My Thoughts On DIY Pon After 8 Months | struggles, what I'm changing, pon plant tour, + pot with me

[@wildfern]

Goodnight besties lol I will be answering comments in the morning 🌝 love you all x

[@evelyn_doe]

Hey Fern!!! I soooo love the buns (isn't it how it's called the hair thing? ) and this t-shirt ❤ I haven't tried pon yet but it seems interesting, if you want to you could do a renewed video of how to make pon etc. Many kisses 😘

[@YlvaWinter]

Hi Fern. Here in Germany a lot of KZbinrs use mineral substrates (not the PON brand particularly). I agree that it seems dense and it will be better suited for cacti and succulents. For Aroids and Marantaceae I use a bigger substrate size. I odered lava rocks, pumice and zeolite in 5-8mm and 8-16mm (recipe from a German KZbinr). That seems quite big, but it aerates very well and is comparable to a chunky soil mix. First the plants need to develop specific roots for this type of substrate (similar to putting cuttings from water into soil), so the plant first uses energy for adapting their roots and then later for growing foliage. It is important to keep the pH in mind. Soil can act as a buffer, this substrate not. Tropical plants like slightly acidic water. Because my tap water has a higher pH, I use "pH Minus" to get a pH around 6. Also I don't fertilise with Osmocote, but use liquid fertiliser in low quantities each time I water. I control how much I fertilise with an EC meter. I use plastic pots with drainage holes in a bigger plastic or ceramic pot for the semi-hydroponic effect. I think both the chunky soil mix and a chunky mineral substrate are great for tropical plants, but I and my plants like the latter more because they get a steady water supply. Especially my Alocasia and Marantaceae prefer this.

[@wildfern]

Thank you for sharing! I should definitely check the pH, I'm super curious about it now 👀

[@Lily-kj7wg]

Hi there, do you mind sharing what ec number your fertilizer is at? I'm planning to start my pon journey so I'm just gathering as much info as I can. Thanks!

[@YlvaWinter]

@@Lily-kj7wg Hi there, the PON brand includes fertilizer, you wouldn’t need it extra. If you use a mix without fertilizer, you need to fertilize every watering (with clear water now and then). It is important to use mineral fertilizer as organic ones would lead to rot. It should be adequate for hydroponics / selfwatering, i.e. more minerals need to be included than for plants in soil. It is also important to keep the pH slightly acidic. I fertilize every time I water at 500 microSiemens and some plants like tall Alocasia etc. at 1000 microSiemens. Hope this helps

[@YlvaWinter]

@@Lily-kj7wg so 500-1000 microSiemens in short 😅

[@Lily-kj7wg]

@@YlvaWinter Thank you Jasna!!! I really appreciate the detailed response ☺️ I was doing semi hydro for awhile and recommended by a good planty friend to try out pon but where I live don't have it so I'm planning to diy! Thanks for the helpful info again!

[@qjolene]

Hey Fern. Love your shirt and the little braids, haha 🥺 I’m watching all your old vlogs again because I've been in the mood for your vibes for the last few days. I've been a quiet subscriber for years, so I just wanted to say that I really love you and your authentic content. I wish you all the best and have a nice day! 🪴🌞

[@wildfern]

Oh thank you sooo much 🥺💓 I really appreciate it!

[@JillyC5]

I did exactly the same with Pon, ordered it, didn't like it, got rid of most of it, then realised some of my hoyas love it especially with a water reservoir, so now have ordered more! Also the only way i can keep peperomia alive.

[@EmiMae0117]

The sock idea is genius. I am going to use it. With 4 kids I have so many single socks without their matches so I have a nice collection of sizes to use. Loved seeing the updates and hearing your thoughts from your experience with pon. I use the store bought pon as well as make my own or mix the store stuff with some perlite. All work well for me depending on the plant I am putting in it. My hoyas love pon a lot. Great video!

