In addition, perlite is much much lighter than Lechuza Pon and it is neutral and doesn’t contain any nutrients. In the beginning, I stressed my plants and surgically removed all the soil from the roots of my plants before moving them over to Lechuza. Do I have to root a cutting in pon or can I just transfer a plant from soil? Both can be done, depends on your comfort level. I have rooted cuttings and transferred full plants from moss and soil to pon. The most important thing to ensure a smooth conversion to pon is to once again, abide by Step 4: Do not water for 2 weeks after repotting! This means do not fill the reservoir with water, do not get the pon wet. This allows the roots to acclimate to the new media. Calatheas (I haven't personally tried but have seen some success stories with calathea white fusion) My favorite part of Lechuza-Pon or DIY Pon is that it creates less waste for plant parents. Instead of throwing away soil after something goes wrong with a plant, you can rinse and recycle Pon over the years. If you plan to keep your plants in the same setup long term, using this type of inorganic media can reduce your waste over time and help you spend less on soil that can’t be reused.

Two of the best ones on the market here in NZ are Dyna-Gro and GT (Growth Technology). For light-feeders and plants more salt- and pH-sensitive, like Orchids, Hoya and some Aroids, Dyna-Gro and GT are free of urea, and GT is also free of chlorides (the most common, highest-salt ingredient in most fertilisers), and is pH balanced. Both are superb. Pon tends to be much smaller, like small gravel (it reminds me of the specialist fish tank gravel for aquatic plants), and more irregular in shape. Although Leca can vary in size, even smaller grade Leca it tends to be a lot larger than Pon (that's a scoop of Leca below) and shaped like a ball. Leca tends to require a lot of prep ( here's how I do it). I can only speak for Lechuza-Pon, but from my experience, Pon requires far less if not no prep at all. In fact you'll often see it recommended to pot up in non-rinsed, dry Pon (that's because Pon holds water differently than Leca). Buy a bag of Lechuza Pon Substrate as you will need it further down the road. There is some Pon already included in the planters but it might not be sufficient or you might want more soon.Next steps is watering your newly potted plant. If you are using self-watering pots like the Lechuz ones I have, don’t fill the reservoir in the first couple of weeks. Just water like you’d normally do. This is because the roots of the plant need to grow into the reservoir. You can tell when it’s time to water your plant because the pon will slightly change the colour but you can also test the moisture in the pon with your fingers just like you’d do with soil. After a couple of weeks water directly into the water reservoir by removing the pot or by using the opening some of the planters have

For my budget-stretchers out there, you can make your DIY Pon mix last even longer by increasing the ratio of LECA in the recipe. You can also add a layer of LECA to the bottom of any pot you intend to fill with DIY Pon to prevent the finer size pieces from washing out during watering. INGREDIENTS: My first plants to transition were few Hoyas, few Philodendrons, Alocasia, and Anthurium. Here’s my step by step advice for moving plants to pon: To switch from the hydro-system to a new substrate is quite stressful for plants, considering the different climate, especially the water balance at the root and the type of plant. LECHUZA-PON is the perfect alternative in places where conventional soil cannot or should not be used. LECHUZA-PON Advantagesrule: using pon in the drainage level and filling the void around the rootball with pon as well as topping the surface to completely cover the rootball with pon. These are my findings after using Lechuza Pon for years for my Monstera, Philodendron, Cacti, and Begonia plants. Pros Based on my personal experiences, this type of substrate creates an ideal environment for root development, especially for semi-epiphytic/epiphytic Aroids such as Anthurium, Epipremnum, Hoya, Monstera, Philodendron, Scindapsus, and Syngonium. I have not tried it on other genus yet, but I imagine it would be successful for similar types of plants. Daarnaast is het ook erg fijn dat ik minder vaak water hoef te geven. Ideaal als je bijvoorbeeld op vakantie gaat. Maar ook heb ik minder rouwvliegjes en een stuk minder last van wortelrot. Tot nu toe heeft iedere plant die ik op Pon heb gezet het erg goed gedaan. Ik denk dat ik ondertussen wel 100 planten heb verpot, tot nu toe is er nooit een plant dood gegaan na de transitie. Dus wees niet bang voor Pon, probeer het eens uit! Waar kan ik Pon kopen? LECHUZA-PON consists of high-quality, mineral stones that are free from contamination and pollutants.

