Thank you so much for sending in your questions and I hope this is helpful for you. I know it’s taken a while for me to make this video but I really did not feel comfortable enough until a couple months ago. I just wanted to encourage you to do your own research and do what works best for you and your conditions, habits, etc. Here’s my link to the pon supplies and nutrients: Supplies: www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/3DGT1T05R3EUS?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d Nutrients: www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/28JOY1BVWMKEK?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
@@360revolucion8 Much of the medium we use in planters can often get trapped and caked together in the plumbing, especially like perlite dust! You may need to snake out your drains and flush to remove sediments. I would suggest using a big rubber maid container in your bathtub to collect all the runoff water and then throw that water outside on the ground such as your flower beds. Your plumbing will thank you! I personally water my plants over a 5 gallon bucket in my deep utility sink in my garage and then toss out the water outside. Hope that helps!
I still dont get why Pon uses lava rock and pumice, when zeolite alone can do all that is needed and better. My only explanation for this is cutting down on costs and bump up the profit margins. Can someone plz enlighten me?
Melissa, you are a born instructor. You learned about growing in Lechuza by trial and error and only did the video when you had ~12 mos. success. Humbly suggesting you were no expert, you encouraged us to absorb all the info you shared at our own speed, to meet our planty needs. Sharing your nutrient formula was so generous ... thank you.
Thank you Kathleen! I'm definitely not an expert at all and I still very much am learning. I always want people to do their own research and figure out what will work for their particular environment. I'm happy to try and help ❤️
After growing in PON and/or LECA for a number of years, I've come to the conclusion that the "special" pots are nice to have, but not at all necessary. Many, many of my most expensive plants are in upcyled plastic jars and acrylic cups that I've taken a soldering gun to in order to fashion "net" pots. The ones that I want to make more beautiful, I slide into cachepots. The others rest inside cereal bowls, baking dishes, or deep plastic saucers that function as vessels for the reservoir. Anything that is watertight, and anything one could bore holes in, gets considered as a plant home in my house!
Much respect for not gatekeeping that’s why I LOVE your channel! Would love to see more videos like this, maybe more on how to fertilize soilless aroid mixes, differences between cuttings (butt, middle, top - why there is always such a price difference) and other things people tend to gatekeep on! Thank you 😩😭
I literally just sat down after rinsing off different stones outside to attempt diy PON to use for the first time ever after watching how well your plants are doing in it. Perfect timing, now to grab a coffee, pen and paper. 😊
You have been such an AMAZING resource for all things plants 😊. Thank you for this video (and all your videos really - I've learned so much!). PS, I have been trying to snag a plant on your shop and have been unsuccessful haha. But I keep trying - thanks again, Melissa!
I just want to say thank you for your transparency and willingness to share your knowledge with us!! I enjoy watching and learn from every video. I haven’t been fast enough to buy from your shop but hoping to soon! ❤
Thank you so so much!!! I have literally looked for your videos on pon this past weekend!!! So on time for me!! Thanks again Melissa, you are such a great content creator! My plants are thriving because of your knowledge! Have a great week!
What a great video! I started with pon shortly after you and I’m loving it! I’m using the same nutrient regiment as you as well based on my little bit of research. I just started some Hoyas in pon and in 3 weeks they’re growing like crazy!
Sometimes waiting 30 mins (or at all) with silica causes problems. Some need the decrease in pH that the fertilizer will give them, so you do not want to wait at all. I would read the directions from the brand. The TDS will differ drastically by what water you start with, so that is a very high TDS when you use distilled or RO. My TDS with the same products you use is about 400. My favorite method is a wick with a reservoir. The reason is that it becomes almost impossible to rot the roots due to the air gap between the reservoir and media. Most plants really need a dry phase unless they love water (which are the ones you have in pon). They will rot the same as wet soil. I just wanted to share what I learned over the years. It certainly comes down to all of us testing and learning together. There isn't much info out there, so I appreciate you sharing.
Thank you so much . I learned so much, things I had no clue about. I hope your pon turns out and you do start selling it. It is definitely a hard thing to find anywhere. Thank you again😊
Glad it was helpful!! ❤️ I know it was a lot of info but I’m happy to share what has been working for me. Pon has been a game changer for me and I want others to love it just as much as I do 😂
I’m also glad I watched this because I did that as my step one very informative video. Thank you so much! I’m transitioning my Alocasias. I’m still in the early phase though barely probably on week two. I didn’t realize mine needed a water transition until recently so I’ve gone soil to pon and a lot of my alocasias are down to one to two leaves. In the event they all die, I will definitely be doing water first.
I started with Leca first but now have transitioned some to Pon. On the LECA which is larger I will often just use nursery pots with a string inside a plastic pot or cache pot instead of investing in the expensive hydro pots. So far I've been using the General Hydroponics 3 part system mixed with Distilled water but might check into the Foliage Pro when I'm out of that. Thanks for all the great advice Melissa. Learned a lot.
I havent tried using pon for cacti, but i´ve seen people gros cacti and other succulents in pon (ex. Good Growing) by having the plant set in pon, but not having a reservoir of water. You water like every second or third week by poing water from the top and then letting the water drip of before setting it back into the cover pott. I think you also can do bottom watering with cacti in pon, but the important part is to not leave your cacti in standing water/reservoir after the watering.
