Leca Clay Balls is gaining a lot of popularity recently. They are a great choice to grow many houseplants especially aroids like Philodendrons, Monsteras, Aglonema, Syngoniums and many more. Like every other potting medium this too has its pros and cons.
PROS OF USING LECA:-
- Easy and Low Maintenance- The biggest pro of using Leca is that it’s super easy and non-demanding. So if you’re a busy plant person or a newbie gardener this is one excellent medium to use.
- Provides aeration to plant roots specially for plants that do not like compact soil.
- Control pest- A lot of soil thriving pests do not affect Leca
- Solution to Over-watering- We all have struggled with over-watering. This is the trickiest part for a newbie plant parent. Leca is an amazing solution to check over-watering. As we use clear containers you can easily monitor both the water levels and root health. You just have to add water only when the container is dried up.
- It’s reusable and eco-friendly.
CONS OF USING LECA:-
Now Leca has it's set of disadvantages.
- No nutrition- Leca is a soilless medium and doesn’t provide any nutrition to the plants. Hence regular feeding is necessary for optimal plant growth.
- Algae Growth- If you have placed plants growing in a clear glass jar with Leca in spaces that get direct sunlight, there's a high chance of it developing algae. Sunlight is food for algae. Algae in small amounts isn’t harmful for the plants. However it’s not a pretty sight.
- Mineral Build Up- with time there will be mineral deposits on the Leca. This is due to the salts present in the water and fertilizers. However, it can be easily removed by flushing the Leca once in a while. Having said that, it's not necessarily harmful for the plants. But certain plant varieties might be sensitive to it.
- Not suitable for all plants- I personally don’t use Leca for Succulents and Peperomias
To summarize Leca is one of the best additions to the houseplant market. Personally I have so many plants growing in Leca. The issues faced with Leca is manageable and not very demanding. And I would highly recommend Leca!