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Pon vs. Leca - opinions and knowledge wanted please! Wanting to learn… | Hydroponics & Semi-hydroponics | Planta community

Tiffany

Pon vs. Leca - opinions and knowledge wanted please! Wanting to learn something new and experiment with some plants, I already have Leca (and had no idea what to do with it 😆) … I’m curious what your opinions are on pon vs. leca TIA ☺️

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6 comments

  1. Brandon & Michelle

    LECA is amazing 🙌 makes plant care much easier after the initial transition

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    • Tiffany

      That’s my hope! I’ve got over 250 plants now, so I’d love to get rid of the intermittent battle with fungus gnats!

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  2. Mariah

    I was reading a Reddit thread about mixing the two- that Pon is heavier so good for heartier plants and LECA is good to use at the bottom for aeration. Was also discussed about stratum+LECA and Pon+stratum. I never considered mixing two mediums, and have not done it so cannot speak from experience. r/SemiHydro has been a wonderful learning resource for the off the wall questions I have as most have been asked and answered there. It also seems something different works for everyone- some swear Pon gets rid of the threat of infestations and others say that’s malarkey. 😂 I have had success with transferring one finicky plant to LECA- MUCH less experience than others here. It’s cheaper but you do have to add nutrients… at least I do- I’ve seen others say you don’t. Again… so many varying experiences and opinions. I finally gave up trying to find the perfect option/set up and just took the plunge with what seemed logical from all the info I researched/learned. Good luck!

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  3. Danika

    Yes its true, zero fungus gnats. Its a non-organic substrate so there is no way for them to breed. If you have other plants in your house that are still in organic soils then you will still have a problem, just not with your Leca/Pon plants. It won’t prevent other pests. Just gnats. Leca is best for larger or older plants with larger bigger roots. Letchuza Pon is best for young plants or plants with finer roots. I personally vote Pon all the way. I’ve done a TON of research into both, and there are a multitude of reasons why Pon is better amongst the planty peeps I follow… The weight of Pon is one of them (helps to anchor roots to allow plant to grow larger leaves compared to leca which is so light weight that your plants get stunted or just tiny leaved). I am personally trying the method of growing most of my indoor plants from a baby plug size and so pretty much everything that young benefits more from Pon for this situation. As I grow them up to be larger, I may decide to incorporate some Leca at the bottom of my pots only and still put Pon at the top. The original Letchuza Pon substrate includes a slow release fertilizer beads in mix, that is good for up to six months. After which point, you would need to add your own hydroponic fertilizer. As of just this month recently, they now are offering a “Basic Pon” product (you can get on Amazon) which is the same substrate minus the fertilizer beads and it’s cheaper. Since I fertilize hydroponically with every watering, this to me as a better option anyways.

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    • Tiffany

      Good to know! Thank you!

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  4. Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸

    Yes team PON!

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