You are a born teacher. Seriously. This is at least the third time of watched this video. Wanted to take notes but kept getting interrupted by life. Finally today is the day. Got all my supplies, taking notes and still screwed up. Used the pH indicator drops instead of the pH Down in my first gallon!!!! Immediately I realized what I had done. I just dumped that gallon of water down drain. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ 😳😳 But everything is good now. ph=6.5 👍🏻
People have been growing desert plants in pure mineral substrates for decades. It’s crazy how the internet is acting like this is something new or revolutionary. 😂 You can buy all sorts of crushed porous rocks for dirt cheap if you buy at the source from a quarry instead of buying overpriced brands. Zeolite, pumice, and scoria are extremely abundant and cheap. You could produce literal tons of “pon” for a couple hundred bucks.
Regarding Cal Mag, I’m adding 8ml per gallon. I’ve been slowly increasing it and have been at 8 for about 3 months now without any issues. All my plants appear to appreciate the extra boost.
GREAT VIDEO! ❤😃Thank you so much for this! I grow most of my plants in pon now, and think the nutrition is so difficult! What to do, not to do.. But now, I got so many answers!! Really love that! ❤❤ To bad I'm not allowed to buy the same nutrients into my country, so I hope I find something similar.. And that you don't let the res dry out, thanks for that too!! I was not wrong to think the same as you then, 😂❤
Haha, I wish I would have seen this before I moved one of my Dragon scales, Nebula and variegated Frydek from stratum to Lechuza last night 😬. The roots are insane from the fluval though and I was so happy. I did switch my silica from TPS to Dune monosilicic acid and I’m loving it.
This was amazing! ThankYou Melissa for doing this video. I started using stratum and pon. My marantas and a couple calatheas are in pon! They are doing great! Today I actually switched my alocasia frydek from stratum into pon. I notice if I have the grow light too close , the leaves will get burn spots. So I’m praying the frydek grows well in pon! Thank you ❤❤️
Hi Melissa, I lost a very expensive snake plant in PON. I did not realize it was dying. I literally walked into a room and it was shriveled and hard, but a few days earlier is was fine (and watered), Maybe it was just this one. I had the plant for about two years and it was in PON for about 3 months. So it killed it quickly.
In Sweden, we have one store that sells lechuza pon 18L for 25$, and it is always in stock. But I've seen other stores and websites for double the price
I don’t have any plants in pon, but I found this very interesting. I was particularly interested in the fertilizing. I need to up my nutrient game and also get a test kit.
Hi Melissa, thanks so much for all of your amazing videos!! I had a quick question for you, I recently transferred a pretty large allocation from soil to pawn and two leaves turned yellow and started drooping… it honestly freaked me out so much I was tempted to either put it back in soil or into Stratham so I don’t risk losing the whole plant but then I saw one new leaf coming in…. Do you (or anyone else here :) ) have any recommendations or advice for its care going forward? Or what I should do if more leaves start to yellow or fall off?
Thank you for all of the information and dumbing things down for me specifically! I have been using Pon for a few months now and ran out... so i am doing a diy mix presently which my plants seem to like! I started looking into pon because i like alocasias, but they are just not easy to keep happy in soil mixes for me... pon has turned growing alocasias into a completely different plant.... like you i just refill weekly and do monthly drains. Im happy to know that the super thrive foliage pro works good with pon! i just purchased some last week (was using GT foliage focus and it was sold out on amazon) i have been using the same measurement you do and the plants seem happy!. I am definitely going to look into the Mag and silica supplements you use, my plants are doing very well without it, but maybe they could be doing better? you are one of my favorite planty people to watch! you explain things very thorough and that helps tremendously! I cannot wait until i finally make it in time on a restock day to get a plant by melissa! it has been such a pleasure to watch you grow and open your own shop and ive been feeling inspired by this!
I've been using coco perlite + vermiculite for a few years now and it's basically hydroponics. I've had zero root rot and pests with it. My Alocasias really love it. I do like the idea if pon and I love the look of it. I have thought about getting the pon for just top dressing the coco. I love the look of it. I'm very interested in your homemade mix.
I have some people heard it´s cheaper to DIY pon, wild fern for example has a video about it, but I think it really depends on what materials you can get. For example wild fern can get one of the stones (can´t remember which one) pretty cheap as a product used on slippery icy ways in winter, I can´t get that where I live. For me it would be more expensive than buying, but I also live somewhere where I can always buy pon. so I think it´s worth checking if DIY is a good option for you, or at least a backup. I have also seen people mix stuff into pon to either get it more suitable for baby plants (perlite) or to make it last longer (small clay pebble used as biological cat litter)
I have had issues with the pon becoming moldy when watered on the surface. I thus think that the top of the pon should remain dry. It is also what the notice says on Lechuza pots (to water only one time on the surface, then to fill on the side of the pot for maintenance).
Depending on the amount of sunlight the planter gets it can also develop a bit of algae. I haven’t had any problems with mold so far and I always water from the top. A couple Alocasia I have in beautiful clear vases in a mix of leca and/or pumice at the bottom and pon on the top where the plant sits, so there would be no way not to water them from the top. Leca or pumice at the bottom of a vase and moss on the upper half also works wonders. Or even only moss in a clear vase. My avocado tree grows in a clear vase only in moss and is doing great :)
@@Yambataller Wow, I actually meant algae, thanks ! This being said, I have also had mold as well in the long run. It was with a monstera adansonii. It was in a pot you could only water on the top and received a limited amount of sunlight. The pot has a water reservoir. It is a beautiful pot so I just reused it for some baby alocasia - still with pon - but I am going to try to water to the very side of the pot, so it does not get in contact with much pon on the top.
