Preparing LECA for S/H

[pikastu]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about trialing some of my plants in semi hydro to see how things go.

I've bought 'Nutrifield' LECA which appears to be relatively common (and cheap) in Australia. My problem is, after soaking the media for about 48 hours, about half the media is still floating.

My thoughts are that floating pellets aren't absorbing water and the pores aren't allowing water inside. Is this right, and would this negatively impact absorption/wicking when I use them for S/H?

Is there anything else I can do to help the pellets absorb water faster? Or am I just worried about nothing?

[Ray]

You're worrying for nothing.

Yes, "sinkers" absorb more than "floaters", but wicking pellet-to-pellet and delivery to the plant is mostly a surface thing.

[WaterWitchin]

For what it's worth , I've used several LECA brands. Right now I'm on my second 40# bag of "Hydro-Crunch" It's a LOT different than past purchases. Very clean (just a bit dusty), very uniform in size, and VERY lightweight. It all floats.

I was worried when I bought my first bag, because of the "float" issue. Past brands had (guesstimate) about 4/5 sinking, 1/5 floating. Repotted some orchids that had been in LECA for years, some that I was converting from bark medium or mounts. All I moved into new medium went forward without a hiccup.

The only changes noticed were: less foreign substances (after soaking first batch), i.e., no weird "oil slicks" or nasty looking gunk; very uniform size, which to me appears more air spaces in pot; and did I mention it floats?

The up side of that is I don't space out as much when flushing/watering (or it starts floating out of pot). I can quickly go through all pots, and if whim hits me, do it again. A win/win for me, as I'm easily distracted.

Also, I don't bother to soak. I blast it with a hose to get off dust, and start potting. Oh yeah... it's also cheaper. I can get it for around a buck a pound.

It works, for me. And welcome to the board!