I have all 20 of my orchids in Leca in semi hydro, my 25 Alocasias are in pon in semi hydro. I find the orchids with thicker roots do better in Leca, and the Alocasias with the smaller, fine roots are doing very well in DIY pon.
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!
Thank you for watching and I apologize for the late reply! Coolio I've never heard of that fungi - I will definitely look it up it sounds really useful!
FINALLY!! I've watched so many videos on both substrates and this one was just what I was looking for. You explained both of them so well, with wonderful examples and a guidance towards what types of plants like which particular substrate. I have recently been hoarding Hoyas (don't judge!) and I have them in a mix of fine orchid bark, perlite, charcoal, DE, and a small amount of indoor soil tossed in. I'm always terrified of overwatering but I'm thinking pon may be the way to go with them. I understand all plants and environments are different, but can you give me some idea on how often you water your Hoyas in pon? Do you bottom soak them at all, or just run the water through? I'm in a dry climate, by the way. Thanks so much for the wonderful video - I learned and enjoyed! :)
@@MarbleQueen thank you so much! I just put one of my hoyas in pon and I'm hoping it does well. I just got it as a rooted cutting from a friend and it was in sphagnum moss.. yuck to try to get all of that stuff off! I've waited 2 days after converting to pon and I'll water today. I'm trying to figure out which is best for all of my hoyas (maybe about 15 of them) - pon or leca. I'm watching all of your videos and I love them :)
@@shnuggumz ALL of my houseplants are in pon now, aside from 3 that are still in leca. I won't use anything else! I have gone through (6) 18 liter bags now.
@@mopugz My only reservation about my plants developing water roots (by way of being in Pon), is that they might not grow as robustly. Have you found that to be true on some of your heavier, more turgid plants such as Monstera Deliciousa? I just received my Lechuza Pon yesterday, and I'm eager to get started. First will be my Micans, and I'll move on from that. I wonder if you have any Alocasia (I have Cuprea) in Pon? I'm also wondering if you do any propogations in Pon. I'm concerned about the fertilizer burning the young roots as they are forming. Maybe it's best to water, or moss prop, then transfer to Pon. Any thoughts to share on that?
I’ve watched a lot of videos on LECA and now Pon and you did a great job on your video. I have half my plants in LECA and half still in soil with the goal of having no plants in soil. I kind wind of Pon and was like…wait, now I need to consider PON! Your video brought it all together. Thank you.
I’m with you…just got started w LECA bc I hate the fungus gnats and pests…don’t even get me started LOL😀. BUT all my plants come in soil and look so healthy and my green thumb daughter seems to think I’m crazy to challenge the plants into changing mediums. So far, I’ve only transferred Pothos since they happily live in water first when I propagate. Now I have a troublesome Calathea and would really like to evict it from soil bc my inconsistent watering is making her hate me.
@@iamthealphacat My calathea musaica absolutely loves leca! From tips I’ve seen online, it seems the best way to go about it is to root them in water first before transferring to leca! They can be quite fussy during the transition. Thank you so much for dropping by!
Yaaay! I enjoyed watching and learning from your vid again! I also love how you're not biased about only using pon, or only using leca... :D thanks a lot for sharing to the plant lover's community! :D
I agree with you on all of your conclusions. I use both for different plants. Adding a wick to my pon plants helps retain moisture. Thanks for your tips.
I just needed a little nudge to use pon for my hoyas hahahaga. Thank you very much! I'm afraid that I could be overwatering/underwatering my hoyas in my room since I leave my house for work. Thank you 💚
thanks great info, great video. i use my own DIY pon with my philo, pothos and syngoniums and have outstanding leave att ention and growth. I do this by adding a small reservoir to each. i started off transfering one from soil into above pon and saw results right away. i know the above plants will let you know then thier thirsty, but again they seem to flourish in my version of pon w small reservoir. thanks for reading.
