Special thanks to Sheffield Made Plants, Pete vs Plants, and Plants & Tings for help with this. Remember to check out Nora The LECA Queen if you want to start LECA the right way.
Love the interaction between you and other UA-camrs. I watch Sheffield made plants (he’s local to me) but haven’t caught up with the others so thank you for the introductions! You are my favourite though! But don’t tell the others
Reminder: its spring, the best time to take cuttings, propagate, obtain new plants and repot, they will make it the best now, especially picky ones. Remind your viewers about that, nobody should miss it.
I always enjoy your videos! I love how instead of presuming to be some kind of perfect expert, you reveal the mistakes you've made and what you've learned from them (which is a huge part of growing plants!). It's very refreshing and enjoyable to watch.
General Hydroponics Maxi Gro is $20 for 2.2lbs in Canada. It's a dry 1-part, has cal-mag, 5.8-6.0 PH every time, and lasts longer than the GH 3-part kit which costs 2-3 times more.
Kinda counter intuitive, but I found leca works really well for succulents. I'm just using some random cactus fertilizer and I let it dry out completely
Did you consider bulk buying solid colored pails and putting the net pot inside? This will block out the light and reduce or completely eliminate algae growth. You can also supplement with a co2 booster as algae can’t process that but the plants can. It actually speeds up photosynthesis and they will outcompete the algae from the nutrients
I found putting putting the clay balls mixed into the potting mix works alot better than just a standard Ariod mix, especially on plants with delicate roots. I don't do hydro with them at all as the summer months (I actually live in the same state Pete vs plants lives) keeping them hydrated is just impossible for me. However mixing it through the potting mix allows there to be gaps that the plants can snake around and excess water can just easily pass through without leaving the soil too damp. It's helped my Thai monsteras recover to do this after reciving them and having to regrow roots after root rot issues in normal aroid & perlite mixs just straight up almost killed them. It might not work for everyone, but all the plants I've changed over to this method have been doing great so far.
I've been using LECA for my plants for years now and have never encountered any issues. I love experimenting with various types of plants, and to my surprise, about 90% of them have thrived in LECA. I rarely clean out the algae and have never used fertilizer, yet they continue to grow remarkably well. Three years ago, I also started growing tiny bonsai trees in LECA, and to my amazement, they've been doing exceptionally well! They've grown super fast, producing plenty of leaves and new growth. It's been an exciting and successful experience
Great one, thanks for the heads up on your LECA journey! Definetly something to think about. Loved the skits as well, you guys were hilarious. My experience with trading was pretty similar unfortunately, it's difficult to find someone who is willing to trade and if you find them you struggle to find the right plants to trade. Selling is just less laborious in my opinion. Have a great one Lee 😊
General Hydroponics can be mixed as a two part instead of a three part and it works very well. Its called the Lucas Formula. Its 8ml of Micro to 16ml of Bloom. You put the micro in the water first and then add the bloom. The Green bottle only adds extra nitrogen and you dont need it when using the Lucas Formula 2 part mix. Because Lucas Formula will have enough Nitrogen in it. The Micro bottle already has alot of Nitrogen in it.
Since watching your video I use a wooden dowel to check for soil moisture, I have also incorporated picking up the pot for weight which lets me know it's time to water.
All my non-fern and non-orchid plants are in leca. They are doing really well. I don't have algae issues as I keep each pot in a cachepot. I found a good way around the mixing the 3 nutrient solutions by diluting the grow and bloom into two old cups and I use the hose to mix it as it fills the bottle. I add the micro first, jam the hose in there and then add the other two that are already diluted in water into the bottle and just let it fill as I swish the hose around. It takes me about 2 minutes to do 2 giant bottles this way. I mix two giant bottles as I use one to fill and the other to top up over the next two weeks. I have bottles with little taps down the bottom, so it's much easier on the back. Leca isn't for everyone and it is a costly enterprise initially and does require a different set-up. It is also very intimidating. There are nutrient solutions that don't require mixing different parts. Foliage Focus is one of them and I'm lucky as it's easily available in Australia, although I understand it's now being sold in some parts of the US as well. It's an all in one solution. I went with the 3 part series as I didn't know about foliage focus at the time. But I don't mind it as much and with time, I figured out a way to mix it without killing my back and wasting time or much effort and it's been over 1.5 years of growing in leca and I still have 3/4 of the bottles of nutrient solution left over, so it goes a long way. The one benefit for me with leca is that when I do get pests, I can hose the entire plant down, spray it well without fear that I'm causing root rot. Plus, zero fungus gnats. I've even bagged the pots in mesh bags and dunked whole plants into a tub to treat a severe thrip infestation. Do I miss soil? Sometimes. But I'm finding my plants are thriving with my current set-up and I'm loving the reduced amounts of pests and avoiding root rot. At the end of the day, we do what we can and find a system that suits us. I love your videos and your honesty! I think it's important to give an honest review of one's experiences and simply find what works best for you and also allows people to weigh the pro's and the con's.
