Westland 20100396 Hydroleca Clay Granules, 10L, Natural

Product Information

For lightweight pots and containers add Hydroleca to potting compost in a ratio of one part Hydroleca to three parts compost to grow a wide range of plants, including small trees and shrubs.

Thoroughly clean the growing area to avoid the aggregate becoming contaminated with debris from preceding crops or infected soil. Let's see why Leca is so useful for keeping your plants healthy and thriving! Why is Leca useful for growing your plants? Place the plant pot on a layer of Hydroleca which will absorb water and release it slowly to prevent root damage caused by the pot standing in water At this point, you might be wondering: why would you even consider using this for growing your plants? This growing medium can't feed my plants on its own...why would I use this? These are excellent questions and they're the exact questions we're going to look at in this post. Leca can't feed your plants for you, but it brings a lot of fantastic benefits that make it a great growing medium for a lot of different plants and plant owners of any skill level! The exceptionally light weight of Hydroleca makes it ideal for use in roof gardens or any location where the weight of a pot, tub, planter, raised bed etc., is critical. Hydroleca can be added to potting compost at a ratio of 3 parts compost/1 part Hydroleca, providing a substantial reduction in total weight. At the same time the addition of the Hydroleca improves the water holding capacity of the compost and decreases the frequency of watering.Leca is an acronym and it stands for: Lightweight expanded clay aggregate. It sounds very complicated, but when you break it down, it's a good and descriptive name. Essentially, Leca is a growing medium, like soil, in which you can grow your plants. When you're using soil, you're watering when the soil feels dry or the plant looks a certain way. Watering is much simpler when you're using Leca because you're watering when the water in the pot is gone. When all the water is gone from the bottom of the pot, your plant has absorbed it all or the clay balls have soaked it up. Adding extra water, even if the clay balls are still full of water, won't cause the plant to be overwatered. Your plant won't be overwatered, because the plant absorbs the moisture as it needs it. If you were growing your plant in soil and you were to add more water when the soil is still soaked, you might kill the plant by overwatering it. Now that we've seen some of the greatest benefits Leca can give you and your plants, let's look at how it works! It's always helpful to know how the growing medium you use works, because this tells you if you need to change your plant care routine to best help a plant. How does Leca work?

To avoid overwatering your plants in soil, you have to pay close attention to how dry/wet the soil is. This is not at all the case for Leca, which is why it's so much easier to properly water your plants. We'll look at exactly how Leca helps you do this in the next section where we look at how Leca works. Eco-friendly – It’s made exclusively from clay (which isn’t exactly endangered), and it’s completely inert and non-toxic. So it’s safe to use with all manner of plants.

Technical specifications

Although Roelof Jan may not have formal gardening credentials, his expertise has been cultivated through caring for many plants and providing valuable guidance to fellow plant lovers just like you. While any slow release feed you've included in the potting medium will last several months, once that has been used up, you can supplement with a monthly general liquid feed in the growing season. Plants growing in the ground are unlikely to need fertiliser. Overwintering Your plant's roots aren't sitting in water, so they'll absorb the moisture from the clay balls. Since your plants aren't sitting in water all the time, like often the case with soil, they're not at risk of overwatering, they're just in a moist and oxygen-rich environment. If you're growing thirsty plants in Leca, they will start to grow their roots towards the water that's at the bottom of the pot and absorb moisture directly from there. This makes Leca perfect for a large variety of plants, from drought-loving cacti to moisture-loving Alocasias. How do you fertilize your plants in Leca? Large items are sent via a standard 48L (48 hour large) service. Large items take from 2 working days to arrive.

A layer of Hydroleca in drainage channels under lawns will improve their performance as the "pebbles" resist compaction better than other traditional materials. Leca eliminates both risks by sequestering water that finds its way to the bottom. It’s a way to capture excess water and only release it when necessary (plus, it’ll boost ambient humidity).Keeping a 5 cm depth of Hydroleca moist on a bench in a greenhouse can help improve humidity levels.

Other hardy succulents similar to sempervivums include Rosularia, Jovibarba and Sedum, good alternatives to more tender succulents such as Echevaria and Aeoniums. Pest resistant – No soil, no problem. Pests that reproduce in soil (fungus gnats, I’m looking at you) can’t get a foothold in a leca medium. If you have a species sempervivium which will come true from seed if not cross pollinated or if you want to experiment, you can grow plants from seed. Named varieties are unlikely toproduce offspring that are true to type (i.e. like the parent). Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with. If you're looking for other ways to avoid overwatering your plants, have a look at "How to avoid overwatering your plants". Less risk of root rotHydroleca is both decorative and practical. It gives houseplants the perfect finish; just place a layer of the clay granules around every plant. You can also spread hydroleca over a shallow tray and place houseplants pots over the layer. Be sure your pots have drainage holes. This prevents houseplants sitting directly in water which is bad for the roots.