Orchid Pots - 6 inch (Translucent) 6/pk and 6 Inch Clear Thin Deep Plastic Plant Saucer Drip Tray for Pots (6'' - some vessels i use. . .the above are great because they are clear (i like seeing the progress and process of the plant. I also use self watering (clear again) off amazon. plante in LECA alone or the DYI version of PON = pumice/lava rock/ akadama mixed together . . . .works for me. I keep a good amout reservior. hope this work.
@@pcpc9358 thanks for weighing in again with details on your setup! Especially interested in trying the DIY Pon mix! I have pumice and lava rock. Will try to find akadema which I assume is also on Amazon. Thx!
Your plants look great! 🪴 Hearing you say hoyas do well in pon made me happy because I plan on transferring two hoya props from water to pon pretty soon. 🎉Yes, a propagation video would be appreciated! 🌱Awesome video! 💚💚💚
Enjoyed your video. Don't see much about pon. But I am considering to soiless for my plants. Plants are beautiful Andi love your baskets. New subscriber ☺️
With lechuza pon based on their website you are suppost to use a resivwar like you do with leca unless its succulents. Which is why your finding it drying out very quick
@@MarbleQueen but you list it as a con that it dries out so fast and that it’s unlike Leca which can hold water reservoir while you are not using it as instructed.
Mineral build up (in leca) happens if there are heavy minerals in the water. I use filtered water and I have no build up. I don't flush my pin because mine has fertilizer in it. I haven't experienced root rot in either after months of both.
Hello. Just found your video today. I want to try soilless substrate and contemplating to either use pon or leca. So now I'm doing some research about them. Most of my plants are calathea. Right now all of them are outdoor. I want to take few of them to grow it in my room. However, it's difficult to find people talk about calathea in either pon or leca , most of them talk about aroids. I heard a lot of people experienced root rot in leca so now I'm a bit reluctant to use them. I also had root rot using self watering after 3 months when I just started gardening early this year. My questions : *Which substrate do you think is better for calathea? *If use leca for calathea, how to make sure to prevent root rot? What about watering when using self watering pot? Because I want to reuse my self watering pots again. - Btw I'm from Malaysia. So the weather is not so different because we're neighbours.
Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with transferring calatheas to either pon or leca. They seem to be very temperamental when it comes to moving them from one substrate to another. The best thing I have found is to wait until you're able to propagate them (through separating the baby plants) and then root it in water first before moving to either pon or LECA. This way, there's not much transfer shock. I would recommend using LECA if you do this, since the props are already used to water, you can use your self-watering pots!
Hiya! I’m afraid I got them locally (in the Philippines) so I don’t have an Amazon link or anything like that. 😅 I hope you can find something similar online!
Hey, i waa searching Videos n finally found urs....it was grt!!! I recently bought some plant cuttings n like to transfer it to some special medium where i can watch root system....I use watermeter to help my watering routine. Can u pls temme how to check waterlevel in pon ??? TIA
Hi, I’m new at your video and I love the information between pon and leca. I noticed that you have a white ghost cactus, May I ask were did you get the white cactus I’ve been looking for one for a long time.
Hi! Thank you so much for dropping by! I found this in a local garden center here in the Philippines called QCMC. I’m so sorry to hear you haven’t found one yet! I hope you do soon 🥰
Hi, if you use Leca for a large plant because of weight etc., it is not particularly attractive to look at. What do you think about coating the top half inch or so with pon? Also, why don’t you use a reservoir with pon?
I do use LECA with pon for my bigger pots, kind of like fillers since pon can be pricey. I don’t do this with smaller pots though because I would just be causing the same problem I’m trying to avoid, which is that the roots will fill up the space too quickly. I don’t use a reservoir because I started using pon for hoyas, which don’t do well in LECA for me long term, as they enjoy a dry period between waterings. I found that other plants like philodendrons benefit from this as well!
