Nice pon repots!! So far I have my Alocasia in pon and at first leaves died but now it is growing beautifully!!! The transition was from soil to pon. 🙋🏼♀️🌿🪴🌱💚
I look forward to your videos. I have been dealing with some depression and sitting down to watch you makes the day go better. And I have learnt so much from you! Thank you for all you do! ❤
Hi Melissa! Luna is an absolute sweetheart 🥰. Melissa, you may find that you will have less pest issues with the plants that are in Pon. Since I have transitioned my plants in to Pon, I have had ZERO issues with pests. This is just my experience, but not sure if that is a thing or not, it would be interesting to hear from other viewers if they have experienced less issues with with pests with their plants in Pon. Hope you are having a great day and thank you for all you do! 💜💜💚💚🤗🤗
Thank you so much!! I am curious about that! I will have to report back and see if I notice anything with plants that are in pon vs soil with pests. So far the ones in pon haven't had any issues and noticed a few spider mites on some in soil popping up!
I would say maybe 6 weeks I think? It could have been a little longer. It easily could have stayed in stratum for awhile. Sometimes I will just upsize it in stratum to a larger container so it doesn't dry as quickly but completely up to you!
At 4:22, you say how well the plant is growing in Fluval, but I have to say it’s because you have it in a “snug-as-a-bug” SMALL pot! Ooops, did I say bug? 🤭 Sorry! I never upsize too much and too soon. I feel you upsize to pots that are way too big and too often. Holds too much water. You would cringe if you saw how small my pots are, and for example, my vericussum is pushing 3 leaves at the same time in my 4” pot. They like snug roots; not repotted too much; and you’d be surprised that I only water once each week. I don’t like self-watering pots only because they’re too big and I can’t control the water. No criticism here, just friendly experienced advice. ❤
I would agree that allowing plants to become a little root bound is better the majority of the time. Anthuriums however, only considerably size up their leaves if they have ample space in their pot.
Thank you for your RU-vid videos for tips of taking care of indoor plants. I’ve learned a lot from you. I started replanting to PON since May 2024. Question: when do transfer the starter plant and plant that I just purchased from Etsy growers?
I will drink it because I paid for it ... hahaha Question , don't you have to wash the Pon before potting ? Also what the difference between the lechuza green bag and white bag . Notice Amazon usually only has the green one . Thank you for the video.
Where do you get your Lechuza Pon from since Amazon has been out for months? Can you make your own Lechuza Pon? My Frydek was very unhappy and started dropping. She had out grown her tiny 2 inch nursery pot she came in….so I repotted her in my DIY aroid chunky mix. I would like to change her over and some of my other plants to Pon but first it’s way too expensive. I would love a diy Pon video
Oh same I really struggle with philodendron! I'm so glad you're having success with pon also. Your plants are just stunning you must be so proud of them all x Ps your repot and plant care videos are my fav ❤
So I just got an el Choco Red that I want to transfer from soil to pon. So the first step is removing as much soil as possible then putting in fluvial for about how long until then I can move to pon?
Hey girlie, hopefully you see this comment. Regarding your online store, I have been in customer service for over a decade. If you become overwhelmed and need some help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I would loooove to work for/with you! I could handle emails, messages, orders, etc and that way you can focus on the fun part of owning an online store 🥰 I’m also only one state over so travel wouldn’t be impossible. It would be an absolute dream!
Thank you for wanting to help 🥺 I really do appreciate it. I want to see how it goes with everything and get a feel for it! I love growing plants and packaging them is fun so I feel like I would enjoy it. I'm not sure what this will even grow into but if I ever need help I will definitely reach out :)
I don't 🥹 I see his instagram reels sometimes but I feel like I don't have time to watch other channels right now. I feel like my videos take up a lot of time so whenever I do get some downtime I like to do something else. I have to unplug from plants sometimes :)
Thank you! I am currently using filtered tap water right now and I adjust the PH because it makes me feel better lol. I did just buy something someone else suggest to filter out stuff from tap water so I'll share it once I get it :)
I have several but am a fan of the barrina lights! Here's my grow light section: www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/4KE9125NV010?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
You don't have to wash it 😜 I definitely need to get a container and scoop for sure haha. I usually end up watering through and any dust collects in the reservoir and I just clean it out after several waterings and it get more clear!
They are called springtails! They actually jump if you touch them lol. They are harmless and actually beneficial for the plant. I find them in almost all of my stratum cups.
Loved 🥰 your face when you tried root beer, I hate root beer and birch beer. Girl friend I thought you had a potting mat lol, would make potting less messy. I’ll have to try my el Choco in pon. I love it but it seems to get crispy
Since pon is hard to get and the plants grow so well in stratum, I was thinking, can the stratum be used in the self watering containers and the plants be grown in it indefinitely?
