gonewild
Grower
Anyone have experience with or information about a leca product sold as Geolite?
Geolite leca
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I have used it before.
Not by itself but in a mix with bark or orchiata, charcoal and perlite. Mine is more of a mustard color but the bag is identical.
No issues!!
Not by itself but in a mix with bark or orchiata, charcoal and perlite. Mine is more of a mustard color but the bag is identical.
No issues!!
My worry would be the lack of uniformity of the pebbles. The ideal is round and uniform. When you get shapes deviating from round and of different size, you get decreased aeration of the root zone.
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Respectfully I don’t really know about that because in my round Leca pellets, there are different sized pellets in the bag. How do round pellets fit together versus uneven pellets? I tried plain Leca in Florida, it was a bit too dry.
By mixing in charcoal and perlite, I thought it held moisture a bit better.
By mixing in charcoal and perlite, I thought it held moisture a bit better.
Lance, what are you planning to grow in it, and how? Traditional culture?, hydroponics?
Yes, when you mix in smaller particles you restrict the air space and moisture is held longer. When you are trying to maximize aeration of the roots, uniform, round particles are the best. But, you then need more frequent water flow. That gets into Ray’s question about hydroponics, semi-hydro, etc. You wouldn’t want to use medium sized, uniform, round LECA and then water once a week with nothing in between. Most orchids would probably be too dry.
gonewild
Grower
Thanks for the replies.
For some reason I like the odd shaped rough pellets. My previous experience with local was Ray's original PrimeAgra which was not round balls. It was a very good media.
To answer your question Ray I am going to be growing Phrag kovachi hybrids. I' m thinking to use a simi simi hydro method. Pots with side holes but I will water and mist the plants not relying on the leca to wick the water.
I was thinking to mix charcoal and pumice with the legs but I can't find a local source for charcoal. And pumice migrates down through the leca. So I think I'll just use straight leca.
I'm always open to suggestions.
For some reason I like the odd shaped rough pellets. My previous experience with local was Ray's original PrimeAgra which was not round balls. It was a very good media.
To answer your question Ray I am going to be growing Phrag kovachi hybrids. I' m thinking to use a simi simi hydro method. Pots with side holes but I will water and mist the plants not relying on the leca to wick the water.
I was thinking to mix charcoal and pumice with the legs but I can't find a local source for charcoal. And pumice migrates down through the leca. So I think I'll just use straight leca.
I'm always open to suggestions.
Sounds like a plan..
I think my southeastern locale may be too warm for the species, but a couple of kovachii hybrids seem to be doing well in 75% LECA/25% rock wool cubes in traditional culture..
I think my southeastern locale may be too warm for the species, but a couple of kovachii hybrids seem to be doing well in 75% LECA/25% rock wool cubes in traditional culture..
In my indoor plant room in Minnesota where I have pretty good control of temperatures, I am growing a kovachii itself and I am successfully growing and blooming kovachii hybrids Fritz Schomburg, Yoko W. Fischer, and Robert-Jan Quene. They are all in straight Hydroton. They get fertigated from the top on a frequency that varies with the season but the top layer of LECA is heavily misted with RO water almost every day. With a testing pot I have seen that the media remains damp, but not wet. If I were out of town very much I wouldn't choose this method. I was successful with LECA plus about 25% rock wool and watering every 5-7 days but you have to accept cyanobacteria growing on the surface rock wool.