@@MarbleQueen PLEASE I had one and killed it 🤣 I have no idea how I soaked it once a week if that, I suck at watering 🤣 misted it too if I remembered lol
I’ve heard they’re hit or miss depending on the kind of calathea! My musaica is doing super well and I had other varieties do okay, too! I think what I did differently is that I would root them in water for a few weeks first until they shed their old roots and grow new ones, then they won’t throw such a fit when I place them in leca!
maybe I missed it but as far a transitioning from soil to pon, is the method the same as when you are transitioning from soil to leca? if I wanted to use pon without the water reservoir, would the soil roots shed and have water roots like leca?
Hi, I am so happy I found your channel. Do you think pathos do better in Leca, PON, or Soil mix? Also, have tiny mixed leca and pon together for any plants?
Hi! Glad to have you here! I think they grow fastest in LECA for me, but it should be the same with pon if you use a reservoir instead of just watering them. The only time I’ve mixed pon and leca was because the leca wouldn’t come off of the plant’s roots when I was converting it 😅 It seems to be doing just fine now! I’ve seen people mix pon and leca and are successful though so you should be able to if you like 😄
@@MarbleQueen thank you! Many of my pothos are struggling as I transfer them to LECA. Ironically only the Marble Queens are transferring without being too dramatic. I would love to see your method on how you got your scindapsus to transfer to LECA. Thanks for replying, and duck wonderful content.
@@Jem25766 Pothos and scindapsus are actually super tricky for me when transferring! What I do is I put them in water first and let them grow water roots while they shed their old roots before placing them in LECA!
Yes I mentioned that I use pon differently this way because I only use it for my plants that enjoy a dry period 😄 I know quite a few people that use this method for their hoyas and succulents as well.
Really depends on the plant! But compared to soil, definitely more often. Some smaller pots I water twice a week, others once a week, really depending on what type of plant and what kind of light it gets. 😊
Do you have any Monsteras in pon because i just put my Monstera Adonsoni in pon and I'm nervous but it seems to be holding its own. I have it in a self watering pot.
Hi! Not sure if you’re local to the Philippines but I buy mine on Shopee (our version of Amazon) as separate components. You can just check whichever shopping platform you prefer to buy the ingredients (pumice, lava rocks, zeolite)!
I have all 20 of my orchids in Leca in semi hydro, my 25 Alocasias are in pon in semi hydro. I find the orchids with thicker roots do better in Leca, and the Alocasias with the smaller, fine roots are doing very well in DIY pon.
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!
Thank you for watching and I apologize for the late reply! Coolio I've never heard of that fungi - I will definitely look it up it sounds really useful!
FINALLY!! I've watched so many videos on both substrates and this one was just what I was looking for. You explained both of them so well, with wonderful examples and a guidance towards what types of plants like which particular substrate. I have recently been hoarding Hoyas (don't judge!) and I have them in a mix of fine orchid bark, perlite, charcoal, DE, and a small amount of indoor soil tossed in. I'm always terrified of overwatering but I'm thinking pon may be the way to go with them. I understand all plants and environments are different, but can you give me some idea on how often you water your Hoyas in pon? Do you bottom soak them at all, or just run the water through? I'm in a dry climate, by the way. Thanks so much for the wonderful video - I learned and enjoyed! :)
Thank you so much! I water them like they’re in soil so the water just runs through. I usually do that once a week!
@@MarbleQueen thank you so much! I just put one of my hoyas in pon and I'm hoping it does well. I just got it as a rooted cutting from a friend and it was in sphagnum moss.. yuck to try to get all of that stuff off! I've waited 2 days after converting to pon and I'll water today.
I'm trying to figure out which is best for all of my hoyas (maybe about 15 of them) - pon or leca. I'm watching all of your videos and I love them :)
@@mopugz how did the transition go? Any insight to share on the Pon?
@@shnuggumz ALL of my houseplants are in pon now, aside from 3 that are still in leca. I won't use anything else! I have gone through (6) 18 liter bags now.