Melissa your 👏 awesome. Thank you for this video. It will help a lot my plants. I been researching and trying put different nutrients/fertilizing my plants so far they’re fine. I’m worry when winter comes. Yes please DIY Pon videos please. I been using stratum to my struggling plants then move to DIY Pon. More power to your channel and business💖💕🤍
Thank you for putting this video together! I've been adding fertilizer to my pon but thats it. It was really helpful to learn about everything you add to your special water mixture. I may need to branch out and get one of those pH testers.
This is perfect timing Melissa! I just received some silica I bought off Amazon. Right on time :) Have checked the nutrients on my fertilizers and they have Cal Mag and iron and copper and zink and vitamins and even tryptophan! Plants should be happy :) Will get an easy ph meter and maybe some Cal Mag in the future. Can’t use the ph paper because I’m a little color blind 😂 Thank you so much for this video ❤
AMAZING VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So straight forward and easy to follow. I now have all these products in my Amazon cart 🤭 Hoping to get my Alocasias healthy again to combat little annoying bugs in the pon. QUESTION: Or maybe just confirming haha….. you prep a bunch of jugs with the silica + StessCoat + CalMag + Fertilizer, and then can leave them sit there until you’re ready for watering? (Days,weeks?) And at the moment you’re ready to water is when you check and adjust PH? Or does all this stuff need to be mixed RIGHT before watering? Just wondering if it’s okay to prep all this stuff ahead of time. THANKS MELISSA, plant queen! 👑
Thank you for the comprehensive video on pon. Been considering to transfer my Alocasias and feeling more confident now that I should. One question that popped up, is it possible to recycle pon once used?
28:40 So we don't necessarily need a wick? I have a makeshift setup without a wick. A net pot that I put into a cup. There's about half an inch of space for water to sit, but I'm not sure if the bottom of the pon is supposed to sit in the water, fill completely and let it dry(which is probably wrong) or regular watering and just let run off sit in the reservoir?
So much great information on pon. Thank you! I’d love to know your process for reusing pon (and stratum too). Should it be disinfected or can just be reused. Any tips on cleaning the pon. I’ve tried rinsing it in a container and using it directly and rinsing through but I can never seem to get rid of all the dust.
I have made my own Pon for well over a year. It depends on where you are sourcing the materials from, but it should be more cost effective than Lechuzia. That and the fact you can never find Lechuzia. I can source most of what I need from local nurseries or in a pinch Amazon.
Hey! I was just wondering if you suggested going from soil to stratum and then to pon? (I have a frydek variegated that’s new to me but is just a baby - the bottom leaf has already melted and died)
Curious about the water roots that are made when using pon...even if the reservoir runs dry, are the roots still kept basically moist at all times in the inner pot? Will they dry rot with those fine hairs if they are allowed to dry out at all? And does this change whether or not it is a new propagation vs a year old plant? Thank you for the wonderful video :)
Hi Melissa, thank you so much for creating such a helpful video on using Lechuza-Pon for semi-hydro. I always enjoy watching your videos and appreciate all the valuable tips you share. I have a question: Is it possible to mix some slow-release fertilizer into the Lechuza-Pon when growing plants? I’m asking because I’ve noticed that some plant roots don’t seem to like being submerged in fertilized water for too long.
After watching this I had to double check my silica because mine calls for 5ml not .5 so I was confused. I am going to start using my dogs Brita 😅 and check ph etc. because I’ve been using distilled for my entire collection. It’s becoming annoying to have to go out and buy all the time. Wish me luck hahaha! thank you so much for this video. Does the ph up and down need to be general hydroponics? Or can it be the fish brands
I would suggest getting one that is a monosilicic acid. They’re usually a little more expensive but the benefits are worth it 😊 the power SI has lasted me almost a year with using it at least once a week and I have a lot of plants so if you have less it’ll last you longer.
Very cool melissa! Your pon just arrived yesterday and I made an unboxing video on my channel! I'm hoping your pon does the trick for my maranta! Thanks always for the amazing content! :-)
I loved this video! Now I'm wondering, do you use this same nutrient solution to water all of your plants? I have been using silica and Foliage Pro mostly and then I adjust ph after I've added those. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong because some of my plants have been struggling. I've heard of other adjusting ph after adding silica and then they continue to add nutrients after that.
I'm half way through your video and I'm loving it. I have a question for you or for those in the comment section. Any knowledge with soften water from water softener. I've been told many things, like let the water sit out for 24 hrs but that does not get rid of the added sodium, or water is water and many other things. LOL! I'm still struggling with figuring that out. I keep having to buy distilled water and that is getting very expensive. For the plants I use the soften water for I am starting to see brown tips.
Hi Rachael! I'm not sure about a water softener but RO/reverse osmosis water will remove the chemicals found in tap water or using rainwater other than buying distilled. Leaving water out over night does not cause chlorine or ammonia to evaporate. Brown tips are going to happen though :)
@@plantsbymelissa I've been trying to figure out the water thing for about a year now. RO system is very expensive and we would need to build a system for Rainwater. We will eventually do that but I'm worried about fugus issues with Rainwater. I know you had the same problem.
Please help me... I'm going to pon this weekend. And I see people pouring water but it really don't tell me how much water to use. do I fill it with water half the amount of the Pon. I do put the water the same level as the pon.
I don't :) I leave them on because not all of them rot. It will be stressful on the plant to cut away the roots. New ones will grow in while some of the old ones shed.