[@kaylalevesque1789]

If you feel like it, put some of your Hoya in pon! The success I had made me move all of my Hoya plants over to pon. They’re growing soooo fast! I also do add perlite into my pon because it creates more air pockets. I’ve noticed better roots this way. And I didn’t start noticing substation grow in my semi hydro plants until I started consistently fertilizing with 2.5 ml/gal of dynogrow every watering. Also I love the sock idea!!

[@lilyofthevalley54]

Hi Fern. I am a new viewer to your channel. I am an introvert, loner plant lover too! 😊🎉🎉 I am an older person. I enjoy your videos so much. I too like to experiment with propagating and I am so thrilled when I see new growth and leaves., 💚I have grown houseplants for 45+ years. I had never heard of a propagation box.,😊 Glad you got moved. Hi to Olive., 🐈🐕🦮

[@sophiegilbert7290]

I feel like I’m too much of a beginner to try pon yet, but I love it when you share your experience with us! it’s one of the thing I love most about you, how much you experiment and learn and bring us with you on the journey ♥️ also, i love the baby ponytails ✨

[@nickjones2506]

I love when you do plant chores videos, they're so relaxing

[@kefisher7218]

i had never heard of pon before! i’m a pretty beginner plant parent and i love learning about new things like this. thanks for helping folks like me learn in such an effective way!

[@wildfern]

Youre so welcome 💓 thank you for watching!

[@efrondosa]

I don’t use (licensed) pon, but I do use something similar called MAB (I’m in Australia). I find that using it as a standard substrate with drainage and watering it through really makes a HUGE difference with root and foliage growth. I believe it’s the oxygenation from water running through that the plants respond to 🌱🤍

[@wildfern]

Ohh good to know! I haven't tried using it that way, but maybe I should 👀

[@DeeNeesieC]

I just learned about MAB - do you know what it is made up of? I'm so curious about it but can't find much info on it.

[@efrondosa]

@@DeeNeesieC I don’t! But I remember seeing something from the producers, Dr. GreenThumbs, that everything used was for sale on their website, but they didn’t elaborate!

[@gabrieleweidhuner5727]

I have some of my houseplants in soil, some in leca & some in "homemade" pon. The soil plants get the normal slow release fertilizer & some liquid fertilizer. The leca & pon get hydroponic solution. I live in Canada & just buy the root farm brand at my local home depot. I also keep the leca & pon plants in self wicking pots so the roots never sit in water. All of those plants have never given me any problems & seem to grow beautifully. ( I have been growing like this for a few years now)

[@rubberduckie3034]

fern is literally my comfort influencer

[@wildfern]

bless you 🥺💓

[@lynettestone3795]

Thanks so much! I also added perlite as well as extra pumice and even some orchid bark just for fun!

[@tarantula_girl.]

Hi from Saskatchewan! I just watched this and the other video where you made your own pon. In that first video you had a Calathea warzeickzieye (I butchered that) and I'm wondering what happened to it. I only ask because I have one that is terribly depressed but it's still giving me new leaves and trying to live. The leaves are in terrible condition (half dried, strange spots, etc) tho when they unfurl and I'm wondering if pon would help, but I just wanted to get your thoughts first before I mess with mine too much. I hope this finds you well and thank you for the excellent content!

[@wildfern]

mine is actually living in water now as I'm going to be transitioning it into pon within the next few weeks! mine isn't looking great either, so I'm just experimenting and figuring it out as I go lol. I'm hoping a semi-hydro set up is the answer for me :)

[@BoojiePanda]

Those itty bitty ponytails are everything, omg they gave me the biggest grin ever!!!

