I’ve been using lecca for a while, and im curious on your advice on how often to fill the reservoir of nutrient water for plants that don’t like wet feet. Specifically, my umbrella tree has been suffering from bad root rot and I recently did a rescue mission on her. However, I’m still lost about how often to water her reservoir
the water level in the reservoir should be kept more or less at the same level at all times. the roots that will grow into the water will be water roots and will be adapted to live in water. just make sure you don’t put too much water and submerge roots that are not adapted to water.
Cat, I just found you today when I was down in the rabbit hole of all things plants in LECA and PON. You simplify things so much for my busy brain! I just moved my first Alocasia Jacklyn to PON today. I am so nervous that she won't like it! She is my favorite plant. When I did it after watching your video I found 13 corms! some are quite tiny, but I decided to try rooting them in the Perlite with a grow light. Now I will see if I have success! Thank you for your videos!
Cat, I just found you today when I was down in the rabbit hole of all things plants in LECA and PON. You simplify things so much for my busy brain! I just moved my first Alocasia Jacklyn to PON today. I am so nervous that she won't like it! She is my favorite plant. When I did it after watching your video I found 13 corms! some are quite tiny, but I decided to try rooting them in the Perlite with a grow light. Now I will see if I have success! Thank you for your videos!
I don’t know if it’s the same species I have, Pilea or _Soleoroilia soleoroillii_ (?). Maybe they’re synonymous with each other, aka, same plant, diff names, lol. Either way, it does seem to prefer consistency in moisture as you said. I’ve found semi hydro to be ideal, which is similar to a self watering pot. You can use Pon in a self watering pot, of course. And I don’t mean semi hydro with LECA, as those are too big of particles for baby tears. Maybe it would work though… but i like pon, i made my own blend. I also added a tiny pinch of Osmocote granules because I’m not adding liquid feed. Rather, I soak my clay pellets (the brand is Oil-Dri spill absorbent) in distilled water with a few drops of Schultz plant food. Which says it’s accepted for hydroponics on the label 😃 But that way, the clay is soaked, full of moisture and boosted with nutrients. Also mixed in is some charcoal and zeolite, which is sold at PetSmart or any pet store in the fish section as a blend. Charcoal+zeolite, 2 lbs for $15, I think. Pretty good. So far this is the most successful baby years I’ve had.
Get a 5 gallon bucket get your same net pot on it that you probably are already using already, but put pebbles in the bucket with the lid on it, take the garden hose and just fill it up and let it overflow for 5 mins like she said all the roots will float to the top and all the pebbles that float to the top can’t get out because you got the lid on stir a repeat you’re welcome
I got one a year ago and i don't seem to get along with it unfortunately. It started rapidly shedding leaves 2-3 months ago, they just turn pale yellow and fall off eventually, and some leaves get black spots at the tips and then turn crispy and fall off as well. I've dug through all the information i could find but i can't seem to get it right with this one. It is heating season rn, i was wondering if i should get a smaller humidifier to put next to it for the time being? Or could it be due to excessive watering? Any advice will be very helpful!
if daylight is reduced a lot of plants will shed some leaves as they can’t sustain as many with less light. the sacrificed leaves usually turn yellow before dying off. I would be surprised if it was dry enough to affect this plant but it’s possible. black spots to me speak more of disease or overwatering. good luck!
Very helpful. I will be getting pearlite within the week. I will need to repot as my baby tears also came in a very tiny container and once home and transferred I saw it has a huge amount of roots that are about 4 or 5 twisted circles worth. Can the roots be cut? How many inches should be left without doing harm. Thank you so much, Natalie Udell
Awesome! Awesome! Clear, concise, easy to understand and follow. I have been searching " how to " for weeks. I will be transfering my silver pothos and aglaonema pink valentine in the spring. I have to buy al this stuff first. Lol lol thanks a million 😊
I have a "cousin" of this fern, "Davana", that always seems thirsty. I changed it to a self-watering pot with a wick 2 days ago, and it already looks happier and perkier. If I had a second one, I'd be tempted to move it to PON or LECA. (I might pick one up...solely for experimental reasons, you know!)
I think it would work better in pon because of the type of roots. It would be really difficult to clean the roots to put in semi-hydro. If I was to try I would def use a very small one.
@@cat.b Good tip, thank you! I actually use PON and LECA mixed together most of the time. The size and shape of PON offers stability to very fine roots, and LECA increases aeration (and helps me save money, because it's so much cheaper than Pon!) To clean the roots, I let the soil dry completely, tease out most of it with a face powder brush, and then dunk the roots in water for a few hours. A little swirling, and the remaining soil falls right off.
@@irairod5160 In my experience what makes it difficult with ferns is that they have very fine roots and overtime they form an almost solid mass of roots that are pretty much impossible to tease clean without causing major damage. A young specimen could be easier to clean.
@@cat.b Very true, I'll look for a baby fern to make it easier on the plant and on me. But next time you have a tight mass of roots, give my "soak it for hours" method a try. It really facilitates the cleaning process. (Nice talking to you! Thank you for the replies.)
I'm new to leca potting , this was a good video, you explained it so well. The best one I've seen thank you so much. I've shared it with my friend who also is new smooches💋
I personally use whatever is cheaper and easy to finds. Plants might be more stable in smaller LECA when first transferred. Smaller LECA also holds more water but that’s not really significant to me in real life use.
I copied this from below, "You got straight to the point and are so easy to understand. I subscribed." - to say, me too. I appreciate the clear brevity.
Use what is left to start a new plant. Plant it in LECA and then put the whole thing inside a clear container to give it 100% humidity until it's completely rooted and starts to produce more leaves. Then open the container VERY gradually over a couple weeks to acclimate the plant back to ambiant air (lower humidity).
I personally use whatever is cheaper and easy to finds. Plants might be more stable in smaller LECA when first transferred. Smaller LECA also holds more water but that’s not really significant to me in real life use.
You can start cuttings (no roots) in leca, you don’t need to put more water, the roots will grow down. BUT, make sure the leca is all wet when potting, and put the plant inside a closed clear container so it gets 100% humidity while it grows roots. once it’s well rooted open the container gradually over about 10-14 days to acclimate it gradually to regular air humidity.
@@cat.b also I changed my flamingo anthurium to leca and follow the steps just a bit of water etc I’m trying to ignore it (I don’t have much luck with anthurium) hopefully it makes it 🙏🏼
That’s a type of that plant that has very fine roots, so cleaning them well enough to transfer to LECA is challenging. It would be easier and less risky to start one in LECA from cuttings.
plants don’t really cate. what matters most is that you like it. personally I look for a humidifier that you can set the humidity % you want, that you can fill from the top, and with a large reservoir.