You'll want to test so you know how much to add to adjust your PH. I knew how many drops to add to mine since I've been doing it for a while now. It's going to depend on your starting PH and what all you add that can affect it :)
So i just received my ph meter and tested my tap water at 8. After adding silica and nutrients tested at 7. And now I just added a little bit of stress coat and tested 6.75 which sounds good. I wonder if I should add more stress coat solution or if it’s better not to add too much 🤔 When calibrating the meter the reading was lower than the ph solution before pressing the calibration button and then it adjusted to the ph solution after calibrating, which makes me think the reading should be accurate now. I think I’ll get some ph down solution later. Will wait to see if the ph changes. But wait a moment, if plants can’t absorb so much calcium and magnesium bellow 7 why should I bring it down and then add extra cal&mag? I now mix my nutrients and silica in a super thrive bottle and have it ready to add to the water every time I need it. Do you think it’s important to mix the silica separately? Idk what im doing 😂 A friend of mine who is a biologist suggested to add a little bit of grounded coffee to the water to bring down the ph, but I’m not sure I want to do that…
Cal and Mag buffs the ph, correct? So why do we want to bring the ph down to then add more cal/mag because plants can’t absorb so much of it bellow 7, if it’s going to increase the ph again? Seems like a contradiction to me… or is it that they will intake less bellow 7 and that’s why there needs to be a higher dose of them in the water? I guess I’ll just have to try it.
I don’t know which ones they are but I have two succulents growing side-by-side in Lechuza pon and they are very happy and yes, you have to be very careful with how much water you add. ❤ If you’re interested, I can send you a photo through your email on your website and you can have a look? Before and now ❤
Does anyone know why roots of my plants that are longer in pon die off like they’ve dried out? I’m using this method with a wick and there’s always water in the reservoir…
Is there anyone know if I can grow Calathea rattlesnake, freddie, and makoyana in pon. They have potato-like roots, and I'm not sure if they can thrive in pon.
Yes, I have been growing my Freddie and Makoyana in pon for about a year now and both are doing well. Also have 3 Marantas in pon also doing very well. All are in self watering pots with indicators. Hope that helps.
Great informative video! I love growing in pon so I’m always interested in hearing and learning from other’s experiences, so thank you for sharing. 🫶. Switching to pon has made my life a lot easier, and so far, my 100+ plants loved the transition. I grow mine in a cache pot set up, using recycled plastic cups/take away containers as the inner pot. There are all kinds of plastic containers small to extra large at the Dollar stores that you can diy as well. I’d get a $10 soldering iron from Amazon to make some holes and go nuts with every plastic cups I can recycle 😅. Also I love thrifting outer cache pot as well. The choices of no drainage hole outer pots/cups,bowles, etc are endless. Excited to see your diy pon version soon! 💚
Melissa ... I bet you covered this elsewhere b-u-t is there any difference in the process you use w/plants grown in *your* aroid mix? Gah, there are so many variable to plant tending. Thank you for answering, if you happen to see this Q on an older video.
Thank you so much for sending in your questions and I hope this is helpful for you. I know it’s taken a while for me to make this video but I really did not feel comfortable enough until a couple months ago. I just wanted to encourage you to do your own research and do what works best for you and your conditions, habits, etc.
Here’s my link to the pon supplies and nutrients:
Supplies:
www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/3DGT1T05R3EUS?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
Nutrients:
www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/28JOY1BVWMKEK?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
So I've been watering my moss poles in the shower/bathtub and now my tub is backed up and slowly draining. Have you had that problem?
Thank you
Thank you. Very educational for a newbie like me who has just ordered his first plants.
@@360revolucion8 Much of the medium we use in planters can often get trapped and caked together in the plumbing, especially like perlite dust! You may need to snake out your drains and flush to remove sediments. I would suggest using a big rubber maid container in your bathtub to collect all the runoff water and then throw that water outside on the ground such as your flower beds. Your plumbing will thank you! I personally water my plants over a 5 gallon bucket in my deep utility sink in my garage and then toss out the water outside. Hope that helps!
I still dont get why Pon uses lava rock and pumice, when zeolite alone can do all that is needed and better.
My only explanation for this is cutting down on costs and bump up the profit margins. Can someone plz enlighten me?
Melissa, you are a born instructor. You learned about growing in Lechuza by trial and error and only did the video when you had ~12 mos. success. Humbly suggesting you were no expert, you encouraged us to absorb all the info you shared at our own speed, to meet our planty needs. Sharing your nutrient formula was so generous ... thank you.
Thank you Kathleen! I'm definitely not an expert at all and I still very much am learning. I always want people to do their own research and figure out what will work for their particular environment. I'm happy to try and help ❤️
After growing in PON and/or LECA for a number of years, I've come to the conclusion that the "special" pots are nice to have, but not at all necessary. Many, many of my most expensive plants are in upcyled plastic jars and acrylic cups that I've taken a soldering gun to in order to fashion "net" pots. The ones that I want to make more beautiful, I slide into cachepots. The others rest inside cereal bowls, baking dishes, or deep plastic saucers that function as vessels for the reservoir. Anything that is watertight, and anything one could bore holes in, gets considered as a plant home in my house!
Same here, I use my leftover protein powder containers, and I've got water stored in all sorts of plastic bottles😂
Much respect for not gatekeeping that’s why I LOVE your channel! Would love to see more videos like this, maybe more on how to fertilize soilless aroid mixes, differences between cuttings (butt, middle, top - why there is always such a price difference) and other things people tend to gatekeep on! Thank you 😩😭
❤️❤️
I literally just sat down after rinsing off different stones outside to attempt diy PON to use for the first time ever after watching how well your plants are doing in it. Perfect timing, now to grab a coffee, pen and paper. 😊
❤️❤️
I really like adding perlite to PON because it makes it much more light weight for firm roots and it helps to stretch the PON further! ❤
You have been such an AMAZING resource for all things plants 😊. Thank you for this video (and all your videos really - I've learned so much!). PS, I have been trying to snag a plant on your shop and have been unsuccessful haha. But I keep trying - thanks again, Melissa!