[@wildfern]

hehehe 🥰

[@RoseAnnaChannel]

Hi ! Thanks for your uptade, really interresting :) I do have two theories on why your plants are growing slower in PON : First of all you're right about the fact that it needs perlite. if the substrate is heavy, the roots have difficulties to grow, than your plants grow slower. The second point, in my opinion, is the fact that you're using osmocote as fertilizer. Osmocote needs a transformation by bacteries in soil to be absorb by the plant. In pon there is nothing to transform it so it's not eaten by the plant. It means that your plants are not receveing any nutriens, they're growing on their limited stocks. They are slower than plants that are receiving nutriens and they might have deficiencies at the end... I would try to use a fertilizer with a simple form of nitrogen (nitric). This way, the plant can absorb it without any transformation. Or you can use other type of nitrogen if you give it by foliar watering :)

[@aniliname]

Lechuza pon uses slow release fertilizer balls and has quite a bit of literature on why the mineral balance aids fertilization, the role of zeolite in distributing nutrients and stabilizing ph and other sources talk about why that particular blend of minerals increases the cation capacity for nutrient absorption. So it’s actually optimized for it. In my experience, pon plants start out slow but speed up later on because when they’re initially repotted they focus a lot of time on new root growth, which typically explodes with the transition to pon.

[@fltgarden4733]

@@aniliname Absorption of nutrients is one thing, but her point is that inorganic media lacks ammonifying microorganisms (because they are heterotrophic) so absorbable nitrogen is not being fixated ("ammonified"). It should not matter if absorption is increased if there is nothing to absorb. The way around this is to use a fertilizer (slow release or otherwise) that use straight nitrate and/or ammonium.

[@heatherkrueger5550]

I have all of my (40+) Hoya in Pon, except one large publicalyx. Some in self watering, some in 4” hanging baskets that I fill until the attached tray is full, and some self made systems. The one similar thing with all is that I can flush them all. I do believe it is important to flush out the mineral (etc) buildup. I do this every 4-5 weeks. My favorite setup is anything I can see the roots☺️💚 I add a little leca into my diy mix. And also saw a tip(I do not remember who) to add a small layer of leca on top to block out light, to slow down the algae accumulation

[@ericabarbknecht3854]

I recently put some socks on my perlite and water propagations to stop the algae- thanks for the inspiration!

[@LindaEnfield]

I’ve been using Lechuza Pon for over a year now. I have all my plants in pon and they transitioned fine, most of them are in terracotta too. Successfully rooted cuttings in pon and grown from seed too - love the stuff!

[@rachelo0423]

I know this is old but you can use Pom with terra cotta pots? How does that work? I thought you had to keep water in it?

[@emilysheet6637]

I honestly love this stage of your hair, you look like you’re absolutely glowing and happy as well. 😘

[@wildfern]

Ahhh thank you 😃

[@elizabethjrich4415]

Hi Fern, I am on my 4th black velvet, the only Alocasia I own. I watched your grow in Perlite video. I have it in a glass vase with a horticultural charcoal on the bottom and perlite in the rest and it lives in a Ziploc bag. It is just popping out its 4th leaf. No algae problems. My Bogonia Angel Wing (also the only one I own) also lives in perlite but has algae. I am going to repot it with the horticultural charcoal. I got a cutting of my Mom's (she passed in 2014) hoya krimson queen from my sil. I struggled with water propagation then I put it in perlite and now I finally have roots. Thank you so much for the work you do to provide plant care tips. ❤️

[@shellyleen5850]

I made my own pon following your directions. Thx. I have some adansonii, lemon lime maranta, heart leaf Philo, Pothos, and Cebu blue in the pon. They are all loving life! I need to put some Hoyas in it as well. Rinsing soil off the roots keeps me from jumping in all the way. I live in an apt & my hubs had a great outside the box, idea to rinse soil off my huge monstera & it turned into a plumbing issue. LOL. With the hoya, will you supplement a fertilizer with a higher middle number to encourage flowering?

[@natashaoreilly7072]

Great video Fern 🤍 Pon is life 👍😂 That is the cutest little anthurium seedling too btw 🥰

[@wildfern]

pon queen 👑 thank you!!

