Are you wondering whether or not you can grow your jade plant in LECA? If yes, then this article is for you. Just read it thoroughly, and you will find answers to all your questions regarding this topic.
Jade plants can be grown successfully in LECA because it reduces the risk of overwatering, which is a significant problem for this plant. Additionally, LECA protects plants from pests and diseases.
In this article, we will go through all the advantages of growing a jade plant in LECA and how to grow this plant in such a medium.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Can Jade Plant Grow in LECA?
Jade plants can only grow successfully in LECA. This environment is used to grow several plants semi-hydroponically, especially succulents like a jade plant.
LECA ae porous balls made by exposing clay to an extremely high temperature. The absorbent properties of LECA make it perfect for a jade plant and succulents, in general, to absorb enough water without waterlogging the roots.
LECA can be a perfect choice for people who don’t have time to water their plants. In fact, when you grow a plant in LECA, you can add water to the pot only when the balls in the top half become dry. Then, the LECA balls will absorb the water and distribute it evenly to the roots.
The LECA balls also allow air to circulate correctly around your plant, which is very important for it to breathe properly.
If you are interested in a case study of a jade plant that was grown in LECA, watch the following video:
Did You Know that Jade Plant Can Grow Roots on Stem? Click Here to Learn More About This.
What Are the Advantages of Growing Jade Plant in Leca?
Growing a jade plant in LECA has several advantages. First, the porous properties of LECA help prevent overwatering and allow for perfect air circulation. Second, LECA helps fight pests and reduce the likelihood of fungal infections. Third, LECA helps in saving money and also saving the environment.
Let’sLet’s go over all the advantages of growing jade plants in LECA and explain each one of them separately:
- Promotes a Strong and Healthy Root System: If you want to grow a plant with healthy roots, LECA balls are the best for you. This is because the Plant’s root system will always be moist but not soggy.
- Reduce the Probability of Fungal Infection: Fungal diseases are less likely to infect plants with poor air circulation. But, if you grow the jade plant in LECA balls, the porous property of this environment will reduce the probability of fungal infections.
- No Overwatering Problems: Jade plant is known to be one of the most sensitive plants to overwatering. But, with the porous properties and good air circulation of LECA, there’s no way the Plant will get more water than it needs. In fact, LECA allows for an easy water exchange through capillary action, which means you do not have to worry about using too much or too little water.
- Reduce Pest Infections: Since the roots of the jade plant will be growing inside LECA, the Plant is less likely to be attacked by pests.
- Sustainable: LECA is one of the most environmentally friendly growing mediums because it requires less water than soil. But most importantly, LECA can be reused several times, which makes it more sustainable than soil or any other growing medium.
- Natural: LECA is 100% natural and free of toxic chemicals, making it safe for plants to grow.
- Money saving: with LECA, you will never need to buy an expensive soil mix for repotting your jade plant. Therefore, you will save on the cost of replacing your growing medium.
How Many Jade Plants in One Pot? The Answer Might Shock You! Click Here to Learn More.
How to Grow and Care for Jade plants in LECA?
To grow your jade plant in LECA, you can follow the subsequent steps:
- Wash the roots: This step is mandatory if you transfer your jade plant from soil to LECA because it will help eliminate debris or dirt it might have picked up while sitting around in the pot. The best way to wash roots is to thoroughly soak the rootball in clean, fresh water.
- Soak LECA: If you use a dry LECA for your jade plant, it will absorb water from the roots instead of giving it to them. That’sThat’s why you need to soak your LECA in water for 24 hours before using it.
- Add the first layer of LECA to the Pot: you should not add the Plant directly to the container before adding LECA because this will get the roots in contact with water which could damage them. Usually, start by adding 30% of the LECA to the Pot before adding the Plant.
- Add the Plant to the Pot: carefully place the Plant in the middle and fill up the remaining space with the rest of the LECA balls. The ideal scenario is to add enough LECA to the Pot to completely cover the roots.
- Fill the Pot with Water Until It Reaches the LECA Balls at the Top: Now, it’s time to water our Plant. To do so, you should fill the Pot with water until the LECA balls are entirely covered by water.
- Fertilize: Because LECA does not contain all the nutrients that we usually find in the soil, you must fertilize your jade plant regularly when growing it in this medium. You should feed your Plant once a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer dedicated to semi-hydroponic gardening.
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What to Consider Before Growing Jade Plants in LECA?
Before growing a jade plant in LECA, you should consider that the Plant may take longer to adapt to this new environment. The adaptation process could last from 2 weeks to one month, but there is no doubt that the Plant will survive. During this period, you will need to help the Plant refind its balance by exposing it to enough sunlight and feeding it with hydroponics fertilizer.
Another thing to consider when growing a jade plant in LECA is the high upfront cost. If you decide to grow the Plant in this medium, you must be ready to invest at least 20 dollars to get 4 lbs of LECA. This might look like a massive upfront cost, but you will pay off your investment later because you will never need to change Pot or repurchase soil.
Finally, it would help if you considered that you can’t use pots with drainage holes with LECA. Generally, if you are an experimented gardener, you will have a few pots with drainage holes at your disposal. Unfortunately, you can’t use these pots to grow your jade plant in LECA. This growing medium requires that water stays in the container until the LECA balls absorb it gradually.
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