrosemua]

Thanks for another great vid! Have just started trying some leca and pon with some of my alocasias. I have had all the issues with root rot with my TC cutting so am going to give semi hydro a go with it after seeing your success. With regards to transferring from leca to soil I would assume it’d be similar from water propagations to soil and ive seen people use sphagnum moss as a bridging medium to get roots ready for soil.

[@ArthurGrey.]

Seeing the mineral deposits and that you're using GH, I've heard many people use half of the recommended dosages for each bottle. This helps prevent overfertilising and of course, the mineral build up. I believe Knot Dude here on KZbin has said he does that as well and it's seemed to work very well.

[@wildfern]

Good to know, thank you!!

[@ArthurGrey.]

@@wildfern Watching your new video right now! I'm so glad to have found your channel. 💕

[@noeli.a3815]

love your videos! Could you do one on your greenhouse and pant lights in the future? Almost all my plants nearly die in winter time and this would be very helpful :)

[@noeli.a3815]

and by the way you hair is gorgeous!

[@joymychoice]

Soil scientist from gardening in Canada talks about transitioning plants from LECA back to soil in this video. Very interesting information! 🙂

[@Lia-zg1iq]

Hey Fern, I'm very interested to hear about how your pest situation in your cabinet is going. Funny enough, I had the same problem at the same time. Now I have integrated beneficial bugs for the first time and am happier than ever! How about you? 😊

[@wildfern]

Oh that's awesome, I've really been wanting to try beneficials! There are still some mites in my cabinet, but I don't think they're spider mites. It's so puzzling. I'm not seeing much damage so I'm not too worried.

[@caitlincampb]

LMAO YASSS, THIS IS MY KINDAAAAAAA VIDEO!!! 😍

[@wildfern]

Omgsh hiiiii, I was just thinking about you! Hope you're doing well 💕☺️

[@chrystalsabin4091]

I would transfer your Thai into soil, it's definitely ready for that. I have a few of my plants in leca and they're doing well. Thanks for sharing.

[@jaejohnson350]

I just switched a few of my plants to leca last spring, so I'm still fairly new to it, but I let my plants' roots grow into the reservoir and my plants still seem happy. I was having a hard time with my rubber tree (we just didn't get along 🙄) but after I moved it to leca I'm finally getting more leaf growth and less dropped leaves. I also tend to have fungas gnats issues, so I want to slowly switch more and see if it helps.

[@maowinl.9981]

I am interested in trying leca but i just ordered Sphagnum moss so maybe next time. 💚🌿

[@ceciliabrasier6745]

Hi Fern, I use leca and my roots on my pothos are in the water because they grow really fast. I am considering transferring my Hoyas out of leca because I've heard some negative things about the roots sitting in water but as of now they are doing well. I recently got the stuff to mix up some pon and I'm going to try that as well.

[@lanakravets7012]

I only have 4 plants in LECA and no fails, 3 alocasias and a syngonium. I let the roots sit and water and haven’t had any issues. I only had to repot my silver dragon once because the roots got so big that they looped around the bottom of the pot, twice 😬

[@nopantsandhouseplants5886]

Also Canadian :D yay! I got my Brockytony from Canadian tire!

[@starlightvampire]

Regarding LECA, I would definitely check out MissOrchidGirl's series on it and ask her questions! Danny is super helpful and even though she mainly grows orchids, I think the potting requirements for orchids and aroids are similar enough that you'd find her videos helpful!

[@Fairymetalparadise]

So I only have my alocasia black velvet in Leca. I’m really new to both alocasia & Leca. The bottom of the roots/roots are in the water but not the bulb or whatever it is called.

[@jennacisterman7479]

Idk if anyone has said this already but in regards to the roots in or out of water I think the plants do better when the roots aren’t submerged but lord knows I’m not uppotting my ish every month or so lol so I just “adjust” the plant in the pot it’s already in by taking it out and cleaning the leca with a good hot rinse and then I put the plant back in the leca using the one third rule and repeat when the roots grow down into the water again!