Thank you for your honest opinion. The plant community not only needs the good news, but also info about what can and will go wrong in certain setups. This video was really informative. I personally grow and breed succulents, so I don't have any leca setups. Still it's always nice to learn something new.
I just use leca as a water prop medium, no fert. Gives something for the roots to hold onto and grow around, keeps the props in the glass, and looks nice!
I just ordered some Foliage Focus. It either just became available in the US, or I just found where I could buy it. HUGE fingers crossed that it works. Mixing multiple bottles really isn't working out for me.
I was a kid in the 80s and I remember leca from back then. I also remember that my mum and all her plant loving sisters having leca in all their pots and then NOT, and not a single leca ball has made it into my mum's house since then, so I am not even curious... Otoh, maybe most of us just shouldn't go full leca, and it can be used well as a part of some soil mix or another, idk. I just know it's not for me. Love your channel.
Omg I’m so happy that I watched this video even though I am not using LECA at all. I bought the same GH solutions to use as fertilizer, but I didn’t wash the measuring spoon. I have wasted so much of them 😱 and the syringe tip is super useful too, because I have pets so I do own a lot of syringes
An example I would give of a trade group is offering something nice and getting offers of jade plant cuttings or spider plant babies or a beat-up looking aloe. But maybe that's just my area.
As always a great video. The only thing I have ever used leca for is orchids and even then I mix it with other media. I have never had luck with it for my regular house plants. I soooo appreciate your honesty!!!!
Don't know where you are but around here you can buy syringes at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply and every other feed and seed store. They generally sell basic vet equipment for farmers to do their own animal care and will often sell medium to large syringes individually. They do usually cost more per unit than buying in bulk from China or wherever but if you're just buying a couple the price is usually lower per transaction.
Have never been using only LECA. But most of my plants will have a thin layer of LECA at the bottom of their pots. Some of them will have LECA also at the bottom of the outer pot, if they are sitting in plastic pots that is in a decorative outer pot. Some of the root growth I've seen pushing out of the bottoms of the pots when the plant has outgrown its pot, have been insane! I have Philodendrons, Monsteras, Begonias, and vining/climbing types such as Njoy's, photos etc. Orchids. Spider plants grown as bonsai. Snake plants, succulents and cacti's. So far I haven't run into a plant who doesn't seem to like the LECA at the bottom of their pot. My potting mixture is typically a regular potting soil, perlite and orchid bark mix. And potting soil, sand, perlite mix for those snake plants, succulents and cacti's. With Orchids, I do not use LECA. Just a bark and moss mix so far. I prefer well drainage, as I tend to worry like crazy over root rot and easily feel concerned when I notice a plant's soil is still very wet after a week since the last watering. So it is definitely part psychological for me to want LECA to help with drainage and air in the bottom of my plants pots 😅
I used leca but I dont use the three part series. i use a regular organic one part fertilizer and kangen water with a ph of 7. My plants are doing great. I dont care about fast growth. Mainly quality over quantity. I have a separate reservoir for each plant and I give the leca and the reservoir a rinse on a weekly basis. It has been working great so far. I will be switching the rest of my plants that are in soil to leca when the weather completely breaks.
@@KillThisPlant A local brand: Full Circle premium plant tonic. I use it about quarter strength as directed. I watched so many different leca videos and saw so many different processes that I just kind of did what felt best from what I saw.
I’ve enjoyed watching videos on social media of people using leca. I never really studied it enough to understand how I can use it to my benefit in my current space.
Awesome video! I recommend maintaining a fish tank so you dont have to worry about mixing ferts and use that same aquatic life to manage the algae, maybe then you will find it less time consuming.
Soil can’t not be in our home , fungus gnats are a big problem ,tried everything to get ready of these bugs and nothing works, so to be able to have some plants indoors Leca and pon is our only way. I m in Nevada. We are learning any information how to grow plants without dirt is welcome❤
I’m kind of the same. The large particles of LECA only are suitable to some species. Mainly epiphytes or plants that can’t handle a lot of moisture let alone anaerobic conditions..,My question to you, is do you like Pon? I like making my own, and adding the slow release ferts is such a benefit… for saving time, less bottles and products, in physical labor, lol. Lasts six months!
I have only 2 plants in LECA still - a Dieffenbachia and a baby Parlour Palm - both for well over a year, maybe almost 2 years, both thriving. However, contrary to all other advice, my nutrient solution has always been Miracle-gro in rainwater (all 70+ of my plants get rainwater). I've never given them anything else, never bought fancy hydro mixes, as I could not justify the expense. Both are happy, but I have no interest in the medium going forward. I just prefer coco coir/peat based customized mixes. My other plants get micro-doses of fish emulsion in rainwater. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not convinced the hydroponic mixes are entirely necessary, as the MG solution I use has all the same ingredients as one of the popular solutions (the one you featured).
