Legigo 10 LB Organic Leca Clay Pebbles for Plants, 4mm-16mm 100% Natural Leca Balls for Indoor Plants, Hydroton Clay Pebbles for Plants Hydroponic Aquaponics Growing Orchid Drainage Terrarium

Quality LECA pebbles – testing for semi-hydroponic plant conversion
I bought this 10-pound bag of Legigo Organic Leca Clay Pebbles to transition several of my indoor plants to a semi-hydroponic setup. I changed my ZZ plant and Chinese evergreen to LECA about a week ago – it’s too soon to evaluate how they’ll perform in this medium long-term, but the transition process went smoothly.The LECA required thorough rinsing to remove excess clay dust, and I also rinsed all residual soil from the plants’ roots before repotting. The repotting process was significantly less messy than working with soil, which was a nice bonus.Since LECA has no nutrients, I mixed semi-hydroponic plant food with water and planted them in slotted containers placed inside slightly larger pots with the nutrient solution. The system seems to be working well so far.One major advantage is that LECA can be reused if you sanitize it between uses, making it potentially more economical than soil in the long run. If these plants thrive in LECA, I plan to switch my orchids and African violets to this medium as well.I give it 5 stars for the quality of the pebbles – they’re uniform in size and seem well-processed for the price.

Work great
Work perfect for excellent drainage in regular soil OR for houseplants using zero soil. The quality is very good, low dust and EZ to use. They are an even texture with no defect. My plant health is important and I make sure I use a good quality fertilizer because, unlike soil, these do not contribute any compost or nutrients to plants. Moisture and water retention is low – so I find that these work best in a self-watering planter where water can wick up and keep these hydrated.

Good product, great price.
Perfect little clay pebbles for what I needed them for. They work really well. Some are a little small and escape through the bottom of the pots. But I just make sure I have the right size before completing the potting.

Plants are Thriving
I’ve used a few brands of LECA and my plants seem to love this one! The LECA balls are a dark brown and are varied, so you can use this brand for small or large plants. LECA is good versatile medium to grow plants in. I use them semi-hydroponically or in my chunky soil mixture.If you’re new to semi-hydroponics, there’s a slight learning curve. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you use it:1. LECA can help your plants thrive!!! Like I said before, there can be a trial and error period before you’re completely comfortable with LECA. So, if your plants fail, many times it is due to this and not the LECA.2. Before using, rinse the LECA until the water runs clear, then soak it for 24-48 hours. You can also boil it for 10-30 minutes if you’d like but it’s not necessary.3. There are a few ways to use planters with LECA: a planter with no drainage or a nursery pot or net pot inside of planter with no drainage. I usually use a clear nursery pot inside of a container, that way you can easily see the root system.4. When transitioning your plant from soil to LECA be VERY CAREFUL! Wash the roots of your plant and make sure all of the dirt is off of it. If you don’t do that, you can develop root rot (you’ll know if you have root rot because it smells baddd).5. Root Rot (black, mushy, smelly roots) sucks, but it can be avoided. Again, this usually occurs because of lack of knowledge about LECA rather than the product you purchased. When you transfer your plant to LECA, it has soil roots and needs to grow water roots. Make sure the soil roots aren’t submerged in the water. You’ll also need to frequently flush the dying roots when first transplanting to ensure they’re not just sitting there.6. This brings me to water and potting. I like to fill about a third of my nursery pot with LECA. Then I’ll hold the plant in place in the pot and fill the rest of the pot up with LECA. When watering, make sure the water level only goes up to the bottom third of the pot and stops right below the root ball. You’ll have to periodically check the water levels so that you can replenish it.7. LECA is not soil which means it doesn’t have a nutrients. This means you have to be on top of fertilizer because water alone won’t cut it. Feed your plants (aka the water reservoir) with a hydroponic nutrient solution or liquid fertilizer.Remember, have fun! LECA is great; it gives your roots oxygen, plants thrive, it’s harder to get bugs like fungus gnats, and it’s fun! Don’t be scared of algae, it happens naturally and you can prevent it with opaque planters. Practice on clippings first if you aren’t sure of what to do until you’re more confident about putting an entire plant in LECA.