[@natashaoreilly7072]

@@wildfern aww thanks babe 🤍🤍

[@claire.wilcox]

Hi Fern! I have been a subscriber for years and I truly feel like you’re one of my besties :). I have around 150 plants and I would say probably 60-70% are in leca and the other portion are in soil. I haven’t tried pon but I’m super intrigued!! Especially with a self watering set up. I find that my Hoyas LOVE leca and literally will not stop blooming. I’ve never had any issues with rot before so I’m not sure what the problem is. Maybe make sure that you keep your water line below any soil roots? That could definitely cause rot because those roots aren’t used to sitting in water. Also I get all my leca from IKEA and it works great and is super cheap. Just some thoughts if you decide to try it again. Love u, bye!! 💚🌱

[@wildfern]

Ahhh I kind of do want to try again!! I don’t know why I had such a problem with it, maybe it was the brand of Leca I was using. I might pick up another kind and try it out again ☺️ thank you for watching!!

[@claire.wilcox]

@@wildfern you totally should! Also, if I wanted to send you something where would I find an address? I have a macrame business and would love to send you some of my work for your collection :)

[@travelcuriously1652]

It's so funny how our tastes within this hobby change and sway and then come full circle. One of the first plants I bought 3 years ago was a Hoya Pubicaliyx and got bored of it so traded her. I just rebought her last week and am in love. So glad to know I'm not the only one.

[@wildfern]

Ugh I got rid of mine too and I miss her 🥺 Their blooms are incredible too.

[@travelcuriously1652]

@@wildfern I have not had a single Hoya bloom yet for me. But I'm on year 1 of owning most. I've got my eye on my 3 year olds and hoping for something this year.

[@janebrewer9326]

In my experience alocasia like a lot more light than you’d think they would. Sounds like you are doing everything right to get more leaves…maybe up the light? I have mine in dappled south facing it is sizing up quick! I don’t get why your dragon scale is booming but not BV!?

[@okanaganblonde4095]

Maybe try micro leca instead (or as well) as trying perlite. I find the tiny stuff provides aeration but doesn’t migrate to the top like perlite does when you water it.

[@wildfern]

Yes this is a great idea!

[@rosesnewbeginning3547]

@@wildfern i buy my leca rinse it to get mist dust off and sort the giga balls out for in the bottom of my pots (wether its soil orchid bark any mix or leca ) and i use the medium to small balls for most.. oncidium orchids i use the smallest balls they have tiny roots so they like that better and i use a little bit of sphagnum on top around the base for baby roots to grow into the mix so its a soft and moist but also airy environment.

[@cca4034]

My Melanochrysum LOVE pon. I had one in soil, one in PON, and the PON grew much better (which surprised me).

[@osyros6698]

I've been mixing my hydroponic substrates together so it is not too heavy, too dense. I like to do something along the lines of 2 parts PON, 2 parts perlite and 1 part Leca. My alocasias seem to really enjoy it, and I think most aroids would too ! For the fertilizer, it might have something to do with the coating on your Osmocote vs the one on the slow release fertilizer used by the brand Lechuza. The latter seems to be thicker than the Osmocote's to me but I don't really know 🤷lol I personally use the Flora series on my plants in a hydroponic setup and they seem happy with it !

[@Emma-yw2yf]

Your little ponytails are so cute haha. I think I want to try pon for a few of my plants just for fun, but I might go with the self watering pots so I don't have to worry about algae.

[@wildfern]

Thank you 🥺 and yes the self-watering pots are a good way to go!

[@emptynestgardens9057]

Just going thru many of your pon and hoya videos the last few days as my 1st Hoyas are arriving today, yeah!! Going to make your pon recipe but was wondering if I could eliminate the pumice and replace with perlite. I just priced out pumice 🤑. I don't have Osmocote but I do have Miracle Grow Bloom slow release that has about the same NPK so fingers crossed. I loved your sock idea to prevent algae. I crochet coffee cup cozies so I'm going to make some to match my cotton macrame hangers. I'd love to send you a few Fern as a thank you for all the wonderful info I've gotten from your channel over the past year. Roxanne - Ontario 🇨🇦

[@wildfern]

I haven't tried it without pumice, but I have added perlite to that mix and it works well, so it might make a good replacement. I find it really helps make it even less dense, which is great. Good luck and thanks so much for your kind words!! And that is sooo nice, I would love some! 😍

[@emptynestgardens9057]

@@wildfern Ok once I get Sons blanket xmas present done I'll be in touch in Early January 😊

[@margotl9756]

With the little ponytails you are officially the goddess of the swamp

[@wildfern]

hahah 😃💓

[@toddbigeasy]

I just now ordered a potting mat after seeing yours, for my office potting ventures! Thanks for the idea!