I can imagine the hard work that goes into the Leca when you don’t have a fertiliser that’s easier than a 3 part series. That last bit was hilarious, I watch both those channels and Pete vs Plants is hilarious love his channel and he has some great plants 👍
Not even to mix with soil/moss as a substrate or use as a drainage bottom layer? I used to keep terrariums with springtails and as a drainage they always seemed to work well.
Leca is where it’s at… I only have to “water” and flush them every other week. I use Green Planet 2 step system plus other normal non organic fertilizer to boost growth.
Love your honesty!!! I'm currently experimenting and making an all in one, all natural fertilizer! Will definitely take some time but that's my goal!! 😁
Leca is great if you don't have a lot of plants! It's less work, easy to rinse off, reusable and I don't have to deal with soil pests (fungus gnats). I am using the 3 part ferts as well and it's not bad for the amount of plants I have. Imo any substrate/medium is fine, but leca or in general, semi hydro is definitely my way!
I've been messing around with leca and for an entire year I basically had either no nutrients or just regular. Some alocasias got a little weird, so now I've gotten some hydroponic nutrients. It's only one part so it's really not a hazzle. But it's only been a couple of weeks so I'll see how it works in the long run.
I never reached out for buy sell trade groups because those are usually people that are hardcore in the plant game. I just post my plants in fb marketplace and indicate on description I’m willing to trade with examples of what I’m into and sometimes I get someone to bite… just an idea
I too would've given up hydroponic long ago if I had to do 3 part -- I thank my dyna-grow foliage-pro every day. I even have it in a squirt bottle so I just do 1 squirt every watering
Aw I’m sorry about your experience with leca. I’ve always felt intimidated by it and thought it was too much trouble. I’m in the process of switching my plants from soil to pon. That seems to be more manageable. Have you grown, or are you growing, any in pon? Thanks for the post!
@@KillThisPlant Well… watching our Leca Queen, we could easily get the impression it’s easy enough, and when we see her gorgeous plants, of course we want the same! But I can’t let my plants consume more of my life and time than I’m happy to give. I don’t want it to become a chore I dread. So…. I’m hoping that the lechuza pon is the answer!
@@ildikojones7073 I transfered a lot of plants to pon and while some do great like pothos or monsteras, most did not. I still think a good mix with enough air pockets is the way to go.
Yeah mixing nutrients is a pain. When I’m done my general hydroponics I’m going to dynagrow which is only one nutrient. I have a lot of space at my place so all my leca are in individual cache pot that prevent algae from building up.
@1:58 mercy the algae. Wow. As always, I love your videos and I doubt I could ever provide any real Feedback since you are one of the people I look up to for plant advice. I can tell you first hand, those net pods need to be dropped into a solid color lid with holes cut out so that the grow light doesn’t shine on the water. I’ve grown a tremendous amount of plants hydroponically and it can be successfully done and cheaply. I also use a pH tester and ppm pen. Depends on what kind of plants I’m growing, but I usually don’t let the net pods get submerged in the water, but the air bubbles from my air bars are sufficient to maintain hydration.
I don’t know whether it’s because I am an outdoor gardener too, but I am one of those people that just likes being grubby I think. If I am not covered in dirt there’s something wrong 🤔! Maybe after a few more leca Queen vids I might pluck up the courage. Just out of curiosity Lee, have your ex leca plants coped well with moving into soil?
Don't blame the nutes , it's user error. I've also seen you feed your plants more pH down than actual nutes 😂😂.. 35 drops before nutes , 35 drops after nutes and 35, drops before every use.. Ghe tri part is actually pretty good , I generally mix directly to my main reservoir and it works well . I only ever experienced a nute lockout during this grow in week 3 of flower and I started her from a seed . I cleaned her roots up and did a water change and she has bounced back. We are in week 5 of flower now .
I hated leca. I think there’s a lot of variables you have to control for it to work properly. What about full hydro? I’m giving it a go with monstera, pothos and ivy.