You’re very welcome! I’m happy to share and help! I appreciate all the support so much and so grateful to be here 💚
I just want to say thank you for your transparency and willingness to share your knowledge with us!! I enjoy watching and learn from every video. I haven’t been fast enough to buy from your shop but hoping to soon! ❤
I appreciate that! I’m happy to share! 🫶🏻❤️
Looking forward to your upcoming comparison 😊
So excited for the DIY pon video!!! 😀
I’m excited for it!! ☺️
Lechuzapon is back in stock at Amazon 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😅
👀👀
You should put this video under the fertilizer playlist. I was looking for it for a while! Just a thought! Love all your knowledge!
I appreciate the way you did this video. The demonstrations and hands on experience was super helpful...thanks so much for sharing ❤
Thank you so so much!!! I have literally looked for your videos on pon this past weekend!!! So on time for me!! Thanks again Melissa, you are such a great content creator! My plants are thriving because of your knowledge! Have a great week!
You are so welcome! Happy to share 🫶
Looking forward to your DIY pon video, Melissa!
Me too!! ❤😃
I have been waiting for this video from you ! I just started using Pon. Thank you for doing this vid!
You're welcome ☺️
What a great video! I started with pon shortly after you and I’m loving it! I’m using the same nutrient regiment as you as well based on my little bit of research. I just started some Hoyas in pon and in 3 weeks they’re growing like crazy!
Sometimes waiting 30 mins (or at all) with silica causes problems. Some need the decrease in pH that the fertilizer will give them, so you do not want to wait at all. I would read the directions from the brand. The TDS will differ drastically by what water you start with, so that is a very high TDS when you use distilled or RO. My TDS with the same products you use is about 400. My favorite method is a wick with a reservoir. The reason is that it becomes almost impossible to rot the roots due to the air gap between the reservoir and media. Most plants really need a dry phase unless they love water (which are the ones you have in pon). They will rot the same as wet soil. I just wanted to share what I learned over the years. It certainly comes down to all of us testing and learning together. There isn't much info out there, so I appreciate you sharing.
Thank you so much . I learned so much, things I had no clue about. I hope your pon turns out and you do start selling it. It is definitely a hard thing to find anywhere. Thank you again😊
Glad it was helpful!! ❤️ I know it was a lot of info but I’m happy to share what has been working for me. Pon has been a game changer for me and I want others to love it just as much as I do 😂
I am doing DIY, it's the 'same stuff' without the enormous cost and without the osmocote fertilizer, because I prefer to use my own regular nutrients.
I’m also glad I watched this because I did that as my step one very informative video. Thank you so much! I’m transitioning my Alocasias. I’m still in the early phase though barely probably on week two.
I didn’t realize mine needed a water transition until recently so I’ve gone soil to pon and a lot of my alocasias are down to one to two leaves. In the event they all die, I will definitely be doing water first.
I started with Leca first but now have transitioned some to Pon. On the LECA which is larger I will often just use nursery pots with a string inside a plastic pot or cache pot instead of investing in the expensive hydro pots. So far I've been using the General Hydroponics 3 part system mixed with Distilled water but might check into the Foliage Pro when I'm out of that. Thanks for all the great advice Melissa. Learned a lot.
Pon is literally God's gift to all of my alocasias.
I havent tried using pon for cacti, but i´ve seen people gros cacti and other succulents in pon (ex. Good Growing) by having the plant set in pon, but not having a reservoir of water. You water like every second or third week by poing water from the top and then letting the water drip of before setting it back into the cover pott. I think you also can do bottom watering with cacti in pon, but the important part is to not leave your cacti in standing water/reservoir after the watering.
You are a born teacher. Seriously. This is at least the third time of watched this video. Wanted to take notes but kept getting interrupted by life. Finally today is the day. Got all my supplies, taking notes and still screwed up. Used the pH indicator drops instead of the pH Down in my first gallon!!!! Immediately I realized what I had done. I just dumped that gallon of water down drain. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ 😳😳 But everything is good now. ph=6.5 👍🏻
People have been growing desert plants in pure mineral substrates for decades. It’s crazy how the internet is acting like this is something new or revolutionary. 😂
You can buy all sorts of crushed porous rocks for dirt cheap if you buy at the source from a quarry instead of buying overpriced brands. Zeolite, pumice, and scoria are extremely abundant and cheap. You could produce literal tons of “pon” for a couple hundred bucks.
So what. For many of us who don’t grow desert plants, this is new to us. Why are you the way you are?
@@Twinleo1 yes this was all and new to me
Regarding Cal Mag, I’m adding 8ml per gallon. I’ve been slowly increasing it and have been at 8 for about 3 months now without any issues. All my plants appear to appreciate the extra boost.
Thank you!! 🙏🏼 I might try that :)
GREAT VIDEO! ❤😃Thank you so much for this! I grow most of my plants in pon now, and think the nutrition is so difficult! What to do, not to do.. But now, I got so many answers!! Really love that! ❤❤ To bad I'm not allowed to buy the same nutrients into my country, so I hope I find something similar.. And that you don't let the res dry out, thanks for that too!! I was not wrong to think the same as you then, 😂❤
Thank you!! So helpful 🙂
I was so curious about your watering regiment!
Excited for the diy pon comparison video too.
Thanks for all you do!! 💚
You are so welcome!
Thanks for all the great information on Pon!