[@elizabethlacey7708]

I have been thinking this for a bit, you look amazing!!! Your skin is glowing and your hair is so, adorable!!! Love seeing you in a much Better state!!! Have a wonderful week!!!🥰🥰

[@juliev4848]

Thank you for the video I really enjoyed it👍I hear Hoyas love semihydro and I can’t wait to see your h.obovata grow large, it’s such a beautiful plant😍

[@nikkicanavan7354]

Hi Fern! My hoyas love Pon! I find they grow so fast.Thank you for the great video!💚💜⭐🪐

[@nanabethscreations725]

Love your videos. I have not tried pon. I use my chunky orchid bark mix and black gold potting soil half and half and add in a cup of volcanic pumice and a cup of charcoal extra for almost everything in my 600 plant greenhouse. It is just easier for me to know what needs what when without guessing. But your plants are looking great.

[@AlexanderBridgeman]

Sweet Dreams! Have a good rest!!

[@ninarubi6034]

i love the pony tails ahhh 😂❤️❤️❤️

[@wildfern]

thank youuuuuu hehehe

[@soulEATERofcookies]

Oooo interesting can’t wait to experiment with pon and perlite mixed 🥰

[@wildfern]

Yessss!!

[@nickjones2506]

Lechuza is always sold out, I waited forever for it and then gave up after a year. I ended up getting a like pon starter kit on etsy from taynortherntropicals and I love it! I wasnt ready to plunge $70 into lechuza or another brand without trying out a small amount first to see if I liked it. I'm sold now lol

[@robinhavens695]

Great content as always... plus your little ponytails are sooo stinkin' cute💚🥰💚

[@anitajones7090]

Thank you for this video. How do you feel about Aquarium Substrate used instead of Pon?

[@mwoods4608]

if anyone is watching this in 2024- they sell basic pon without fertilizer- I added extra chunky perlite #3 size and use other fertilizers that i perfer to control on my own. such as orchid fertilizer etc

[@interestingasfck]

Awesome video! Just found your channel and i have to say i love it :) Wonderful content!

[@wildfern]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@louisenorring93]

Hi Fern! I have an Alocasia dragonscale and a Philodendron Melanochrysom in Lechuza pon. My melanochrysom looooves it, and my dragonscale is in the one-leaf club as well 😂 maybe I need to add more fertiliser than what is in the lechuza pon

[@wildfern]

Good to know that the melano likes it! Yes, I'd definitely try upping fertilizer for the dragonscale ☺️

[@nickjones2506]

I love pon! I use it in closed prop box containers and it roots so well without having to pick moss off to then move into pon. They have such cheap self-watering planters on Amazon too. I get mine from taynortherntropicals on Etsy with free shipping and perfect little cups for wating cuttings root in. She has a story on her instagram showing step-by-step a hoya rooting in her mix in less than 5 days. I love it, its also a great inexpensive starter kit to test out pon. I'm not sure if she ships outside of the US though, you'll have to look if you don't live here.

[@nickjones2506]

Also have tried leca over a year ago for a while and I really didnt like it. Pon is more like soil to me than hydroponics

[@ms89012]

I’m really lucky in that one of my local nurseries has been able to keep a pretty reliable stock of Lechuza pon so I quite literally bought a bag on a whim one day. So far I’ve tested it by transitioning a fittonia and planting rooted cuttings of jade and pothos. All are in self watering pots and doing well. I plan to do more as spring starts up and plants get more active. I just bought an alocasia stingray yesterday and I may transition it in a couple weeks after it has a chance to adjust to my home. I do wonder if it would be better to use a liquid fertilizer instead of osmocote in this case because of the lack of water running through the substrate regularly.