The reason I haven't switched to leca is BC in my pay of Canada and my specific home, I can't maintain the temperature well enough in fall and and spring. We have a forced air furnace and that means the heat covers on at around 19 and shuts off at like 21 or 22, but the thermostat is in the livingroom. In the cold months the furnace is on far more often so the temp is more steady. However at this time of year I am fighting with space heaters around my plants BC the outside temp is around 0 so it's not cooling off as fast outside or in the livingroom to trigger the thermostat. I prefer to sleep with it a bit cooler but when I went to bed last night it was 21 in my room (where most of my plants are), when I woke up this morning, it was 17.4 in my room. I don't have the space heater on BC of the furnace had come in it would've made me too hot. Sooooo I've stuck with soil BC it seems to insulate the roots better than water would. My water on my nightstand feels like it's been pulled from a beverage fridge, I wouldn't want my plants with cold feet. I use LED grow lights so they don't give off much heat and either and I'm not looking the idea of needing heat mats for my collection BC of hydro... Never mind playing chemist like you said! While I would love Nora's results, I think Sydney plant guy is a good mix for my temperature needs. 🤷🏼♀️
@@KillThisPlant Oh sorry! I am in the US and had to use a converter to figure it out. My bedroom gets down to (gets out the converter) 14.4 in the winter so I thought 21 sounded kinda luxurious. I don't keep plants in that room, though.
I'm with you sir! I use LECA to plug up the holes at the bottom of my pots or amend the soil. LECA never worked for me. It was always dry. I moved to PON and that is the truth! I always love your collabs!!!! You always go to the superstars never us little peeps!
How do you feel about hydroponics for food, like aerogardens, and not just houseplants? One of my units has a bunch of algae recurring and the other is absolutely fine. Loving growing my own greens, herbs, and tomatoes.
It's great for having plants in a soilless medium. Usually you can have faster growth, better root systems, larger and healthier plants, along with many other benefits.
nah I f with regular coire/perlite/bark/charcoal with an occasional BTI soak for gnats. thats a better way to live than to mix up concoctions for leca and praying I know what im doing
Me too. I quit leca too. Smaller leaf growth just pushed me away. I don't have any good hydroponic nutrition in my country. At least I didn't find any. So bye byw to leca Queen channel.
Special thanks to Sheffield Made Plants, Pete vs Plants, and Plants & Tings for help with this.
Remember to check out Nora The LECA Queen if you want to start LECA the right way.
All excellent channels 😊💯💚🪴🌱🇨🇦 I'm subscribed to all them and highly recommended always great content & excellent clear informative information 👍
Thank you Lee! Another great one out of the park 👏 🙌
You’ve got to do more with them! Some kind of challenge or something. I love all of you so much ❤😂
All favorites!
Fantastic collab. I really enjoyed this video. Well done. Thanks.
Love the interaction between you and other UA-camrs. I watch Sheffield made plants (he’s local to me) but haven’t caught up with the others so thank you for the introductions! You are my favourite though! But don’t tell the others
Is it because we have the same name?
What a small world, sheffield made plants is local to me too! :)
I appreciate that you're so open and honest about your struggles.
I'd love a video on the basics of fertilization. It can be pretty overwhelming.
Agree on both!
You mean..."syringe" lmao
I’ve been using Dynagrow Foliage and my plants have been thriving! It’s just one teaspoon per gallon .
Reminder: its spring, the best time to take cuttings, propagate, obtain new plants and repot, they will make it the best now, especially picky ones. Remind your viewers about that, nobody should miss it.
I always enjoy your videos! I love how instead of presuming to be some kind of perfect expert, you reveal the mistakes you've made and what you've learned from them (which is a huge part of growing plants!). It's very refreshing and enjoyable to watch.
I am glad I finally found your channel. No nonsense plant care advice with a sense of humor. Short, sweet, and to the point.😊
I just wanted to say that this channel has really helped me take better care of my houseplants.
Thanks for all that you do.
Thank you! 🌱🌱
General Hydroponics Maxi Gro is $20 for 2.2lbs in Canada. It's a dry 1-part, has cal-mag, 5.8-6.0 PH every time, and lasts longer than the GH 3-part kit which costs 2-3 times more.
That was great! Love seeing the two cameos at the end.
Kinda counter intuitive, but I found leca works really well for succulents. I'm just using some random cactus fertilizer and I let it dry out completely
Included my other 2 fave plant guys! Thanks for sharing your experience, it's greatly appreciated and helpful 🙂
Did you consider bulk buying solid colored pails and putting the net pot inside? This will block out the light and reduce or completely eliminate algae growth. You can also supplement with a co2 booster as algae can’t process that but the plants can. It actually speeds up photosynthesis and they will outcompete the algae from the nutrients
Your videos are MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!! I am so glad to see your subscribers rising!!!! ❤❤
Thank you so much!!
Foliage focus from growth technology works great in Leca! Single product and so much easier and faster
Love it when other plant creators make cameos. Can't wait until you assemble your avengers
I found putting putting the clay balls mixed into the potting mix works alot better than just a standard Ariod mix, especially on plants with delicate roots. I don't do hydro with them at all as the summer months (I actually live in the same state Pete vs plants lives) keeping them hydrated is just impossible for me. However mixing it through the potting mix allows there to be gaps that the plants can snake around and excess water can just easily pass through without leaving the soil too damp. It's helped my Thai monsteras recover to do this after reciving them and having to regrow roots after root rot issues in normal aroid & perlite mixs just straight up almost killed them. It might not work for everyone, but all the plants I've changed over to this method have been doing great so far.