[@wildfern]

Oh this is clever. Thank you!

[@royellyty]

Roots above leca is necessary for the first transplant but if the roots grow into the reservoir I just leave them and haven’t had any issue. There are some root death eventually so for leca that makes it easy as I just pull them from under the inner pot

[@aaronjc476]

Thanks this was helpful!

[@wildfern]

Great! You’re welcome

[@rhondafisher72]

I have my Adansonii in lecca but the leaves are growing small, maybe come spring they will grow bigger. My Hoya Crimson Queen is grow nicely in lecca, its only one stand but showing new growth.

[@nataliajuszczynska6734]

For how long do you keep your grow lights turned on, I mean what time do you turn them on and off? I heard that it should be at least eight hours but I am curious about your opinion. I’m going to have mars hydro soon because of your recommendation and I’m so excited!!😌☺️

[@wildfern]

I have mine on from 9am to 7pm so ten hours :)

[@kbtt99]

Thank you for another amazing video. ☺️ How is your little princess puppy ❤️ take care . Please do another video ( how to transfer from soil to lecka . Ty☺️

[@dstnyvrsn4806]

Have you tried pumice? I’m really curious to try it out

[@luisabyr3333]

Great video. How often do you change the water and fertilize.

[@wildfern]

I don't change the water very often, probably about once every 1-2 months and fertilize every few weeks.

[@luisabyr3333]

@@wildfern Someone told me that you are supposed to change the water every week.

[@luisabyr3333]

@@wildfern The plant store told me to change the water every week.

[@QuirkyCaitie]

How often should I replace my sphag moss? It’s turning green and idk why. Also my fungus gnats have been out of control during this winter regardless of the prevention techniques. I’m trying hydrogen peroxide next, what ratio do you think?

[@purplehazee13]

have you tried diatomaceous earth or mosquito bit tea?

[@QuirkyCaitie]

@@purplehazee13 diatomaceous earth hasn’t seemed to help at all, and I mix mosquito bits into my soil. Maybe I’ll try the tea method. Thanks!!

[@purplehazee13]

@@QuirkyCaitie i haven't tried either method, thankfully the gnats left on their own once i let the soil dry out. I've heard the bits can get moldy which could attract more gnats. that's why people recommend making a tea. and the DE only works when top soil is dry. np!

[@wildfern]

Yes I'd try the mosquito bits. And regarding sphagnum moss, mine gets green sometimes too and I've never noticed it effecting the plant negatively.

[@karenmyers9146]

That might not be mold but a buildup of fertilizer salts. Also have you ever tried Stratum it is an aquarium substrate Already fertilized

[@brittanyholland9361]

I have an unrelated question - are you still using the Cannon G7x to film with? Your videos are such good quality! Love how thorough you were in this video! I remember when I first started my LECA journey I watched your older video. Thanks for the update!

[@wildfern]

Yes I am! Thank you ☺️

[@brittanyholland9361]

@@wildfern In your latest watering video you mentioned you’re looking into a new camera - which are you looking into now?

[@prettypothos4me290]

My pothos have grown with fully submerged roots in water only in jars for years. No Leca. I need to keep trimming them. The leaves are same size as in soil, some are larger. I change the water once a week and add one quarter strength liquid fertilizer.

[@nopantsandhouseplants5886]

When you have plants in Leca, you must fertilize often because they don’t have any nutrients from soil. And I leave the water level get to 1/3 to 2/4 of the pot. :)

[@nopantsandhouseplants5886]

Also hydro fertilizer needs to be different than regular fertilizers. There is fertilizers that are meant for hydro :)

[@knitwit2871]

I’ve had my syngonium albo in water for quite some time now so I think I’m gonna switch her to lecca. I have a few in lecca that do well but I haven’t had luck with propping in lecca

[@ForeverMods]

I think that the roots growing in Leca are water roots, especially those submerged in water. Guess it is quite a long procedure to revert them to soil. I switched to Leca as I hate fungus gnats.