[@travelcuriously1652]

Really good point on the liquid fertilizer. I'm newer to pon and Hoya and am still figuring out who needs a reservoir, who likes liquidirt pure through. Just started with osmocote but I'm using a reservoir with those ones so I'll be sure to water over to fill it.

[@sonyvaioboy]

Just realised how long it’s been since I watched one of you vids! You hair is so long now since the buzz. Thanks Fern great information as always. I’m a big Pon fan and predominately have success. Every now and then I encounter a problem but that’s just being a planty Dad. x

[@samanthajay4981]

Can't wait to see how the obovata takes to pon! 🌱🤗

[@Nikibaby74]

I definitely find pon works best in a nursery pot then place that in a solid color ceramic or glass cover pot. Then fill with water. Makes it easy to flush the medium out from build up and change the water out. I haven’t had any problems with algae.

[@Aayom]

i've recently put all my hoyas in a pon/perlite/orchiata mix with a self-wicking string and they all seem to love it since they all have new growth

[@kaitlinlawless]

Omg the baby pigtails 🥺 so cute!

[@joannahaj1012]

Hello beautiful soul✨ Love your vibe, plants, and content. about 1.5 months ago I bought three small plants in pon from a guy that had them in a glass jar (brown glass - the bottom of a beer bottle). They were Scindapsus Pictus, Begonia Medora, and Monstera Adansonii, each in a jar without holes. After about two weeks I repotted them with newly bought and washed through pon and put them in a plastic cup without holes as he had them. I watered them till third of the bottom just before I traveled (for 5 days) and I came back to see that the Scindapsus had root rott, and all three have white mold on top of the pon. What could the reason be for the white mold on top of the pon? The roots of the Begonia and Monstera adansonii are healthy though, just the top is looking weird and moldy. You have any idea why that had happened? and how to treat it? They were on a wall shelf between two south facing windows (on the same wall), as the same spot they were in before repotting and rotting and molding

[@jaquelinflores]

Awesome way to end my night thanks so much fern you’re the best 😊

[@wildfern]

Thanks for watching Jackie!! 💚

[@sikateako]

That anthurium seedling vessel is so cute yet so elegant 😍 love it

[@wildfern]

Thanks!! It’s from one of my botanicaz plants haha :)

[@sikateako]

@@wildfern my hoya bella variegated is doing well in pon by the way! I remember yours is not doing so great, worth a try hehehe

[@AG-de9il]

So happy for this video and your little pigtails are so cute LOL

[@wildfern]

Thank you!! 😊

[@lydia5286]

The cute pigtails! Omg!

[@mamenytb]

Have you checked the ph? It must be something between 6 and 7.5. If it is out of that window some of the nutrients won't be available while others will be available too much. That might explain slow growth. Don't give up on leca, it's great. Maybe try smaller vessels if you have overwatering issues.

[@wildfern]

No I haven't, but I'm curious so I will check it!

[@laurenervin1404]

I'm experimenting with pon right now too! I have lechuza and its JUST as dense as your mix, so for a few of the pon plants I'm trying a mix similar to Charmayne's mix that has chunky perlite and some small bark pieces! So far my hoyas LOVE that mix👍

[@wildfern]

Ahhh that's good to know! I thought maybe lechuza would be more chunky. I feel like adding the perlite is a really great idea! Thanks for watching x

[@michelle7461]

I just transitioned my alocasia corms into pon and I’m excited to try it for the first time!

[@wildfern]

So exciting! I really want to try it

[@cadgon7289]

I never did well with LECA either! But I've rooted cuttings in a mix of perlite and pumice well.

[@EVTD79]

Love your mini pig tails, lol you are so cute! Anxiously awaiting to see how the added perlite works. Great video and beautiful plants. Maybe one day I will try diy pons, too.

[@wildfern]

Thank you so much 😃 can't wait to update you!