@@mopugz My only reservation about my plants developing water roots (by way of being in Pon), is that they might not grow as robustly. Have you found that to be true on some of your heavier, more turgid plants such as Monstera Deliciousa? I just received my Lechuza Pon yesterday, and I'm eager to get started. First will be my Micans, and I'll move on from that. I wonder if you have any Alocasia (I have Cuprea) in Pon? I'm also wondering if you do any propogations in Pon. I'm concerned about the fertilizer burning the young roots as they are forming. Maybe it's best to water, or moss prop, then transfer to Pon. Any thoughts to share on that?
I’ve watched a lot of videos on LECA and now Pon and you did a great job on your video. I have half my plants in LECA and half still in soil with the goal of having no plants in soil. I kind wind of Pon and was like…wait, now I need to consider PON! Your video brought it all together. Thank you.
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad this was helpful for you 🥰 And good luck with your goal of going soilless!!
I’m with you…just got started w LECA bc I hate the fungus gnats and pests…don’t even get me started LOL😀.
BUT all my plants come in soil and look so healthy and my green thumb daughter seems to think I’m crazy to challenge the plants into changing mediums. So far, I’ve only transferred Pothos since they happily live in water first when I propagate. Now I have a troublesome Calathea and would really like to evict it from soil bc my inconsistent watering is making her hate me.
@@iamthealphacat My calathea musaica absolutely loves leca! From tips I’ve seen online, it seems the best way to go about it is to root them in water first before transferring to leca! They can be quite fussy during the transition. Thank you so much for dropping by!
Yaaay! I enjoyed watching and learning from your vid again! I also love how you're not biased about only using pon, or only using leca... :D thanks a lot for sharing to the plant lover's community! :D
Thank you so much 🥺 And yeees all substrates have their own pros and cons!! We’re all just learning and enjoying in the plant community ❤️
Would love for you to do a propagation video. Please and thank you.
I agree with you on all of your conclusions. I use both for different plants. Adding a wick to my pon plants helps retain moisture. Thanks for your tips.
Thank you so much for watching 🥰
I just needed a little nudge to use pon for my hoyas hahahaga. Thank you very much! I'm afraid that I could be overwatering/underwatering my hoyas in my room since I leave my house for work. Thank you 💚
thanks great info, great video.
i use my own DIY pon with my philo, pothos and syngoniums and have outstanding leave att ention and growth. I do this by adding a small reservoir to each. i started off transfering one from soil into above pon and saw results right away. i know the above plants will let you know then thier thirsty, but again they seem to flourish in my version of pon w small reservoir.
thanks for reading.
I’d be very interested to know how you might be using DIY pots.
Orchid Pots - 6 inch (Translucent) 6/pk and 6 Inch Clear Thin Deep Plastic Plant Saucer Drip Tray for Pots (6'' - some vessels i use. . .the above are great because they are clear (i like seeing the progress and process of the plant. I also use self watering (clear again) off amazon. plante in LECA alone or the DYI version of PON = pumice/lava rock/ akadama mixed together . . . .works for me. I keep a good amout reservior. hope this work.
@@pcpc9358 thanks for weighing in again with details on your setup! Especially interested in trying the DIY Pon mix! I have pumice and lava rock. Will try to find akadema which I assume is also on Amazon. Thx!
Your plants look great! 🪴 Hearing you say hoyas do well in pon made me happy because I plan on transferring two hoya props from water to pon pretty soon. 🎉Yes, a propagation video would be appreciated! 🌱Awesome video! 💚💚💚
Yay thank you so much! Really appreciate your comment! And best of luck with your hoyas, I’m sure they’ll love pon, too 💚
Enjoyed your video. Don't see much about pon. But I am considering to soiless for my plants. Plants are beautiful Andi love your baskets. New subscriber ☺️
Thank you for watching 🥰
With lechuza pon based on their website you are suppost to use a resivwar like you do with leca unless its succulents. Which is why your finding it drying out very quick
Yes, I do mention I think that this is a personal preference that I’m not using a reservoir 😄 But it’s totally okay either way imo.
@@MarbleQueen but you list it as a con that it dries out so fast and that it’s unlike Leca which can hold water reservoir while you are not using it as instructed.
