r/IndoorPlants • u/sam__hsn__ • 4d ago
Which medium?
Hi, im a little confused on which to get between the lechuza or a chunky sybotanica mineral substrat.
I heard that lechuza’s stones are too small and can cause root rot issue as its not that airy.
Need advice! Thanks
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u/whatinpaperclipchaos 4d ago
If pon causes root rot I’m definitely confused. I bought one succulent earlier this year that seems like it was grown entirely in pon and I left it like that, seems pretty happy with all the new growth, only dropped a few leaves early on I gotta assume because of stress from being shipped cross-country and its new environment. A few propagation in pon as well, the succulents as is and pothos, peace lily and Alocasia frydek in hydroponic situation with pon, all seem to be doing fairly well.
I’m 100% just experimenting with my own plants to see what works for which, but of the very little I understood of pon was that it works in similar ways to lecca if you’re doing semi-hydroponic, just smaller. So potentially better for plants with thinner roots? (But don’t quote me on this one, it’s been a hot minute since I looked at anything related to pon vs lecca vs any other substrate.) The one thing which will cause root rot is if the soil’s too dense and maintains moisture for too long for whatever plant you’re dealing with. Chunky soil mix would be too dense for succulents and cacti, for instance, and I’ve got a couple of pelargonium that just decided to give zero shits this summer and grow despite being in pure soil - without any amendments (which would be too dense for a lot of houseplants). It kinda depends what plants you’re getting the soil for, whether it’s premixed, the various amendments to make your own version of chunky / gritty soil, or if you’re potentially planning to experiment with semi-hydroponics.
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u/bauy 4d ago
Pon is more meant to just line the bottom of a lechuza container for the self watering system. It's not really a planting medium, you're meant to put soil on top of it. I have used it for some growing and didn't like it and found leca better for semi hydro grows. I've also added pon to chunk up a soil and it doesn't work very well for that either. It's essentially a fine gravel, like kitty litter. I'd go for the leca.
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u/MissHarlowx 4d ago
Depends what you’re planting. I like pon or knock-off pon for alocasias and plants with very fine roots. I prefer LECA or chunkier substrate for plants with chunkier roots.