You're welcome ❤️
Haha, I wish I would have seen this before I moved one of my Dragon scales, Nebula and variegated Frydek from stratum to Lechuza last night 😬. The roots are insane from the fluval though and I was so happy. I did switch my silica from TPS to Dune monosilicic acid and I’m loving it.
I am buying all of my supplies through your Amazon affiliate links because of all the great content you provide! Thank you!😊
In the three leaf club now on my alocasia sport dragan scale. Thanks to you!
Thank you for the help! Do you use the same water/mineral/nutrient pH system for your soil plants or are you making up two batches of water?
Very informative video. 😊
Glad it was helpful!
This was amazing! ThankYou Melissa for doing this video. I started using stratum and pon. My marantas and a couple calatheas are in pon! They are doing great! Today I actually switched my alocasia frydek from stratum into pon. I notice if I have the grow light too close , the leaves will get burn spots. So I’m praying the frydek grows well in pon! Thank you ❤❤️
Thank you for a very comprehensive video on semi-hydro 🤩
this video helped me understand some of the "rules" I have heard before that confused me. Thank you!
Hi Melissa, I lost a very expensive snake plant in PON. I did not realize it was dying. I literally walked into a room and it was shriveled and hard, but a few days earlier is was fine (and watered), Maybe it was just this one. I had the plant for about two years and it was in PON for about 3 months. So it killed it quickly.
In Sweden, we have one store that sells lechuza pon 18L for 25$, and it is always in stock. But I've seen other stores and websites for double the price
Också svensk, nyfiken på vilken butik det är! Vill du dela med dig? :))
@ hornbach
@@Mathildev4 Tack!
You work so hard. Bless you. Great content. Looking forward to your pon diy!
I don’t have any plants in pon, but I found this very interesting. I was particularly interested in the fertilizing. I need to up my nutrient game and also get a test kit.
Hi Melissa, thanks so much for all of your amazing videos!! I had a quick question for you, I recently transferred a pretty large allocation from soil to pawn and two leaves turned yellow and started drooping… it honestly freaked me out so much I was tempted to either put it back in soil or into Stratham so I don’t risk losing the whole plant but then I saw one new leaf coming in…. Do you (or anyone else here :) ) have any recommendations or advice for its care going forward? Or what I should do if more leaves start to yellow or fall off?
Thank you for all of the information and dumbing things down for me specifically! I have been using Pon for a few months now and ran out... so i am doing a diy mix presently which my plants seem to like!
I started looking into pon because i like alocasias, but they are just not easy to keep happy in soil mixes for me... pon has turned growing alocasias into a completely different plant.... like you i just refill weekly and do monthly drains.
Im happy to know that the super thrive foliage pro works good with pon! i just purchased some last week (was using GT foliage focus and it was sold out on amazon) i have been using the same measurement you do and the plants seem happy!. I am definitely going to look into the Mag and silica supplements you use, my plants are doing very well without it, but maybe they could be doing better?
you are one of my favorite planty people to watch! you explain things very thorough and that helps tremendously! I cannot wait until i finally make it in time on a restock day to get a plant by melissa! it has been such a pleasure to watch you grow and open your own shop and ive been feeling inspired by this!
What about having in pots with drainage holes? I’ve been watering from the top. The “shower” method.
I have 3 small black velvets from corms in stratum already
I've been using coco perlite + vermiculite for a few years now and it's basically hydroponics. I've had zero root rot and pests with it. My Alocasias really love it. I do like the idea if pon and I love the look of it. I have thought about getting the pon for just top dressing the coco. I love the look of it. I'm very interested in your homemade mix.
Hi, thank you for your video. Do you know if you are able to use systemic granules with pon?
Good info; thanks for sharing your PON experience Melissa!
I have some people heard it´s cheaper to DIY pon, wild fern for example has a video about it, but I think it really depends on what materials you can get. For example wild fern can get one of the stones (can´t remember which one) pretty cheap as a product used on slippery icy ways in winter, I can´t get that where I live.
For me it would be more expensive than buying, but I also live somewhere where I can always buy pon. so I think it´s worth checking if DIY is a good option for you, or at least a backup.
I have also seen people mix stuff into pon to either get it more suitable for baby plants (perlite) or to make it last longer (small clay pebble used as biological cat litter)
Very informative and if I ever make the switch I will be using this video. But that is just way to much for me.
I have had issues with the pon becoming moldy when watered on the surface. I thus think that the top of the pon should remain dry. It is also what the notice says on Lechuza pots (to water only one time on the surface, then to fill on the side of the pot for maintenance).
Depending on the amount of sunlight the planter gets it can also develop a bit of algae. I haven’t had any problems with mold so far and I always water from the top. A couple Alocasia I have in beautiful clear vases in a mix of leca and/or pumice at the bottom and pon on the top where the plant sits, so there would be no way not to water them from the top.
Leca or pumice at the bottom of a vase and moss on the upper half also works wonders. Or even only moss in a clear vase. My avocado tree grows in a clear vase only in moss and is doing great :)
@@Yambataller Wow, I actually meant algae, thanks ! This being said, I have also had mold as well in the long run. It was with a monstera adansonii. It was in a pot you could only water on the top and received a limited amount of sunlight. The pot has a water reservoir. It is a beautiful pot so I just reused it for some baby alocasia - still with pon - but I am going to try to water to the very side of the pot, so it does not get in contact with much pon on the top.
Melissa your 👏 awesome. Thank you for this video. It will help a lot my plants. I been researching and trying put different nutrients/fertilizing my plants so far they’re fine. I’m worry when winter comes. Yes please DIY Pon videos please. I been using stratum to my struggling plants then move to DIY Pon. More power to your channel and business💖💕🤍
Great video. I want to transfer one of my tiger ferns to semi hydro.
