What do LECA balls do?
What is LECA and how does it work? LECA are small ‘marble-sized’ balls made from clay that you can use in place of soil. Using LECA provides space for oxygen to flow through to the plant’s roots, botanist Rosie Yee explains. Plants don’t have a pump in their body like we do, she says. The Perks of LECA When LECA balls are packed into the growing container, they sit on each other with plenty of air pockets, promoting healthy plant and root growth. On the other hand, soil tends to compress over time, losing its air pockets and aeration capacity, which means you need to replace it more often.If you transfer from hydro methods to soil, the roots will rot off and transition to roots that can adapt to soil You can keep it in leca forever.The most important thing you have to think about when growing your plants in Leca is to never later their roots sit in water and to add a hydroponics fertilizer of some sort to your water. This way your plants get the nutrients they need and drink when they’re thirsty.If LECA isn’t soaked properly it can cause a plant to grow a lot slower than it should. Over the past year of LECA growing, I’ve also noticed well-soaked LECA requires a lot less flushing than not-soaked LECA. If you are a lazy LECA user, make a conscious choice on how you want to be lazy here.Potting a plant in LECA should be fairly self explanatory, it’s just like potting in organic media. Ensure the LECA is wet when you are potting. The most difficult is when trying to pot multiple plants into the same pot. A simple trick is to fill the pot 3/4 full with LECA, and then submerge it in water.
What are LECA balls made of?
LECA balls are made by heating a specific type of clay, made from clay, brick dust and waste from the processing of albite. These bits of treated clay are heated in a rotating kiln and warmed up to a temperature of 2,190 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius). However, unlike soil, Leca is just a collection of clay balls and doesn’t contain any nutrients. All they do is soak up a little water and expand when they’re soaking up the water. Any nutrients your plants need, you’ll need to add into the water.Put simply, LECA is made by baking and tumbling pure natural clay at high temperatures inside a rotary kiln. As a result the balls are super lightweight and porous and expand when soaked in water.Lightweight: LECA is significantly lighter than traditional soil, making it easier to handle and move plants, especially in larger pots or hydroponic setups.Expanded clay (exclay) or lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) is a lightweight aggregate made by heating clay to around 1,200 °C (2,190 °F) in a rotary kiln.
What are the disadvantages of LECA balls?
CONS OF USING LECA:- Algae Growth- If you have placed plants growing in a clear glass jar with Leca in spaces that get direct sunlight, there’s a high chance of it developing algae. Sunlight is food for algae. Algae in small amounts isn’t harmful for the plants. However it’s not a pretty sight. A Monstera is a perfect plant to grow in Leca, because it’s quite sensitive to overwatering and Leca helps you to avoid overwatering your plants.What plants are good to grow in Leca? Plant families often grown in Leca include Monstera, Sansevieria, ZZ Plants, Alocasia, Spider Plants, Syngonium, Orchid and Begonia.That’s not because of the Leca, but because the remaining organic matter left on the roots sucks up water from the Leca, keeping roots constantly wet, which can cause root rot and eventually root death. Keep in mind the beauty of Leca is it only holds about 30% of its weight in water.
Do LECA balls need to be washed?
I’ve been using LECA for more than 15 years hydroponically, and in my soil based gardening as well. There’s nothing wrong with soaking them if you want, but it’s simply not necessary. I generally wash mine to remove the dust, that process alone takes about 5-10 minutes depending on how big a batch you have. Prepare your Leca balls: Prior to use, place the Leca balls in a container and soak them in water for 12 to 24 hours.I’ve since propagating directly in leca and skipped the water prop part. For your situation, I’d consider slowly adding leca into the water to let the roots get used to having something solid touching them.Leave the plant with a water reservoir (usually 1/4 or 1/3 of the total amount of LECA in the container). This allow the plant to drink up and absorb as much water as it needs. Leave the plant with no water reservoir. This allows the roots to dry out – mimicking a natural dry/wet cycle.Potting up your plants in LECA The water level must only fill about 1/4 of the cache pot. The plant roots can’t touch the water or this will lead to root rot.Prepare your Leca balls: Prior to use, place the Leca balls in a container and soak them in water for 12 to 24 hours. This step ensures that the balls are adequately hydrated and ready to provide optimal moisture control for your plants.
How long do I soak LECA balls?
Prepare your Leca balls: Prior to use, place the Leca balls in a container and soak them in water for 12 to 24 hours. This step ensures that the balls are adequately hydrated and ready to provide optimal moisture control for your plants. Unlike plants growing in soil, LECA takes the guess work out of how much water your plant needs because you can see the water levels in your pot, helping to prevent diseases like root rot. When the reservoir goes down at the bottom, you just refill it back to where your marker is, Rosie says.Place your plants on top of the LECA, preventing them from sitting directly in water. Monitor the humidity with your hydrometer and refill with water as needed Results: * After 5 minutes: Humidity started increasing!
What are the disadvantages of LECA?
Because LECA is made from clay it doesn’t hold any of the nutrients that a good soil and potting mix provides, which means caring for your plant might need a little more attention, time and money (more on the cost of setting up below). Adding leca to regular soil for house plants, tips and recommendations. Yes you absolutely can! I have for years and it works very well as a way to create aeration in the soil without adding much weight. It makes up about 1/4 of my chunky soil mix.If you are using LECA as a soil amendment, you can mix the pebbles with your potting soil.While it may seem crazy, you can use LECA instead of soil to grow indoor plants. Unlike soil, LECA is a lot less messy than soil and is naturally neutral, making it a great substrate for indoor plants. These clay pebbles can provide an ideal balance of moisture, food and air for your indoor plants.Using LECA LECA, or Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate, is a good alternative to just using water as the pebbles will stabilize the plant, deliver more oxygen to your cuttings, and enable them to grow without being exposed to light, so that the transition to the soil is easier.