Hi Melissa, in terms of Calathea and Marantas I have now transitioned 8 of my 9 to Pon, the oldest being 9 months ago and the most recent about a month ago. Happy to report all are doing very well now. Some took to it with no issues ie Makoyana and Freddie, others pouted for a few weeks and then perked up ie Silver band, Lemon Lime and Maranta Black. Some had to be transition to water first others straight to Pon. Also have an El coco red now in pon, it’s also transitioned well. I know yours will also. Pon, self watering pots and prayer plants do great.
Hi Melissa I was just wondering if you've ever heard of modern aqua they have flugel Stratum their brand but it's identical works just as well not better they have it very cheap compared to the prices of flugel You get an 8 lb bag for $16 I just wanted to let you know so you could check into it( modern aqua) is a brand name
ah yes I saw :) Sometimes I refuse to buy certain products from companies/brands that ask me to do free work 😬 They wanted me to promote their acrylic shelves for my Ikea cabinet and they wanted me to BUY them 😆 no way!
Oh yeah I don't blame you! I had no idea those companies don't pay you guys to promote those products. They definitely should 💚💚I have just learned about modern aqua the other day and I knew how much you like flugal stratum and the price through them was so much cheaper. But that's not cool at all
I have an el choco in pon and it is doing well, though it is still very juvenile. I just added a moss pole today (my first ever - I swore off moss poles for the longest time because my goal is a very low maintenance collection, but I put a wick up the center of the moss pole from the reservoir, in an attempt to make it self watering too....we'll see if it works). Would love an update on how yours is doing in pon :) I have found philodendron to be a more challenging genus too, but I have all of them in pon, and they are all doing well. My gloriosum is going CRAZY. My calatheas and marantas are doing great too, though there is more of a learning curve with fertilization - they get crispy easily if the reservoir EC is not *just so*.
Hi Melissa! You are such a pleasure to watch, and I love your videos, so relaxing! I have a question: do you need to take special steps to transition the plants from soil to pon? And are the self-watering pots necessary? Also, do you always add fertilizer to the water? If so, any recommendations please? Sorry for so many questions. I just purchased a variegated frydek, my most expensive plant, and I want to take the necessary steps to prevent its untimely death. 😁 Thank you!
2/2. To deal with both of them I sprayed with water then soap. Then I put DE on the stems and underneath of leaves. Also soil when top dry. Left it on for weeks. Will continue this for several more months as it’s cheaper than beneficials. But you do have to use your fingers not gloves for the DE to somewhat stay on the leaves and stems. Don’t over do the DE just a little will work. It does dry your fingers out
1/2 I finally figured out that my Calathea had spider mites as the damage is different than the thrips that came in with a new philodendron and got the others nearby. Thrip actually eat your plant and I don’t think the mites do that kind of damage. 1/2
I’ve got those self watering pots too and sometimes my levelers stick. Just give them a tap or flick with your finger every once in awhile and they’ll go to the correct level.
Hi Melissa, 😢So sorry that you ripped that new leaf!! FYI: Gena at The Pink Trellis has a DIY recipe for pon. It's practically identical to Lechuza Pon. I just watched it last week and noted the ingredients She also did a video awhile back on using pon and comparing the two. I enjoy your videos very much. Thanks,!👍👏
Condolences on the tear in your leaf, but in the end the plant is still beautiful. I was interested to hear you mention that you are going to run a humidifier in your home (Plantmore Estate) this winter. Just yesterday I said to my wife that we should use a humidifier in our great room where our wood stove is for the comfort of us plus the plants that we keep in there. She wasn’t sure about the idea at first but I put my very large (size 17) foot down and insisted. I got a chuckle out of your root beer travail. Try the New England (primarily Maine) soft drink called Moxie if you really want to assault your taste buds. Excellent video, thanks.
haha I haven't heard of that! I'll see how it goes with the humidity levels. I don't really want it to drop below fifty % that much. Especially since I use beneficial mites they prefer a higher humid environment.
I follow a guy on IG that has his calathea in PON. His are large & gorgeous. But he’s also in CÁ & most of the calathea I see there is gorgeous. I’m such a calathea addict Infeel like that’s why my Philodendron aren’t happy. 😅 Love seeing your set up. So different than mine. Do you or will you ever do videos on outdoor plants? ❤
Who is the IG person? I would love to follow :) I haven't really don't much content on the outside plants. I have a few big monsteras and some philos and ficus/snake plants but I don't like putting a lot out there. I worry something will happen to them!