Go for it! 🫶🏻
Can i use silica coarse sand in the pon mix instead of the one in the water?
Thank you for putting this video together! I've been adding fertilizer to my pon but thats it. It was really helpful to learn about everything you add to your special water mixture. I may need to branch out and get one of those pH testers.
You can use seachem prime water conditioner too only need two drops per gallon I use it in my plant waters and in my fish tanks
ah thanks I'll look that one up 🙏
I cannot wait to give pon a go!!
Would it be beneficial to add charcoal to your mix?
This is perfect timing Melissa! I just received some silica I bought off Amazon. Right on time :)
Have checked the nutrients on my fertilizers and they have Cal Mag and iron and copper and zink and vitamins and even tryptophan! Plants should be happy :)
Will get an easy ph meter and maybe some Cal Mag in the future. Can’t use the ph paper because I’m a little color blind 😂
Thank you so much for this video ❤
🫶🫶
AMAZING VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So straight forward and easy to follow. I now have all these products in my Amazon cart 🤭 Hoping to get my Alocasias healthy again to combat little annoying bugs in the pon.
QUESTION: Or maybe just confirming haha….. you prep a bunch of jugs with the silica + StessCoat + CalMag + Fertilizer, and then can leave them sit there until you’re ready for watering? (Days,weeks?) And at the moment you’re ready to water is when you check and adjust PH? Or does all this stuff need to be mixed RIGHT before watering? Just wondering if it’s okay to prep all this stuff ahead of time.
THANKS MELISSA, plant queen! 👑
Thank you for the comprehensive video on pon. Been considering to transfer my Alocasias and feeling more confident now that I should. One question that popped up, is it possible to recycle pon once used?
I am an over waterer too. I have transferred most of my Hoyas to Pon after rotting a couple of Hoyas. They are growing like weeds.
28:40 So we don't necessarily need a wick? I have a makeshift setup without a wick. A net pot that I put into a cup. There's about half an inch of space for water to sit, but I'm not sure if the bottom of the pon is supposed to sit in the water, fill completely and let it dry(which is probably wrong) or regular watering and just let run off sit in the reservoir?
So much great information on pon. Thank you! I’d love to know your process for reusing pon (and stratum too). Should it be disinfected or can just be reused. Any tips on cleaning the pon. I’ve tried rinsing it in a container and using it directly and rinsing through but I can never seem to get rid of all the dust.
I have made my own Pon for well over a year. It depends on where you are sourcing the materials from, but it should be more cost effective than Lechuzia. That and the fact you can never find Lechuzia. I can source most of what I need from local nurseries or in a pinch Amazon.
I thought I’m supposed to be using water conditioner first, then waiting. I thought it removes nutrients. Thank you for all this information.
Hey! I was just wondering if you suggested going from soil to stratum and then to pon? (I have a frydek variegated that’s new to me but is just a baby - the bottom leaf has already melted and died)
I talked about this in the video 👌
Can I use pure stratum in my self watering pot for my Alocasia black velvet
Curious about the water roots that are made when using pon...even if the reservoir runs dry, are the roots still kept basically moist at all times in the inner pot? Will they dry rot with those fine hairs if they are allowed to dry out at all? And does this change whether or not it is a new propagation vs a year old plant? Thank you for the wonderful video :)
Hi Melissa, thank you so much for creating such a helpful video on using Lechuza-Pon for semi-hydro. I always enjoy watching your videos and appreciate all the valuable tips you share.
I have a question: Is it possible to mix some slow-release fertilizer into the Lechuza-Pon when growing plants? I’m asking because I’ve noticed that some plant roots don’t seem to like being submerged in fertilized water for too long.
Yay! New video!🎉
🎉 thanks for watching!!
After watching this I had to double check my silica because mine calls for 5ml not .5 so I was confused. I am going to start using my dogs Brita 😅 and check ph etc. because I’ve been using distilled for my entire collection. It’s becoming annoying to have to go out and buy all the time. Wish me luck hahaha! thank you so much for this video. Does the ph up and down need to be general hydroponics? Or can it be the fish brands
Is there another more inexpensive silica one can use?
I would suggest getting one that is a monosilicic acid. They’re usually a little more expensive but the benefits are worth it 😊 the power SI has lasted me almost a year with using it at least once a week and I have a lot of plants so if you have less it’ll last you longer.
Hi. Please make a video of your updated Alocasia collection. 🙏
I'm going to film an updated collection it's on my list! :)
Very cool melissa! Your pon just arrived yesterday and I made an unboxing video on my channel! I'm hoping your pon does the trick for my maranta! Thanks always for the amazing content! :-)
Does the stress coat bind to the metals/minerals in the fertilizer?
I loved this video! Now I'm wondering, do you use this same nutrient solution to water all of your plants? I have been using silica and Foliage Pro mostly and then I adjust ph after I've added those. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong because some of my plants have been struggling. I've heard of other adjusting ph after adding silica and then they continue to add nutrients after that.
I'm half way through your video and I'm loving it. I have a question for you or for those in the comment section. Any knowledge with soften water from water softener. I've been told many things, like let the water sit out for 24 hrs but that does not get rid of the added sodium, or water is water and many other things. LOL! I'm still struggling with figuring that out. I keep having to buy distilled water and that is getting very expensive. For the plants I use the soften water for I am starting to see brown tips.
