Top layer of LECA dry

[whalloper]

Hi again!

So I soaked the LECA for as long as my patience would allow (about a day and a half). After repotting, the next day the top layer or two of pebbles is dry. Do they need to be soaked longer, or is this normal?

[janet_a]

normal. as the material ages it will hold water longer. when you water next time, be sure and flood the container to the top (block the drain holes if need be); this will re-wet all the medium.

[Leathal]

That is how mine is.

[grandmapenguin]

I give the top of my Leca a spritz every day. I also aerate them every two to three days. They all seem to be doing GREAT

[Rivka]

can i ask what you mean by "I also aerate them every two to three days.'?

and yes mine get dry on the top as well, and i do notice that if i stretch out my days between full watering (plug holes and soak) that the top balls seems to start floating again, but if i do the soak a tad more frequent, even though they look dry, the stay down when i fill it up. so i think that they still have a bit of water in them.

[Ray]

I'm curious about the aeration thing, too.

Concerning a "dry surface", consider the fact that you're seeing a "competition" between the rate at which the water wicks up from below, and the rate at which it evaporates.

The wicking rate is more-or-less fixed by the properties of the LECA, but the evaporation rate is controlled by a combination of temperature, humidity, and air movement - even light level, as the sun can warm the top of the LECA - so you may see that "dry line" move up and down in the pot as the weather changes. Right now, for example, we have been getting very humid conditions, so the medium stays wet all the way to the top.

[E-Jag]

This might be a good time to ask, does it hurt LECA (in this case hydroton) to continuously soak for months at a time? I recently repotted the majority of my orchids to hydroton in plastic pots (but not s/h). I keep a bowl of them soaking so they'll be ready when I need them. Might be months. Any reason I shouldn't do this?

[Rivka]

might it grow cooties?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by E-Jag

This might be a good time to ask, does it hurt LECA (in this case hydroton) to continuously soak for months at a time? I recently repotted the majority of my orchids to hydroton in plastic pots (but not s/h). I keep a bowl of them soaking so they'll be ready when I need them. Might be months. Any reason I shouldn't do this?

No issue at all. Don't bother putting a rooting hormone in the soak water though. It will degrade and be a worthless, waste of money.

[janet_a]

Originally Posted by Rivka

might it grow cooties?

teaspoon of bleach. stir periodically. rinse well before using.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I have a question, what is LECA? That is one potting medium that I have not heard of yet.

[Rivka]

Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate

[whalloper]

Originally Posted by Rivka

and yes mine get dry on the top as well, and i do notice that if i stretch out my days between full watering (plug holes and soak) that the top balls seems to start floating again, but if i do the soak a tad more frequent, even though they look dry, the stay down when i fill it up. so i think that they still have a bit of water in them.

Ive never heard you had to do full soaks...did I miss that memo, uh oh! Please give me your thoughts cause I need to get a move on as I havent done that. If so, how often, and how long?

[Rivka]

i'm not sure if it is necessary to do them for longer than a moment, but i do. Ray can chime in with more info.
i do them to let the water soak into the balls a bit more, specially since they are new and also to help rinse accumulated salts off the balls and roots.
i think most folks just plug the holes with their fingers and fill the pot up to the top wait a moment then let it run out.
i have about 35 plants so my method is to slip my deli container with the holes into another that does not have holes and then fill them all up to the top and then about 10 minutes later i pull them out of the second container and let them drain. this usually means that by the time i finish filling them up, i start draining my first ones. i also let them drain into the outer cups and then use that water with fertilizer on other house plants that i am not worried about sharing water with.

i am really amazed how little water i use now that i have this method down, a real boost when i have costly fertilizer in 3 of 4 weeks of it!

[Ray]

I actually recommend against that "2-container, soak" method of watering, and (I'll apologize in advance, Rivka) think you're being "penny wise and pound foolish".

1. As plants take up nutrients from the liquid in the medium and reservoir, they expel waste products that contaminate the solution. Their respiratory processes do the same.
   
   By plugging the holes and not letting it flush out, your "fresh, correct chemistry" fertilizer solution is being contaminated by the residual liquid.
   
   
2. By reusing the solution from one plant to water another, you are doing the ideal thing to share viruses and other plant pathogens. I would view this as the most risky aspect of the technique described. Yeah, you're saving solution, but at the risk of contaminating your entire collection.
   
   
3. Fertilizer isn't all that expensive: Let's say you use Dyna-Gro "Grow" formula (7-9-5), with a recommended retail price of $19/quart. For 125 ppm N, that quart of concentrate will make up about 134 gallons of solution, at a price of $0.14/gallon - not really all that expensive, especially when you considered what you probably have invested in your plants!
   
   Let's try another example, in which you purchased 5# of MSU Well Water formula (19-4-23) for $20. THAT will make up about 840 gallons of 125 ppm N solution at a fraction over $0.02 per gallon.

[janet_a]

By plugging the holes and not letting it flush out, your "fresh, correct chemistry" fertilizer solution is being contaminated by the residual liquid.

(this is why i tip the container and try to drain out as much of anything left in the reservoir as i can before refilling the container and letting it drain.)

[Rivka]

Originally Posted by Ray

I actually recommend against that "2-container, soak" method of watering, and (I'll apologize in advance, Rivka) think you're being "penny wise and pound foolish".

no reason to apologies to me about sharing information, i never claimed to be correct all the time, i was just sharing what i do. however you read my post too fast or something because you misunderstood part of it, see below:

1 As plants take up nutrients from the liquid in the medium and reservoir, they expel waste products that contaminate the solution. Their respiratory processes do the same.

By plugging the holes and not letting it flush out, your "fresh, correct chemistry" fertilizer solution is being contaminated by the residual liquid.

yeah this is a good thought, and like janet suggested maybe i should tip the remainder out, maybe i will start doing a fresh water flush before my fertilizer soak to rinse that waste out, thanks for the insight. it makes complete sense if i stop to think about it.

2 By reusing the solution from one plant to water another, you are doing the ideal thing to share viruses and other plant pathogens. I would view this as the most risky aspect of the technique described. Yeah, you're saving solution, but at the risk of contaminating your entire collection.

I Do Not Reuse The Water On Orchids,

Originally Posted by Rivka

and then use that water with fertilizer on other house plants that i am not worried about sharing water with.

instead i let it water my various container plants on the balcony outside, these are just annuals or some other things and they seem to be fine with the water, it is just part of what they get, if you think i am building up junk in them, i have no problem stopping that as well it was just something to do as i dumped out the water


Ray, do you have any other issues with the 2 container soak that i have not addresses here? it seemed to me a good way to get the leca to fully hydrate, give the little starting roots that are still on top a little drink and is sure a lot more feasible than standing there with my fingers with each or 35 orchids!