[@suedub5156]

Your baby pony tails slay. Also, I’ve never used pon or leca but it sure is sounding interesting.

[@lilyofthevalley54]

Ps. I am going to try PON. I grow African violets and so I am used to wick watering and capillary action. Wish I could send you a picture of of my AV'S

[@Rhaphidophile]

I gave up on PON. My experience with regular sized LECA sucks, but for some reason, the small size LECA works so well for me.

[@herrenfam]

I use pon for my Hoyas. I use Lechuza brand, and I found out it starts to dry out and change color after 2 days or so, then slowly dries to the inside. Because of the watering nature of Hoyas, all of my pon containers have holes in the bottom and I water the pon like soil, let it drain, and then let it dry to a point before watering again. I noticed your pon was pretty damp. Could the water filling up the air spaces contribute to your slower growth? Your thought of pearlite is a good idea!

[@jungleflowerscanada5384]

I made my home made pon after watching your video. I did find an alternative to pumice and it works so well. My Hoyas love the pon, you should try moving more to pon. 💚

[@stejo394]

Stop, your widdle pigtails sent me! 🥺✨ So cute!

[@wildfern]

🥺🥺🥺 so smol

[@xiibalba1685]

My anthurium and Hoya love pon, they are growing a lot

[@justiceg1789]

Just add bigger rocks or pumice to your mix, it should make more room and less density

[@fallenbarbieee]

I only have 2 plants I pon, my Thai constellation and my anthurium crystallinum. They both seem to love it, especially the anthurium! I find it too dense as well so I mix in Leca and perlite😊

[@alinarose0414]

Which plants have you found do the best in pawn? Some downsides to it also?

[@wildfern]

So far I would say my Anthurium seems happiest in it. The downsides I've experienced have just been slower growth (which I'm not totally sure what's causing it) and the algae, which I've resolved. It's also expensive if you buy the Lechuza stuff, and can be hard to find the ingredients to DIY.

[@elvamajors3497]

Just received my starter pon kit. Curious how it works. I don’t have any plans on changing my substrate.Thanks for the video.

[@peggyrussell4821]

Hi Fern 😊. How has your Tortum done in self watering and soil? Happy update?

[@wildfern]

It's done awesome!! I actually just transferred it out in my newest repot with me, but only because I wanted to combine it with my other tortum.

[@instakillgaming]

Getiing that anthirium NOW i love it, reminds me of a cast iron plant!

[@wildfern]

They're sooo pretty! Love cast irons too! I used to have the Milky Way version

[@AliciaMcFadden]

I'm just getting into pon and I am loving it so far! But sidenote.. you are GLOWING! Love that for you!

[@wildfern]

Oh thank youuuu 😃

[@hannahmay3410]

Don't know much about pon, but really enjoyed learning a bit more! Loved this video, your plants look amazing! ❤

[@wildfern]

Thank you so much for watching Hannah 🥰

[@nickjones2506]

you should try it! there are great starter kits on etsy. I got mine from taynortherntropicals

[@mrod3202]

I bought black cups in the same size of the clear ones and just stack the clear cup into the black cup (:

[@ashleighspaulding6954]

Wildfern try adding sphagnum moss, coco coir and some type of bark to your pon. I use reptibark. It seems to help with fluffing the pon without using something like perlite that is too light and will eventually work its way up the medium. I use this combo for everything. I just change the ratios depending on the plant.

[@AlexanderBridgeman]

Hey all of Fern's other plants 🙏🏼

[@angelparras3161]

Never been brave enough to try pon lol I have it embedded in my mind that roots need oxygen but maybe I'll try a pothos since they're the cheapest plant I own.

[@wildfern]

They definitely do need oxygen, I'm hoping they'll get a little more of it with the perlite added. Experimenting with a pothos is the way to go haha!

[@laurenjohnson5880]

What kind of cordless vacuum do you use, and would you recommend it?

[@wildfern]

It's a Dyson and yes I love it! I've had it for yeaaaars. I've replaced the battery once (with a knockoff from amazon lol) and it works great still!