I tried Leca, it was okay. I mostly just missed soil, mixing it, the smell. Soil is more fun. Loved this video with the two other UA-camrs.
I've been using LECA for my plants for years now and have never encountered any issues. I love experimenting with various types of plants, and to my surprise, about 90% of them have thrived in LECA. I rarely clean out the algae and have never used fertilizer, yet they continue to grow remarkably well.
Three years ago, I also started growing tiny bonsai trees in LECA, and to my amazement, they've been doing exceptionally well! They've grown super fast, producing plenty of leaves and new growth. It's been an exciting and successful experience
Great one, thanks for the heads up on your LECA journey! Definetly something to think about. Loved the skits as well, you guys were hilarious. My experience with trading was pretty similar unfortunately, it's difficult to find someone who is willing to trade and if you find them you struggle to find the right plants to trade. Selling is just less laborious in my opinion.
Have a great one Lee 😊
If I had the time and space to sell that would be great. Maybe one day.
General Hydroponics can be mixed as a two part instead of a three part and it works very well. Its called the Lucas Formula. Its 8ml of Micro to 16ml of Bloom. You put the micro in the water first and then add the bloom. The Green bottle only adds extra nitrogen and you dont need it when using the Lucas Formula 2 part mix. Because Lucas Formula will have enough Nitrogen in it. The Micro bottle already has alot of Nitrogen in it.
Since watching your video I use a wooden dowel to check for soil moisture, I have also incorporated picking up the pot for weight which lets me know it's time to water.
All my non-fern and non-orchid plants are in leca. They are doing really well. I don't have algae issues as I keep each pot in a cachepot. I found a good way around the mixing the 3 nutrient solutions by diluting the grow and bloom into two old cups and I use the hose to mix it as it fills the bottle. I add the micro first, jam the hose in there and then add the other two that are already diluted in water into the bottle and just let it fill as I swish the hose around. It takes me about 2 minutes to do 2 giant bottles this way. I mix two giant bottles as I use one to fill and the other to top up over the next two weeks. I have bottles with little taps down the bottom, so it's much easier on the back.
Leca isn't for everyone and it is a costly enterprise initially and does require a different set-up. It is also very intimidating. There are nutrient solutions that don't require mixing different parts. Foliage Focus is one of them and I'm lucky as it's easily available in Australia, although I understand it's now being sold in some parts of the US as well. It's an all in one solution. I went with the 3 part series as I didn't know about foliage focus at the time. But I don't mind it as much and with time, I figured out a way to mix it without killing my back and wasting time or much effort and it's been over 1.5 years of growing in leca and I still have 3/4 of the bottles of nutrient solution left over, so it goes a long way. The one benefit for me with leca is that when I do get pests, I can hose the entire plant down, spray it well without fear that I'm causing root rot. Plus, zero fungus gnats. I've even bagged the pots in mesh bags and dunked whole plants into a tub to treat a severe thrip infestation. Do I miss soil? Sometimes. But I'm finding my plants are thriving with my current set-up and I'm loving the reduced amounts of pests and avoiding root rot. At the end of the day, we do what we can and find a system that suits us.
I love your videos and your honesty! I think it's important to give an honest review of one's experiences and simply find what works best for you and also allows people to weigh the pro's and the con's.
Thank you for your honest opinion. The plant community not only needs the good news, but also info about what can and will go wrong in certain setups. This video was really informative. I personally grow and breed succulents, so I don't have any leca setups. Still it's always nice to learn something new.
What a great, informative and fun video!
Yey! Collaboration with Richard! What a nice community, I love both of you! 😁
Love that you're friend ls with a lot of other plant people even our own Sheffield dude; you both have that subtle dark humour 😂❤
i love your videos so much, thank you for always teaching us what you know!
You are welcome!
I just use leca as a water prop medium, no fert. Gives something for the roots to hold onto and grow around, keeps the props in the glass, and looks nice!
It sure does!
Thanks for sharing your struggles, it's very helpful for us looking to maybe expand into soil free alternatives/leca 😊
Great info - easy to understand and like the speed of video. Thank!!!
I just ordered some Foliage Focus. It either just became available in the US, or I just found where I could buy it. HUGE fingers crossed that it works. Mixing multiple bottles really isn't working out for me.
Once I switched to foliage focus It was like everything started making sense. Because my plants actually started growing lol.
Do you mind sharing where you ordered it from? I’d love to try it too.
I was a kid in the 80s and I remember leca from back then. I also remember that my mum and all her plant loving sisters having leca in all their pots and then NOT, and not a single leca ball has made it into my mum's house since then, so I am not even curious...
