@botanicallyinsane: 🌱 Have you tried LECA yet?! LECA stands for Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate and is used in hydroponics in place of soil. These cute little clay pebbles work by soaking up water from the bottom of a vessel using capillary action to water the roots of your plant! There’s a whole host of reasons why growing in LECA is awesome, but I’ll tell you the most compelling to me: 🦟 NO FUNGUS GNATS ! When you have as many plants as I do, battling fungus gnats (which lay their eggs in moist, organic matter like soil) becomes a full time job. 🚫 No soil = no gnat nursery. 💧 TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF WATERING ! When growing plants in Leca, you water when the vessel is almost empty. When refilling, simply ensure the water line returns to about 1/3 the height of the pot. I find that my Leca plants hardly ever need to be watered — maybe 2 times per month — which puts my mind at ease when I’m traveling for longer periods of time. 🏥 PREVENT ROOT ROT ! Leca allows the roots of your plant to have much more air flow compared to regular potting soil. Root rot can only occur in an oxygen-poor environment— like when soil stays wet for too long. As you can see, these roots are growing crazy! 🪴 My favorite houseplants to grow in LECA are those with thick, juicy roots! Think Orchids, Monstera, large Alocasia, Peace Lillies, & Anthuriums. LECA itself does not contain nutrients like soil does, so be sure to add a small amount of fertilizer when watering. As with anything, there is a small learning curve with LECA. But, you can follow along for more tips or check out my favorite LECA supplies in my Amazon storefront! 💚 #leca #lecalife #semihydro #semihydroponics #clubleca #lecaclub #soilfree #soilless #soilfreejungle #plantroots #houseplantcommunity

Botanically Insane

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Wednesday 26 March 2025 14:21:17 GMT