I love doing experiments with aquaponics. It's like hydroponics but instead of using a nutrient solution you use fish tank or pond water and let it recirculate so the plants clean the water for the fish while the fish are feeding the plants. There's so many different ways to do it from huge farms to having a window planter box sitting on top of an aquarium pumping water through it. The simplest is literally placing a net cup over a betta bowl and having the roots growing into the water. Then you just give it light and get to mini gardening! I grew yummy strawberries and basil in mine that did really well in aquaponics. 😊
I grow most of my plants in a home mixed potting mix based on coco coir and pumice. I am experimenting with mycorrhizal fungi and it has been very successful so far. They come as a powder or liquid and they grow a beneficial mycelium that forms a partnership with the roots, trading nutrients for sugars produced by the plant. It's what happens in natural ecosystems and it forms the so called wood-wide-web in forests. Happy plants!
Such a great idea using both. I started converting to leca but had difficulty with hoyas which were really thin light roots so I think I will try pon for the likes of those plants. Thank you this was a great video!
I just ordered that soil scooper. I LOVE it. $9.98 for 5 pack on amazon. I have about 70 houseplants and only 15 of them are in leca. I did put one of my smaller comacta's in pon from leca. I didn't like it so much so I put it back into leca(it is hard to plant compacta's in leca!).
So exiting, just put a bunch in pon now! They actually say that you can just put the whole root ball with soil and all, straight into the lechusa pon, so it seems even easier then ;-)
You can put the roots in with some soil on but not the whole rootball with soil in tact as semi hydro works through capillary action straight to the roots, which doesn’t work through too much soil.
I have about 12 plants in Lechuza planters with pon and if you read guidance on design intention of Lechuza planters they are designed so that plants roots transition over a 3 week period from top watering to getting water from the reservoir after planting so they seek water from the bottom of the pot (or past the soil covered root ball) to the pon which is drawing water from the reservoir. I planted a monsters in an ikea self watering planter with a combination of leca and pon and also left the root ball with soil intact. Although I filled the reservoir with nutrient added water i wasn’t sure I’d the leca and pon would deliver water tk the soil encased root ball sufficiently. So far, it seems to be working as expected and my monsters looks as healthy as ever. It’s been a couple of weeks now. I figure if it is not successful I will know soon and will redo it into a Lechuza pot (at 5 times the cost though! Not sure why Ikea didn’t include a drain plug, as it is nearly impossible to drain excess water if the reservoir is over filled!
@@michaelgallin6503 Hi Michael! I found this "old" comment of yours and wanted to offer an idea just in case you haven't discovered it by now. If you're using plastic cachepots and wish they had a drain plug, you can use a soldering iron (or an iron nail that you heat up over a flame) to burn 2 overflow holes right at height where you want the "max" water line to come to in your reservoir. That way, if you accidentally give more water than you needed to, the extra water will drain out, keeping the level exactly where it needs to be. Obviously, you need to remember which pots you've done this to so you don't create a hideous mess next time you water, but if you're like me and have most pots sitting on pebble trays or pretty saucers, it should not be much of a problem. (The holes can be very small, but you'll need more than one for the excess water to flow out properly. Since I'm good with the soldering iron, I sometimes make several holes in a simple design that looks decorative---a wave, a spiral, a leaf, scattered dots...the water exits through the lower holes, while any that fall above the water line help bring oxygen into the roots.) Good luck with your plants. I hope your Monstera is doing fantastically! (Edited to add---the overflow openings are also great to have when you want to flush the whole system from the top.)
Should the plant and roots sit for a while and dry out before planting or just after cleaning still wet? Do you sterilize the root system with anything like peroxide? Thank you!! Very helpful!! 🦚🌿
This was great! I’m planning to start using Lechuza pon. Just curious what nutrients Kay uses after 4-6 months after initial Lechuza Pon potting. Thank you!
Hi, so informative... quick question... When do you add the nutrients to the Leca pots. I will try to watch some of the other videos and find that information.
I love doing experiments with aquaponics. It's like hydroponics but instead of using a nutrient solution you use fish tank or pond water and let it recirculate so the plants clean the water for the fish while the fish are feeding the plants. There's so many different ways to do it from huge farms to having a window planter box sitting on top of an aquarium pumping water through it. The simplest is literally placing a net cup over a betta bowl and having the roots growing into the water. Then you just give it light and get to mini gardening! I grew yummy strawberries and basil in mine that did really well in aquaponics. 😊
I grow most of my plants in a home mixed potting mix based on coco coir and pumice. I am experimenting with mycorrhizal fungi and it has been very successful so far. They come as a powder or liquid and they grow a beneficial mycelium that forms a partnership with the roots, trading nutrients for sugars produced by the plant. It's what happens in natural ecosystems and it forms the so called wood-wide-web in forests. Happy plants!