Otoh, maybe most of us just shouldn't go full leca, and it can be used well as a part of some soil mix or another, idk. I just know it's not for me.
Love your channel.
did not know this was the collab i needed
Omg I’m so happy that I watched this video even though I am not using LECA at all. I bought the same GH solutions to use as fertilizer, but I didn’t wash the measuring spoon. I have wasted so much of them 😱 and the syringe tip is super useful too, because I have pets so I do own a lot of syringes
An example I would give of a trade group is offering something nice and getting offers of jade plant cuttings or spider plant babies or a beat-up looking aloe. But maybe that's just my area.
😖
Sorry, don’t mean to laugh😅
As always a great video. The only thing I have ever used leca for is orchids and even then I mix it with other media. I have never had luck with it for my regular house plants. I soooo appreciate your honesty!!!!
Don't know where you are but around here you can buy syringes at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply and every other feed and seed store. They generally sell basic vet equipment for farmers to do their own animal care and will often sell medium to large syringes individually. They do usually cost more per unit than buying in bulk from China or wherever but if you're just buying a couple the price is usually lower per transaction.
Have never been using only LECA. But most of my plants will have a thin layer of LECA at the bottom of their pots. Some of them will have LECA also at the bottom of the outer pot, if they are sitting in plastic pots that is in a decorative outer pot. Some of the root growth I've seen pushing out of the bottoms of the pots when the plant has outgrown its pot, have been insane! I have Philodendrons, Monsteras, Begonias, and vining/climbing types such as Njoy's, photos etc. Orchids. Spider plants grown as bonsai. Snake plants, succulents and cacti's. So far I haven't run into a plant who doesn't seem to like the LECA at the bottom of their pot.
My potting mixture is typically a regular potting soil, perlite and orchid bark mix. And potting soil, sand, perlite mix for those snake plants, succulents and cacti's. With Orchids, I do not use LECA. Just a bark and moss mix so far.
I prefer well drainage, as I tend to worry like crazy over root rot and easily feel concerned when I notice a plant's soil is still very wet after a week since the last watering. So it is definitely part psychological for me to want LECA to help with drainage and air in the bottom of my plants pots 😅
I used leca but I dont use the three part series. i use a regular organic one part fertilizer and kangen water with a ph of 7. My plants are doing great. I dont care about fast growth. Mainly quality over quantity. I have a separate reservoir for each plant and I give the leca and the reservoir a rinse on a weekly basis. It has been working great so far. I will be switching the rest of my plants that are in soil to leca when the weather completely breaks.
Doing 100% LECA with a good system is pretty easy to manage when compared to soil. What fertilizer brand are you using?
@@KillThisPlant A local brand: Full Circle premium plant tonic. I use it about quarter strength as directed. I watched so many different leca videos and saw so many different processes that I just kind of did what felt best from what I saw.
I’ve enjoyed watching videos on social media of people using leca. I never really studied it enough to understand how I can use it to my benefit in my current space.
If you have the expendable cash it's fun to experiment with.
@@KillThisPlant not yet.😆 maybe some time in the future.
Awesome video! I recommend maintaining a fish tank so you dont have to worry about mixing ferts and use that same aquatic life to manage the algae, maybe then you will find it less time consuming.
Soil can’t not be in our home , fungus gnats are a big problem ,tried everything to get ready of these bugs and nothing works, so to be able to have some plants indoors Leca and pon is our only way. I m in Nevada. We are learning any information how to grow plants without dirt is welcome❤
@@dinasalazar1552 Nora the LECA queen is my go to channel for that.
I’m kind of the same. The large particles of LECA only are suitable to some species. Mainly epiphytes or plants that can’t handle a lot of moisture let alone anaerobic conditions..,My question to you, is do you like Pon? I like making my own, and adding the slow release ferts is such a benefit… for saving time, less bottles and products, in physical labor, lol. Lasts six months!
I have not tried pon. Do I want to make my own...I dunno sounds like work to me. 😅
I love your vids and the collabs, very entertaining as I watch all of them too!!!
I have only 2 plants in LECA still - a Dieffenbachia and a baby Parlour Palm - both for well over a year, maybe almost 2 years, both thriving. However, contrary to all other advice, my nutrient solution has always been Miracle-gro in rainwater (all 70+ of my plants get rainwater). I've never given them anything else, never bought fancy hydro mixes, as I could not justify the expense. Both are happy, but I have no interest in the medium going forward. I just prefer coco coir/peat based customized mixes. My other plants get micro-doses of fish emulsion in rainwater.
Unpopular opinion, but I'm not convinced the hydroponic mixes are entirely necessary, as the MG solution I use has all the same ingredients as one of the popular solutions (the one you featured).
I can imagine the hard work that goes into the Leca when you don’t have a fertiliser that’s easier than a 3 part series.