[@wandashaw3551]

Hi Fern, when you had your plants in LECA, did you also use the time released fertilizer, too? Love your baby pony tails, adorable!! 😊

[@wildfern]

Hey! Thank you! No, with LECA I used the general hydroponics flora series fertilizer ☺️

[@plants4brains559]

I have done corms in PON before and they have been doing great. Its the only way I’ve done corms yet, worth a try for sure. Ive been using the actual pon, I want to try and make some but the supplies aren’t easy to get here. So far I love it, and Ive only had ally issues with plants that had residual dirt on the roots. The fresh props with clean roots are showing no sign of algae, weird.

[@wildfern]

Interesting! I will definitely be trying out a corm this way. I'd also be super interested to compare the lechuza pon to my diy pon.. if I can ever find it in stock lol!

[@plants4brains559]

@@wildfern I could only find it on Amazon…. Which is horrid. Plant supplies on the east coast sucks.

[@JonielVillanueva-j8g]

in the Philippines they just ordinary soil or attached those Philodendron , Anthurium in trees and they are okay .

[@gabrielleakers7540]

Are you using nutrient water or just fertilizer water?

[@ariellalester]

I traded for a Syngonium steyermarkii maybe 2 weeks ago, when traded it was in actual lechuza pon, which I’m super unfamiliar with. Tried leca and wasn’t a fan. I’ve kept it in pon as I’m trying to grow it out a bit and then propagate. But its super dense substrate, I think practically, rather stick to soil

[@tinafey9711]

Don’t believe you should use slow release fertilizer in semi hydro set up. That might burn the plant since it releases the nutrients too fast.

[@averilt]

I was told not to flush pon bc there are tonnes of minerals in the substrates like calcium and magnesium, and flushing it just depletes it.

[@aniliname]

The dust is extremely dense and can form almost a cement-like layer over time. I had a number of plants start having problems simultaneously after 6 months of using dirty pon and no problems with the ones in clean pon. A number of youtubers will support this - please wash your pon very very well. The stones still have plenty of minerals even if they’re not dusty.

[@love4plantsnmore182]

I did my own pon and also bougth lechuza pon and let me tell u i think lechuza pon is better that my own pon why because lechuza pon i think it have something because the plant that i potted on the pon i made never had algie and my pon that i made got a algie so i thing pon have secret recipe

[@Fetzenwolf]

Congrats Hoya Mom!🥁🎉🌱

[@wildfern]

Thank you 🥺

[@DeeNeesieC]

Do you have any shock to the plant when transitioning? How do you water the plants that are in pon but not in self-watering pots?

[@wildfern]

I haven't had any shock, but I typically just pot rooted propagations in pon, rather than transitioning from soil to pon. For the vessels that aren't self watering, I just make sure they have a bit of water in them at all times! I try to avoid them drying out completely, I would be risking root rot if they did.

[@VickyHafler]

Not sure how this almost snuck by me… I have some sansaveria in pon. I am not really liking it. I may have to try the perlite in it.

[@shanonsplantsplantingthyme5663]

They sell plant pot "socks" at my local nursery.

[@PetraEmmy]

Is there a trick to getting my hoyas out of sphagnum moss.. they came in it from CSN and I dont like that substrate but I can not tell the difference between the moss and root. 😨

[@wildfern]

Submerge the moss so it's soaked and it's way easier to remove. Other than that, just take your time! It's okay if some roots come off.

[@tinabratland4027]

I have the best results using pon in a self-watering pot or in an orchid pot. I no longer use it in a closed system I feel that it doesn't allow for enough air flow. I also learned to mix the fertilizer into the pon so it's closer to the roots.

[@wildfern]

Ohhh great tips!

[@margotwilson539]

Do you have a recipe for PON? Thank you🥰

[@emmasplantz]

I also never wait for the roots to be very long before I pot up the cutting, I'm just too impatient :')

[@wildfern]

Haha saaaame!

[@Ninj_SRG]

You should try pon mixed with ada amazonia