You don’t have to used Lechuza self watering planters to use pon: you can use a sealed bottom planter or open drainage planter: lots of people used clear plastic sealed containers with pon so they can see what’s happening at root level. Removing the roots from the moss isn't the nightmare it seems, here are some tips to make it easier: Jane: So let's talk about specifics here, of different plants that you can grow in Pon. Is there anything that you really can't grow in Pon, that really just won't be happy, that you wouldn't recommend trying to convert to a Pon system? The third method is a complete repot into 100% Pon. That involves removing all organic matter like soil and potting mix, rinsing the roots, then planting fully in Pon. This is also popular for avoiding pests (mainly fungus gnats, but more about pests coming up). 100% Pon also helps avoid irritants for sensitive or allergy sufferers such as fungus spores. Spider Mites don't seem to care either way what the substrate is as their entire lifecycle can be completed on foliage. Thrips don't seem to care much either, however are much easier to treat with Pon or Leca. Whatever pest you have though, treatment is much easier for plants in Pon or Leca vs plants in organic mixes like soil or potting mix, as repeated drenches and showering don't have the same high risk of over-watering and root rot as plants in soil or potting mix.Ever wanted to make your own version of the popular Lechuza-Pon brand but weren’t sure how to get started? Keep reading to find my recipe & tutorial below! What is Lechuza-Pon? As long as you do not forget to fertilize every 2-3 weeks, you should be fine. Pon vs Leca – The main advantage is that it is more granular and can be used with slow-release fertilizer Een aantal jaren geleden ben ik begonnen met het groeien van mijn Hoyas op hydrocultuur. Eerst alleen in de bekende Hydro korrels en later ook in Seramis, perliet en Lechuza Pon. Over dit laatste substraat ga ik je in deze blog alles vertellen. Over wat het is, hoe het werkt en hoe ik het zelf gebruik. Wat is Lechuza Pon? This can be sufficient to fill a planter but will heavily depend on the size of your plant and also the root system and the substrate that you add to the planter. What is this so-called 'shower method' you keep referring to? Bring your plant to a sink or shower and let water run through the pot until it runs out the bottom. Saturating all of the media heavily. Allow pot to stop dripping in the sink/shower and return to shelf.

The LECHUZA plant substrate provides a balanced distribution of nutrients to the roots of your plant. Through this supply, the plant builds a consistent, compact root dispersion and can grow into a robust plant that will stay with you for a long time. Hvis du ønsker, at din plante skal vokse i semihydrokultur, og du bruger selvvandingspotter, bør du ikke bruge vandreservior til at starte med. Planten skal have tid til at vænne sig til pon, og rødderne skal være vokset ned til vandreservoiret. Vand fra oven de første par uger og lade vandet løbe ud af drænhullerne. Herefter kan du teste om planten er klar, ved at fylde vandreservoiret halvt op, og tjekke om vandet absorberes af planten i løbet af de næste par dage. Gør planten det, kan du begynde at fylde reservoiret helt op. The 25% method is when people use Pon for drainage only, usually in vessels without drainage holes like terrariums, adding a layer of Pon to the bottom quarter or so of the pot, and the rest on top being your usual potting mix. Om heel eerlijk te zijn vind ik de potten van Lechuza erg duur en daarnaast passen ze qua stijl niet in mijn interieur. Ik gebruik ze dan ook niet. Ook vind ik het niet handig om de plant de eerste 3 maanden van bovenaf water te moeten geven

Pon for Plants – Houseplants grow vigorously in Pon and are less prone to diseases such as root rot

There are multiple available Lechuza Pon alternatives mostly developed for Bonsai and Cactus plants. One other thing to keep in mind is that pon will be moist even after your reservoir has been emptied and you shouldn’t top it up straight away. A ‘dry phase’ is recommended. This depends on your plant, environment etc but it should be between 2-10 days.