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If you own houseplants, you’ve probably heard of LECA. LECA is not new, but it has grown in popularity a lot over the past year or so. In this post, I’ll review the benefits of using this growing medium and answer other common questions about it.
What is LECA?
LECA is a type of growing medium that stands for “lightweight expanded clay aggregate.” It is made of little porous clay balls that can be used to grow houseplants semi hydroponically, in place of soil. (You can also add it into soil instead of using it as a full replacement. More on that at the end.)
The porous clay balls expand to soak up water and release it a little at a time. Plants in LECA will use that water a little at a time as they need it.
What is LECA used for?
In the houseplant world, LECA is used as a growing medium in place of soil to grow plants semi hydroponically.
Why do people use LECA?
The fact that LECA helps improve aeration and drainage and avoid root rot is what draws in most plant owners at first. There are a few more benefits, as well as disadvantages, to using this growing medium. I’ll review both below.
Photo credit: A very big thanks to @__wellrooted for allowing me to use their beautiful image in this post!
What are the pros?
- Helps avoid overwatering therefore significantly reducing the risk of root rot – the plant will soak up what it needs from the LECA, rather than sitting in wet soil if you overwater your plant.
- Provides better aeration – the porous clay balls allow for oxygen to get to the roots, which is difficult to achieve in compacted soil.
- Provides better drainage – The LECA will soak up what it can and the rest of the water will drain to the bottom, rather than soil which might soak up way more than what the plant needs and provides less drainage.
- Can help avoid pests that are attracted to wet soil and rotting roots. Keep in mind it significantly reduces the risk of pests but doesn’t completely get rid of it.
- It is reusable – You should never reuse your soil in between plants, but you can sterilize your LECA and use it over and over again.
- LECA is pretty – OK, this is a personal preference, but LECA in a glass container (like the monstera photo above) is a really beautiful look!
What are the cons?
- Price – You need to purchase a whole new growing medium for your plants as well as some essential supplies, which I’ll review more below.
- Note: Although it may cost money to get started, you won’t need to purchase new LECA later since it’s reusable.
- You need to add your own nutrients. There are many houseplants that can get away with not being fertilized in soil because they take nutrients from the soil. This is not the case with LECA. You absolutely need to add nutrients because LECA and water don’t have what plants normally get from soil.
- While you might not have to water your plants as frequently, using LECA does require some maintenance. You need to flush your plants and test pH levels regularly. (I know—what? I’ll review this more below.)
Supplies you’ll need
Container – Either a regular, non-draining container with a hole that you will need to drill a third of the way up OR a container that already has holes (like an orchid pot) and a cachepot for it to sit in.
Photo credit: A very big thanks to @plantvybz for allowing me to use their beautiful image in this post!
How to care for plants in LECA
Before you do anything, you will need to sterilize your LECA. This goes for new LECA and LECA that you are reusing from other plants. The easiest way to do this is to boil the clay balls for 10 minutes.
Remove your plant from its pot and do your best to rinse off all the excess soil from the roots. You may have to run it under some water to do this. It’s OK if it’s not totally clean, but do your best.
Put the clean LECA into a pot with holes or a container that you drilled the hole into (whichever you chose). Fill it about halfway, put your plant inside, then fill the rest of the container with LECA. The plant shouldn’t be right at the bottom because the roots need room to grow down and become stronger. (Note: I have seen it recommended to soak the LECA for a day beforehand, but I have also seen that this is not necessary.)
Prepare the water you will add to your plant’s container using Superthrive, which will help a shocked plant better acclimate. Follow the instructions on the label for the amount of water you’re using.
After you’ve added the Superthrive, test the pH of the water. Then, use pH Up or pH Down (all a part of the pH control kit) if needed to get to the appropriate pH for houseplants, which is between 5.5 and 6.5. Maintaining appropriate pH is an important part of hydroponics and semi hydroponics.
Once your nutrient solution is ready, put your pot with holes into its cachepot, or take the container that you drilled the hole into, and fill it with your water a third of the way up. Try to pour the water over all the LECA to make sure a lot of it gets wet.
Once your plant is all set up in its container, put it in bright, indirect light or whatever light level is appropriate for the plant.
After some time, once all the water in the bottom is gone, fill it back up a third of the way with distilled water. You won’t have to test the pH unless you preparing a whole new nutrient solution, which only has to be done about every other week.
Every other week, flush out your plants by running them underneath the sink. This gets rid of excess salt and mineral build-up that happens when the plant is not being flushed out through the standard method of watering plants from the top. (This same thing happens when you bottom water your plants.)
After you flush your plants, refill the container a third of the way with a new nutrient solution that you’ve prepared and tested the pH for.
After about a month of being in LECA (once your plant has adjusted and started to grow new roots) you can switch from using the Superthrive to using a general hydroponic fertilizer, but you should still monitor pH when adding nutrients.
As plants adjust, they will lose their soil roots and grow new hydroponic roots. So, if you notice some roots have broken off in the container, it’s generally nothing to worry about, just remove them.
Photo credit: A very big thanks to @plantsinthepark for allowing me to use their beautiful image in this post!
Frequently asked questions
Is LECA good for plants?
After reading this post it’s easy to see that, yes, LECA has some benefits that can be good for many plants. I wouldn’t immediately switch all your plants out of soil, though. Consider whether it’s right for you. Are your plants happy as is? If so, it’s not necessary to bother them.
Although LECA is lower maintenance in some areas, it’s higher maintenance in others. Are you prepared to do what is required to take care of your plants in LECA?
Is LECA better than soil?
There is no clear-cut answer here, but ultimately, plants grow naturally in soil because it has the nutrients they need. I would not say LECA is better than soil, but there are some clear benefits as to why you would use LECA instead of soil.
It is mainly up to preference. Unless you really struggle with overwatering, root rot, or pests, I don’t think you should run to switch all your plants to LECA. If you really want to try it, try one or two plants first and see how you feel about it.
Can you mix LECA with soil?
Absolutely! LECA added into soil will help to improve soil aeration and drainage while also retaining water. So, if you want to use these awesome clay pebbles in some capacity, it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision.
Plants that can grow in LECA
Most houseplants will grow in LECA. Plants that will do particularly well include those that like an aerated and well-draining potting mix, as well as those that aren’t too delicate, because they will have to endure some manhandling when first being planted and when being flushed every few weeks.
Dawn says
Hi Julie
I would like to use leca with soil to aerate a tetrasperma ( mini monsters) . It needs repotting but have heard from others that they haven’t had success with full leca with these plants. Have you got a ratio for soil and leca please ?
Thank you 😊
PlantsCraze says
Thank you. loved your article. It was really helpful for my business.
Wish to see more in the coming days.