Lady, you really, REALLY derserve to be more popular for all the effort you put in making your videos. It's helpful, it's high quality. Wow.
thank you!!!
Such a great idea using both. I started converting to leca but had difficulty with hoyas which were really thin light roots so I think I will try pon for the likes of those plants. Thank you this was a great video!
Just beginning my passive hydro journey and listened to this episode at the dog park today. This complimentary video was very helpful 🌱😊
yay! so happy it helps!
I just ordered that soil scooper. I LOVE it. $9.98 for 5 pack on amazon. I have about 70 houseplants and only 15 of them are in leca. I did put one of my smaller comacta's in pon from leca. I didn't like it so much so I put it back into leca(it is hard to plant compacta's in leca!).
So exiting, just put a bunch in pon now! They actually say that you can just put the whole root ball with soil and all, straight into the lechusa pon, so it seems even easier then ;-)
You can put the roots in with some soil on but not the whole rootball with soil in tact as semi hydro works through capillary action straight to the roots, which doesn’t work through too much soil.
I have about 12 plants in Lechuza planters with pon and if you read guidance on design intention of Lechuza planters they are designed so that plants roots transition over a 3 week period from top watering to getting water from the reservoir after planting so they seek water from the bottom of the pot (or past the soil covered root ball) to the pon which is drawing water from the reservoir. I planted a monsters in an ikea self watering planter with a combination of leca and pon and also left the root ball with soil intact. Although I filled the reservoir with nutrient added water i wasn’t sure I’d the leca and pon would deliver water tk the soil encased root ball sufficiently. So far, it seems to be working as expected and my monsters looks as healthy as ever. It’s been a couple of weeks now. I figure if it is not successful I will know soon and will redo it into a Lechuza pot (at 5 times the cost though! Not sure why Ikea didn’t include a drain plug, as it is nearly impossible to drain excess water if the reservoir is over filled!
@@michaelgallin6503 Hi Michael! I found this "old" comment of yours and wanted to offer an idea just in case you haven't discovered it by now. If you're using plastic cachepots and wish they had a drain plug, you can use a soldering iron (or an iron nail that you heat up over a flame) to burn 2 overflow holes right at height where you want the "max" water line to come to in your reservoir. That way, if you accidentally give more water than you needed to, the extra water will drain out, keeping the level exactly where it needs to be. Obviously, you need to remember which pots you've done this to so you don't create a hideous mess next time you water, but if you're like me and have most pots sitting on pebble trays or pretty saucers, it should not be much of a problem. (The holes can be very small, but you'll need more than one for the excess water to flow out properly. Since I'm good with the soldering iron, I sometimes make several holes in a simple design that looks decorative---a wave, a spiral, a leaf, scattered dots...the water exits through the lower holes, while any that fall above the water line help bring oxygen into the roots.) Good luck with your plants. I hope your Monstera is doing fantastically! (Edited to add---the overflow openings are also great to have when you want to flush the whole system from the top.)
Love this! After the first episode I converted all my plant babies to leca and I am loving it!! Now I need to get some of those pots
I was super excited to find bags of LECA at IKEA for $4!
omg amazing!
Should the plant and roots sit for a while and dry out before planting or just after cleaning still wet? Do you sterilize the root system with anything like peroxide? Thank you!! Very helpful!! 🦚🌿
Thank you for the 'don't rinse in sink' info!!! Golden!
I was curious what the self watering "inner pot" is that Kay was using. I didn't see them in your store front. Thanks!
This was great! I’m planning to start using Lechuza pon. Just curious what nutrients Kay uses after 4-6 months after initial Lechuza Pon potting. Thank you!
Love Kay & Maria! Potting a citrus in pon soon. 🍋🍋
Thank you glad to have found your channel!
Hi, so informative... quick question... When do you add the nutrients to the Leca pots. I will try to watch some of the other videos and find that information.
Hi, can I plant banana palm into pon?
Do you have to have the self watering pots to do pon?
So couldn't I break a few of the clay balls to get some density within the bigger leca? 🤔
Where to get that Lechuza big container?>_
knock the pot a bit and so the pon setteles in
do not add nutrients because of the nutrients in the pon
yes! we cover that in the podcast episode!
If you make your own you need to add it in tho. The site is always sold out. So we just make our own
@@mwoods4608 Awesome!! What is your recipe? thank you!
Do you have to wash the Pon like you do the Lecca.
i would!
lechuza pon is not for hydro.