Mineral build up (in leca) happens if there are heavy minerals in the water. I use filtered water and I have no build up. I don't flush my pin because mine has fertilizer in it. I haven't experienced root rot in either after months of both.
Thank you for the great job of explaining the difference.
Thank you for watching and I apologize for the late reply! Glad it was helpful!
Yes please do a video on propagation in both substances.
I already have one for LECA on my channel! I’ll work on the one for pon ☺️
Vid about propagation plssssss 🥺
For sure!
Eh.... Plant King! Lol!
Good vid i must say!
Hello. Just found your video today. I want to try soilless substrate and contemplating to either use pon or leca.
So now I'm doing some research about them. Most of my plants are calathea. Right now all of them are outdoor. I want to take few of them to grow it in my room. However, it's difficult to find people talk about calathea in either pon or leca , most of them talk about aroids.
I heard a lot of people experienced root rot in leca so now I'm a bit reluctant to use them. I also had root rot using self watering after 3 months when I just started gardening early this year.
My questions :
*Which substrate do you think is better for calathea?
*If use leca for calathea, how to make sure to prevent root rot? What about watering when using self watering pot? Because I want to reuse my self watering pots again.
- Btw I'm from Malaysia. So the weather is not so different because we're neighbours.
Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with transferring calatheas to either pon or leca. They seem to be very temperamental when it comes to moving them from one substrate to another. The best thing I have found is to wait until you're able to propagate them (through separating the baby plants) and then root it in water first before moving to either pon or LECA. This way, there's not much transfer shock. I would recommend using LECA if you do this, since the props are already used to water, you can use your self-watering pots!
Great video, greetings from Poland 🤗💚
Thank you for watching 🤗
Where did you get the wicker baskets that you have on your wall in the background that are holding plants?! I LOVE wicker and must have them!😍
Hiya! I’m afraid I got them locally (in the Philippines) so I don’t have an Amazon link or anything like that. 😅 I hope you can find something similar online!
Very helpful! Thank you!!
Hey, i waa searching Videos n finally found urs....it was grt!!! I recently bought some plant cuttings n like to transfer it to some special medium where i can watch root system....I use watermeter to help my watering routine. Can u pls temme how to check waterlevel in pon ???
TIA
Hi! Thank you so much! I just stick my finger in the pon and feel if it's dry, kind of like how you would in soil!
Thnk u for ur reply
Do you think pon can do well for outdoor plants or will they dry out too quickly? 🤔
Not in this country Ate Meg 🤧 You’ll have to be watering everyday 😭
Love your videos!!! How much water do you put in your pon prop boxes for the hoya????
Thank you so much! I only spray the prop boxes to make sure they’re moist. Watering them will cause rot!
Where did you get those beautiful baskets?
Hi, I’m new at your video and I love the information between pon and leca. I noticed that you have a white ghost cactus,
May I ask were did you get the white cactus I’ve been looking for one for a long time.
Hi! Thank you so much for dropping by! I found this in a local garden center here in the Philippines called QCMC. I’m so sorry to hear you haven’t found one yet! I hope you do soon 🥰
If you’re in America there’s plenty on etsy
where did you see the white ghost cactus in this video? i didn't see any cactus
Can I use pon for my succulents? It’s basically the same as bonsai jack and I have like 30 pounds of extra pon in the bag😬
Thank you for watching and I apologize for the late reply! Yes, all of my succulents are in pon!
Propagation soon pls! :)
Hello! Thanks for dropping by! I do have a propagation video on my channel 🥰
Very informative video. Ty!
Thank you for watching 🥰
how about the pots??? can i use a regular pot or does it have to be self watering all the time?
I just use regular pots since I water plants like they’re in soil.
Hi, if you use Leca for a large plant because of weight etc., it is not particularly attractive to look at. What do you think about coating the top half inch or so with pon?
Also, why don’t you use a reservoir with pon?
I do use LECA with pon for my bigger pots, kind of like fillers since pon can be pricey. I don’t do this with smaller pots though because I would just be causing the same problem I’m trying to avoid, which is that the roots will fill up the space too quickly.