That last bit was hilarious, I watch both those channels and Pete vs Plants is hilarious love his channel and he has some great plants 👍
Not even to mix with soil/moss as a substrate or use as a drainage bottom layer? I used to keep terrariums with springtails and as a drainage they always seemed to work well.
So funny...
I always love it when I catch the cameos😀
I'm never going on buy/sell/trade groups again. 🤣
He’s back!
LOL! 😆 I love Sheffield this is an awesome video as usual, but like so many here the interactions between the others was great.
I literally just used your promo for the Aspect on a couple of Vita bulbs. I’m so glad that you exist right now 😂😂
Thanks for using the link! Hope you love them as much as I do.
I enjoyed this collaboration
Leca is where it’s at… I only have to “water” and flush them every other week.
I use Green Planet 2 step system plus other normal non organic fertilizer to boost growth.
Love your honesty!!! I'm currently experimenting and making an all in one, all natural fertilizer! Will definitely take some time but that's my goal!! 😁
Good luck!!
Leca is great if you don't have a lot of plants! It's less work, easy to rinse off, reusable and I don't have to deal with soil pests (fungus gnats). I am using the 3 part ferts as well and it's not bad for the amount of plants I have. Imo any substrate/medium is fine, but leca or in general, semi hydro is definitely my way!
I've been messing around with leca and for an entire year I basically had either no nutrients or just regular. Some alocasias got a little weird, so now I've gotten some hydroponic nutrients. It's only one part so it's really not a hazzle. But it's only been a couple of weeks so I'll see how it works in the long run.
Very cool video. Thanks!
I never reached out for buy sell trade groups because those are usually people that are hardcore in the plant game. I just post my plants in fb marketplace and indicate on description I’m willing to trade with examples of what I’m into and sometimes I get someone to bite… just an idea
Love the skit. 🤣 Their feedback was hilarious.
Omg I follow all 3 of you 🤣🤣 infact I found you from Sheffield plants lol. Great vid 👌
Love it!
Just for future syringe uses: You can buy empty syringes in pharmacies in all sizes without needles for really cheap!
I was going to say the same. Sometimes they'll even give singles away for free (including in a certain big Ontario chain that shall remain nameless).
I too would've given up hydroponic long ago if I had to do 3 part -- I thank my dyna-grow foliage-pro every day. I even have it in a squirt bottle so I just do 1 squirt every watering
Hehe good work, mate! Was wondering why I suddenly got a boost in subs and then got a few comments about the skit :D Great video!
😆 the people love it! Great job
Aw I’m sorry about your experience with leca. I’ve always felt intimidated by it and thought it was too much trouble. I’m in the process of switching my plants from soil to pon. That seems to be more manageable. Have you grown, or are you growing, any in pon?
Thanks for the post!
It really doesn't have to be this much trouble. I just chose the weirdest way to do this 🥲.
I haven't tried pon. I've heard good things though.
@@KillThisPlant Well… watching our Leca Queen, we could easily get the impression it’s easy enough, and when we see her gorgeous plants, of course we want the same! But I can’t let my plants consume more of my life and time than I’m happy to give. I don’t want it to become a chore I dread.
So…. I’m hoping that the lechuza pon is the answer!
@@ildikojones7073 I transfered a lot of plants to pon and while some do great like pothos or monsteras, most did not. I still think a good mix with enough air pockets is the way to go.
@@monalischen1746 Thank you. I appreciate your input. I’m going to give pon a go and hope I will not regret it…
@@ildikojones7073 Wish you luck! 🍀
I hv the same expetiences with this product.. thank you for this info ..
Yeah mixing nutrients is a pain. When I’m done my general hydroponics I’m going to dynagrow which is only one nutrient. I have a lot of space at my place so all my leca are in individual cache pot that prevent algae from building up.
@1:58 mercy the algae. Wow. As always, I love your videos and I doubt I could ever provide any real Feedback since you are one of the people I look up to for plant advice.
I can tell you first hand, those net pods need to be dropped into a solid color lid with holes cut out so that the grow light doesn’t shine on the water. I’ve grown a tremendous amount of plants hydroponically and it can be successfully done and cheaply. I also use a pH tester and ppm pen. Depends on what kind of plants I’m growing, but I usually don’t let the net pods get submerged in the water, but the air bubbles from my air bars are sufficient to maintain hydration.
Absolutely the best way to avoid algae. You're right.
Lazy leca life. Algae never bothers me I don’t bother it lol
Omg the skits 😆 I also love the honesty!
I don’t know whether it’s because I am an outdoor gardener too, but I am one of those people that just likes being grubby I think. If I am not covered in dirt there’s something wrong 🤔!
Maybe after a few more leca Queen vids I might pluck up the courage.