Some sprays can interact with each other and can burn plant leaves but If it were mine I would take it to the shower and hose off the spider mites really good with water. Cut off badly affected leaves that have a fungal issue then spray with a fungicide. I would say the fungal infection is more dangerous at hurting the plant than the spider mites right now. I hope it gets better! 🥹
Awe Luna haning out with momma! so cute. So I agree with the el choco being TOUGH to grow. I grew up with a mother who had her own personal jungle ( still does lol ) and a maternal grandma with 4 green thumbs that could make a plant happy and lush by just looking at it lol they've taught me everything they know. I've had my own house plants for 10 years now and even been entrusted with some of my great grandmas plants ( like plants she took care of before her passing in '64, so very old and sentimental plants ). I've killed two different el chocos 😞so please don't feel too bad Melissa! currently on my third so wish me luck lol Yours looks so happy!
That's amazing!! I wonder why some philodendron species are so finicky lol. Sorry this one hasn't done well for you either. Hoping the pon works its magic and that this one will grow well for you!
Idk if you guys have soil ninja over there? I'm in the uk and i use soil ninja semi hydro instead of lechuza pon (which i also like) it's basically the same minus the fertiliser and it comes in fine and coarse grades it's just a bit cheaper than lechuza
That is the most chill kitty in the world. I cant mention my cat. It's the trauma😂😂😂 But do you spray anything or does the predatory mites sort out the spider mites problem?
haha they are all chilled kitties! I sprayed off with Castile soap and water! I like to knock them off at least with water because I don't want them taking over. The mites will take care of the rest that pop up!
Melissa you really should put that lechuza pon in a tote and use a scoop so you're not struggling so much with those big old bags of lechuza pon ! Also it might save on the mess afterwards
Yay! Glad you got some! I am!! haha. I have I think 11 or 12 plants in it now but this will probably be it for a little while. I do want to move more alocasia over eventually though 😁
I also started to transfer my alocasia from soil to pon and similar to leca transfer, roots started to rot. I’m guessing they are the soil roots and will just give it time to get used to semi hydro again. Using same self watering pots as you . Wish me luck !
good luck with them!! the roots on my frydek that were in soil starting to mush but it grew healthy ones shorty! I haven't done many soil transfers but hoping for the best with yours!!
you should get a small soils scoop or use a plastic cup to get the pon into the planter, it makes it so much easier to fill around the plant. I have one from lechuza that is about 6inch long and love it. I also have some old cutlery I sometimes use while repotting to move soil/pon around and it´s really useful.
I order mites from natures good guys. I have heard some people say they don't get healthy mites but I have had great rounds. I had a couple rounds that didn't;t get a lot to hatch. I was going to order from evergreen growers but they were charging me $135 to ship them to me!! 😅
@plantsbymelissa oh my! I want to try since spidermites and thrips have been a pain lately. 😫 I get itchy at the thought, but I don't want to lose any more plants.
I’ve heard other tubers mention the lacewings didn’t work for them either so they went with other different beneficials. Fern just did a video and the ones she ordered seem to be working well
I heard good things about lacewings is why I wanted to give them a go. What I got didn't contain them separately in a hexcel so feel like they were attacking or eating each other and the eggs. I may try them again in the future but they did nothing for the mealy bugs at all :(
Loved this repot💚. Probably, repots are favorite content for most of us. I'm just curious,i know you're building your own website. Are you coding ? Or using any templates. I'm from the IT profession, so eager to know
Thank you! I'm not sure what I am doing yet with the website. I don't know much so just trying to take it easy on myself while I try and navigate it all 😬 I'm going to see how it goes and if I can't do it or figure it out on my own then I'll get help 🫶
Thank you! I use tap water right now but I filter it! I just got the API stress coat to remove chemicals and I do adjust PH - I was told you don't need to with pon but it makes me feel better lol. I bought a new PH meter so going to check the water PH again after it sits when I get it.
I put the large Frydek (California) in pon. And my large monstera is in pon.I also put my variegated frydek too. The Large frydek has has lost two leaves. The baby variegated frydek has lost one.the monstera has been doing great. Hasn’t lost anything. I’m really loving pon. My two calathea’s have spider mites. I put them outside.
I thought about banning my hoyas outside that are covered in mealies lol ..let nature take care of them. I hope the spider mites are gone for you soon! I'm glad you are liking pon so far too! It's been such a nice change to soil :)
One of the first videos of yours I watched I was like-she reuses those OJ containers too! Aren’t they awesome! I want to put calathea in Pon too. I think they will like it.
hehe I love the snap lid on them! They're so perfect! I might try one of my calatheas I got from Lowes I haven't repotted it yet but it's in soil so it might have a harder time but I think eventually it will grow well!
Plants grow big in soil too! hehe. Pon is definitely expensive but so is all the components you need to make a DIY soil mix. I'm also scared to reuse soil and I can sterilize the pon so once I buy it I can keep using it. Haven't gotten to the heavy part yet 😜
@plantsbymelissa good points but soil is more nutrient available so I consider the expense of pon plus all the nutrient solutions to be more that aroid soil components. Pon is definitely more reusable though!