I don’t use a reservoir because I started using pon for hoyas, which don’t do well in LECA for me long term, as they enjoy a dry period between waterings. I found that other plants like philodendrons benefit from this as well!
Are we just gonna ignore you’re giant airplant in the back 👀 please do a video on care 🤣 I always kill mine!
That's my gorgeous xerographica - thank you for noticing! I'll definitely make a video about them one of these days!
@@MarbleQueen PLEASE I had one and killed it 🤣 I have no idea how I soaked it once a week if that, I suck at watering 🤣 misted it too if I remembered lol
Do calathea grow well in Leca? My orbifolia that I recently placed in my first Leca experiment has not been doing great. LOL
I’ve heard they’re hit or miss depending on the kind of calathea! My musaica is doing super well and I had other varieties do okay, too! I think what I did differently is that I would root them in water for a few weeks first until they shed their old roots and grow new ones, then they won’t throw such a fit when I place them in leca!
Hi , what should i fertilize with pon? thanks
Hello! Any full spectrum fertilizer for semihydro or hydroponics. I use the flora series by general hydroponics.
maybe I missed it but as far a transitioning from soil to pon, is the method the same as when you are transitioning from soil to leca? if I wanted to use pon without the water reservoir, would the soil roots shed and have water roots like leca?
Hello! Yes 😊
Hi, I am so happy I found your channel. Do you think pathos do better in Leca, PON, or Soil mix? Also, have tiny mixed leca and pon together for any plants?
Hi! Glad to have you here! I think they grow fastest in LECA for me, but it should be the same with pon if you use a reservoir instead of just watering them.
The only time I’ve mixed pon and leca was because the leca wouldn’t come off of the plant’s roots when I was converting it 😅 It seems to be doing just fine now! I’ve seen people mix pon and leca and are successful though so you should be able to if you like 😄
@@MarbleQueen thank you! Many of my pothos are struggling as I transfer them to LECA. Ironically only the Marble Queens are transferring without being too dramatic. I would love to see your method on how you got your scindapsus to transfer to LECA. Thanks for replying, and duck wonderful content.
@@Jem25766 Pothos and scindapsus are actually super tricky for me when transferring! What I do is I put them in water first and let them grow water roots while they shed their old roots before placing them in LECA!
@@MarbleQueen thank you
💚💚💚
🥰💚
Asalam alaikoum
U should say hi plants killer and not Plants queen 😂😂😂😂
You can use a reservoir for pon as you would in LECA, I have yet to see another lechuza pon user who doesn’t use one
Yes I mentioned that I use pon differently this way because I only use it for my plants that enjoy a dry period 😄 I know quite a few people that use this method for their hoyas and succulents as well.
Bebee Plants also doesn’t use a reservoir :)
@@BC_Mina Ah yes love her channel 🥰
Hi, how often do you water your pon plants when kept them dry?
Really depends on the plant! But compared to soil, definitely more often. Some smaller pots I water twice a week, others once a week, really depending on what type of plant and what kind of light it gets. 😊
Do you have any Monsteras in pon because i just put my Monstera Adonsoni in pon and I'm nervous but it seems to be holding its own. I have it in a self watering pot.
I actually have my monstera thai in pon because it got root rot in LECA, and after a month it’s finally putting out a new leaf!
Awesome!!
How do you know when to add water when you use Pon.
I water like I would in soil! So I wait for the top 1-2 inches to dry out, or wait for the plant to start showing signs that it needs water.
Can you mix pon and leca?
Yes bb 🥰 For bigger pots I tend to do this when I’m running out of pon 😂
Where do you buy your zeolite?
Hello! If you’re local, just on Shopee 😊
Where do you get the Pon.
Hi! Not sure if you’re local to the Philippines but I buy mine on Shopee (our version of Amazon) as separate components. You can just check whichever shopping platform you prefer to buy the ingredients (pumice, lava rocks, zeolite)!