Just out of curiosity Lee, have your ex leca plants coped well with moving into soil?
Yes. LECA to soil is the easiest transition.
@@KillThisPlant aah, great, thank you.
Don't blame the nutes , it's user error.
I've also seen you feed your plants more pH down than actual nutes 😂😂.. 35 drops before nutes , 35 drops after nutes and 35, drops before every use..
Ghe tri part is actually pretty good , I generally mix directly to my main reservoir and it works well .
I only ever experienced a nute lockout during this grow in week 3 of flower and I started her from a seed .
I cleaned her roots up and did a water change and she has bounced back. We are in week 5 of flower now .
I hated leca. I think there’s a lot of variables you have to control for it to work properly.
What about full hydro? I’m giving it a go with monstera, pothos and ivy.
I find it's a similar issue with Pon. I am starting to slowly move away from it and back to soil
I've never tried but it does just sound like fancy LECA 🥂
Omg! This is hilarious and that little FB shade thrown in!😂
The reason I haven't switched to leca is BC in my pay of Canada and my specific home, I can't maintain the temperature well enough in fall and and spring. We have a forced air furnace and that means the heat covers on at around 19 and shuts off at like 21 or 22, but the thermostat is in the livingroom. In the cold months the furnace is on far more often so the temp is more steady. However at this time of year I am fighting with space heaters around my plants BC the outside temp is around 0 so it's not cooling off as fast outside or in the livingroom to trigger the thermostat. I prefer to sleep with it a bit cooler but when I went to bed last night it was 21 in my room (where most of my plants are), when I woke up this morning, it was 17.4 in my room. I don't have the space heater on BC of the furnace had come in it would've made me too hot. Sooooo I've stuck with soil BC it seems to insulate the roots better than water would. My water on my nightstand feels like it's been pulled from a beverage fridge, I wouldn't want my plants with cold feet. I use LED grow lights so they don't give off much heat and either and I'm not looking the idea of needing heat mats for my collection BC of hydro... Never mind playing chemist like you said! While I would love Nora's results, I think Sydney plant guy is a good mix for my temperature needs. 🤷🏼♀️
Omg 17°? I would not survive that. Smart choice sticking with soil for insulation purposes.
@@KillThisPlant Centigrade, but it's still a little chilly.
@@fleabitz1474 oh I know. I'm in Toronto. I'm too cold at 21.
@@KillThisPlant Oh sorry! I am in the US and had to use a converter to figure it out. My bedroom gets down to (gets out the converter) 14.4 in the winter so I thought 21 sounded kinda luxurious. I don't keep plants in that room, though.
I'm with you sir! I use LECA to plug up the holes at the bottom of my pots or amend the soil. LECA never worked for me. It was always dry. I moved to PON and that is the truth! I always love your collabs!!!! You always go to the superstars never us little peeps!
Another great video. You are a treasure.
That’s was funny! I’ll trade you syringes for that monstera. I’ll even include fill needles, makes it easier to get in that bottle!
I love these cameos!
Me too!
I needed this
Great video. Entertaining as well 👍
Love your videos!
How do you feel about hydroponics for food, like aerogardens, and not just houseplants? One of my units has a bunch of algae recurring and the other is absolutely fine. Loving growing my own greens, herbs, and tomatoes.
I think it can be an affordable way to garden indoors in a small space. Lots of different products out there.
My Plant grows in water. My Monstera plant healthy. I wash once a month. No fertilizers. Just water , stone, lecca
What if the water was moving? has anyone tried a small aquarium style set up?
"So I went on Facebook (gross)" damn that made me laugh, I had to go back and watch it again, twice, and I laughed every time 😂😂😂
Haha love the cameos!
Thanks for sharing...
love the cameos haha!
I can buy single syringes from the drug store (Europe). It’s probably the same in the US? I use one to measure the nutrients as well
I love your site and Sheffields…….his accent is so fun. I learn a lot from y’all. What is LECA and why use it. Seems to be a giant pain!
It's great for having plants in a soilless medium. Usually you can have faster growth, better root systems, larger and healthier plants, along with many other benefits.
@@KillThisPlant thank you
So funny that you can’t trade the Monstera! I can’t find one anywhere!
It's a really nice one too. Hard to grow though without intense light.
nah I f with regular coire/perlite/bark/charcoal with an occasional BTI soak for gnats. thats a better way to live than to mix up concoctions for leca and praying I know what im doing
Me too. I quit leca too. Smaller leaf growth just pushed me away. I don't have any good hydroponic nutrition in my country. At least I didn't find any. So bye byw to leca Queen channel.
Sorry to hear that
Nora is not going to be happy about this
She's still mad from my moss pole video. 😆
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
You should have used goldfish water.
You’re hilarious! Funny cuz it’s true! My exact experience with trading lol
Use flora nova 2 part purple and green bottle