[@Jayl__]

oh cool i didn't know you're canadian! should tag your video as such! I think I would've been more engaged knowing you are from Canada and have similar tropical environment as me.

[@carolannbolinger3795]

This was interesting. Thank you

[@sparticusharlo2627]

Have you tried checking out videos on hydrogen peroxide ? And checking the pH for that specific plant. I find them helpful but watch several different ones to learn different opinions and results. Lucky LECA TO YOU!! 🍀🍀🍀🍀

[@He_is_an_alien]

ooookay, so in my experience trying to transfer from LECA to soil it quite a journey, if you wanna give it try, using mycorrhizae is the best course of action, what i do is that i take the plant out of the leca, and use coconut fiber(sorry idk the name in english) this fiber is like the one you would use for sowing seeds mixed with wormcastings and some pumice , is like dirt, I would add some mycorrhizae directly on the roots, and use the coconut fiber as potting medium for a at least a month, the mycorrhizae will help to grow a really good root system, you can also use Trichoderma 2 weeks after doing all what i mentioned before BTW mine in leca are pretty much always in leca, on the other hand, I only use wormcasting tea as liquid nutrients, with has all the nutrients plants need, this helps bc it doesnt burn them. I know my method works bc they have been growing like this for over a year :P

[@j.r.4666]

Which company do you buy your wormcasting tea from? Sounds so intriguing since it's more of a natural/organic form, right?

[@He_is_an_alien]

@@j.r.4666 Im from Costa Rica, I buy from a local company 😅 I think they do not sell overseas, yeah, is really natural I have to say, I know it also works, bc it's been over a year since I started my leca journey

[@marceloescobar9446]

Thanx, love u!

[@gaiachavez3276]

Love the hair😎

[@ThePursuitofJoy]

👁️ freakin' 💚 LECA. 🌱

[@peaches1431]

When you flush your leca, lift your roots up so they not in the water. P H is important so the plant can absorb the nutrients, because leca and pon are no soil no nutrients in it like soil, it should be 5.5 to 6.5 after nutrients are added. Make sure to shack bottle after each nutrients are added, then test P. H. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS !!!! ❤️😊💖😍❤️😊👍

[@D0J0Master]

Do you know if the hydroponic nutrient solution you are using is vegan? Hard to find any info online.

[@karlyharris2941]

I bought a hoya cutting that is in leca, is it bad if some of the roots are touching the water? They grow so fast and straight down .

[@sloeberdoet]

I had thrips and spider mite infestation with my plants in leca because they lay their eggs into the leaves and not into the soil. I don't have problems with fungus gnats because they lay their eggs into the soil.

[@pklfeedtheflame]

Not mold, just mineral deposits! In the lower mainland my tap water with GH nutrients comes out at around 6.5 PH? Which is too high because it goes to 7+ after some time. I bought the testing and PH down from Canadian tire (Root Farm) and I just need two drops to get the PH down to 5. I let water roots grow and stay in water. As long as the soil roots are potted high enough with that 1/3 of leca below, by the time it reaches the water it should be happy to stay there Hope that helps!

[@wildfern]

Oh yes this does help, thank you! I think I will grab that Ph kit next time I am at Canadian tire :)

[@something.about.plants2495]

I’m thinking about starting to use Leca for propagation!

[@OfficailSamMarieZie]

As long as you add nutrients to your water the plant is getting everything it needs that it would get from soil. Plus this eliminates fertilizer because you know exactly what your feeding your plant vs you don't know what nutrients are in the dirt. especially after is been potted in the same soil for a while

[@sarahg2665]

I usually grow succulents/cacti but I’ve recently branched out to aroids. I have an Alocasia Silver Dragon that just put out a massive leaf and I’d like to transfer it to leca. It’s doing great in its current mix (I’ve never repotted it since getting it from the nursery. It seems like its in some kind of coco coir mix) but I’d like to decrease the chance of pests and try leca out. Does anyone have any tips for transferring a happy plant to leca? I’m in zone 9-10 along the Texas coast so we get a lot of humidity and it sits under a grow light