Hi Rachael! I'm not sure about a water softener but RO/reverse osmosis water will remove the chemicals found in tap water or using rainwater other than buying distilled. Leaving water out over night does not cause chlorine or ammonia to evaporate. Brown tips are going to happen though :)
@@plantsbymelissa I've been trying to figure out the water thing for about a year now. RO system is very expensive and we would need to build a system for Rainwater. We will eventually do that but I'm worried about fugus issues with Rainwater. I know you had the same problem.
Do you flush your plants in the pon occasionally or just top up?
Please help me... I'm going to pon this weekend. And I see people pouring water but it really don't tell me how much water to use. do I fill it with water half the amount of the Pon. I do put the water the same level as the pon.
when you transfer from soil to pon, to first put in water, do you cut out all the soil roots of the plant?
I don't :) I leave them on because not all of them rot. It will be stressful on the plant to cut away the roots. New ones will grow in while some of the old ones shed.
So you add the PH drops before testing the water? 😊 Should I test my water first before adding the PH drops?
You'll want to test so you know how much to add to adjust your PH. I knew how many drops to add to mine since I've been doing it for a while now. It's going to depend on your starting PH and what all you add that can affect it :)
FYI lechuza is now in stock on Amazon:)
So i just received my ph meter and tested my tap water at 8. After adding silica and nutrients tested at 7. And now I just added a little bit of stress coat and tested 6.75 which sounds good. I wonder if I should add more stress coat solution or if it’s better not to add too much 🤔
When calibrating the meter the reading was lower than the ph solution before pressing the calibration button and then it adjusted to the ph solution after calibrating, which makes me think the reading should be accurate now.
I think I’ll get some ph down solution later. Will wait to see if the ph changes. But wait a moment, if plants can’t absorb so much calcium and magnesium bellow 7 why should I bring it down and then add extra cal&mag?
I now mix my nutrients and silica in a super thrive bottle and have it ready to add to the water every time I need it. Do you think it’s important to mix the silica separately?
Idk what im doing 😂
A friend of mine who is a biologist suggested to add a little bit of grounded coffee to the water to bring down the ph, but I’m not sure I want to do that…
Cal and Mag buffs the ph, correct? So why do we want to bring the ph down to then add more cal/mag because plants can’t absorb so much of it bellow 7, if it’s going to increase the ph again? Seems like a contradiction to me… or is it that they will intake less bellow 7 and that’s why there needs to be a higher dose of them in the water?
I guess I’ll just have to try it.
I like clear pots so you can see how wet/dry pon is and to moniter the roots. I don't like that(in my enviroment) the top layer of pon dries out fast.
I noticed my top layer dries out fast too :(
I don’t know which ones they are but I have two succulents growing side-by-side in Lechuza pon and they are very happy and yes, you have to be very careful with how much water you add. ❤
If you’re interested, I can send you a photo through your email on your website and you can have a look? Before and now ❤
Do you mail plants from your plant store? If yes, how do I find you?
Thank you so much for posting this! Would you recommend the same amount of fertilizer for plants that are still in soil? (And the silica and cal-mag)?
Yes, I mentioned in the video that I use this on all my plants, not just pon but frequency/amount depends on the plant 😊
@@plantsbymelissa thank you so much, appreciate the feedback! (and apologies for missing that initially 😅)
Does anyone know why roots of my plants that are longer in pon die off like they’ve dried out? I’m using this method with a wick and there’s always water in the reservoir…
Sadly „my“ fungus gnats love pon 😵💫 do you think calatheas could survive in pon? Since they aren’t airoids
oh no 😟 I have a couple maranta in pon now and they love it. I'm going to do a calathea soon!
Love the video but one question how about transfer from moss to pon?
I've been successful with moss to pon but I still prefer water or stratum. If you're doing more root damage pulling off the moss they can shock more.
@@plantsbymelissa 😊 thank you so much
Do you use any insecticide with Pon?
Is there anyone know if I can grow Calathea rattlesnake, freddie, and makoyana in pon. They have potato-like roots, and I'm not sure if they can thrive in pon.
Yes, I have been growing my Freddie and Makoyana in pon for about a year now and both are doing well. Also have 3 Marantas in pon also doing very well. All are in self watering pots with indicators. Hope that helps.
I am moving a calathea over soon and I have a couple maranta in pon that love it and they have rhizomes :)
@@ptrain2190thank you! I'm wondering have you cut the "potato" looking roots off before put them in pon?
It's when you get to the upsizing stage that pon really gets more expensive and not comparable to soil. Pon also gets super heavy in big pots 😔
Great informative video! I love growing in pon so I’m always interested in hearing and learning from other’s experiences, so thank you for sharing. 🫶. Switching to pon has made my life a lot easier, and so far, my 100+ plants loved the transition.
I grow mine in a cache pot set up, using recycled plastic cups/take away containers as the inner pot. There are all kinds of plastic containers small to extra large at the Dollar stores that you can diy as well. I’d get a $10 soldering iron from Amazon to make some holes and go nuts with every plastic cups I can recycle 😅. Also I love thrifting outer cache pot as well. The choices of no drainage hole outer pots/cups,bowles, etc are endless.
Excited to see your diy pon version soon! 💚
Can Cactus and Succulents grow in PON??????
yes :)
Soooo pon is just bonsai soil?
I don't know what bonsai soil means lol. It's just the 3 ingredients +/- the slow release fertilizer.
Melissa ... I bet you covered this elsewhere b-u-t is there any difference in the process you use w/plants grown in *your* aroid mix? Gah, there are so many variable to plant tending. Thank you for answering, if you happen to see this Q on an older video.
I am starting to not like Hoya’s I am so over mealy bugs.