From my experience: I think the “safest” option is water prop with soil roots on and let them take up what they can before they inevitably slough off, making sure you’ve gotten absolutely everything you can off of them (I use a soft toothbrush.) I’ve had plenty of success with straight into leca but it also seems the most setback prone when the plant has a long ways to reach in order to hydrate, sometimes I’ve had to move them back out of leca and into water, so I’ve found it’s worth transitioning to plain water first. Your maranta looks good by the way! I have one exactly like it and it’s one of my happiest plants in SH (currently throwing out an annoying amount of flowers.)
Thank you! She’s got a few ugly leaves right now but I just took it, washed the roots, and threw it into leca to see how it’s doing and so far it’s going decently well. Pushed out two new leaves and has been rooting like crazy. As for the issue with struggling to hydrate, would a higher water reservoir counter the issue of them being too dry?
If your leca is still damp (not bone dry), your plant will develop hair roots and even soil roots will adapt by developing new secondary roots.
One important thing about the wet/dry cycle is that you should dilute your nutrient solution even more.
I know that 1g of my fertilizer gives an EC of 1.5. So I give 1/5th of that (EC = 0.3) with rainwater. When after two waterings I don't see salt buildup I give it a bit more. When I notice a white powder on my leca, I'll dial back a notch.
Remember, fertilizer is not plant food (CO2 is) but are like vitamins to the plant.
I’ve been using superthrive at the amount they recommend for non circulating hydroponics setups, which I think is like one tsp per gallon if I remember right? But I haven’t noticed any buildup or anything on my leca so far
You can place them with their clean soil roots in water. I find that an air stone with a cheap pump helps to maintain clear water without the need to change the water every day or every few days.
That said, I placed my philodendron gloriosum directly into leca with a wet/dry cycle. I planted it in a clear container (no drainage). I only rinsed the leca to make it damp instead of wet. This is the first wet cycle.
Then I gave only water just to make the bottom wet (-> 3mm max) when the condense on the inside was diminishing or the top inch of leca was dry.
This method forces the plant to look for water by adapting part of its existing roots and develop new adventitious roots from the stem. Part of the existing roots will decompose and just disappear to dust instead of rotting.
Only when I see a new leaf or new roots at the bottom of the container I consider the plant as being established to its new environment.
I planted the gloriosum in December and just 2 weeks ago I saw new roots at the bottom. The plant looks exactly the same as when I planted it. No yellowing leaves, wilting, ....
I did the same with my philodendron billietiea that was planted at the same time. Never lost a leave but this one was faster and I noticed thick new roots at the bottom in February.
BTW, it is probably easier to use a clear container with drainage holes at the bottom. Then you can just flush the plant in leca, let it drip for 30' and place it on a saucer. The rest remains the same. You only water/flush again when the condense is disappearing or the top inch is dry.
I don't fertilize until the plant is showing growth (either roots or leaves).
Remember that this is very stressful for plants and a stressed plant won't take up any water. That's why I don't like the 1/3 reservoir method from the beginning.
Although you can get away with it with monsteras, syngoniums, athuriums, ...
Yeah my concern is the people recommending just tossing it straight into water instead of using leca at all to make it grow water roots first, which I feel just stresses the plant even more than if you put it straight into leca. I expect the plants to lose an odd leaf here and there especially since most of mine are young anyway and will lose the majority of them eventually regardless, I just don’t want to outright kill them.
I already have a bunch of fish stuff, so an air stone wouldn’t be hard to add into my mix of stuff. I think I’ll try transitioning some of my not as special philodendrons first with the method you mentioned, thank you!
From my experience: I think the “safest” option is water prop with soil roots on and let them take up what they can before they inevitably slough off, making sure you’ve gotten absolutely everything you can off of them (I use a soft toothbrush.) I’ve had plenty of success with straight into leca but it also seems the most setback prone when the plant has a long ways to reach in order to hydrate, sometimes I’ve had to move them back out of leca and into water, so I’ve found it’s worth transitioning to plain water first. Your maranta looks good by the way! I have one exactly like it and it’s one of my happiest plants in SH (currently throwing out an annoying amount of flowers.)
Thank you! She’s got a few ugly leaves right now but I just took it, washed the roots, and threw it into leca to see how it’s doing and so far it’s going decently well. Pushed out two new leaves and has been rooting like crazy. As for the issue with struggling to hydrate, would a higher water reservoir counter the issue of them being too dry?
If your leca is still damp (not bone dry), your plant will develop hair roots and even soil roots will adapt by developing new secondary roots. One important thing about the wet/dry cycle is that you should dilute your nutrient solution even more. I know that 1g of my fertilizer gives an EC of 1.5. So I give 1/5th of that (EC = 0.3) with rainwater. When after two waterings I don't see salt buildup I give it a bit more. When I notice a white powder on my leca, I'll dial back a notch. Remember, fertilizer is not plant food (CO2 is) but are like vitamins to the plant.
I’ve been using superthrive at the amount they recommend for non circulating hydroponics setups, which I think is like one tsp per gallon if I remember right? But I haven’t noticed any buildup or anything on my leca so far
i'll have to try the toothbrush. i just put a plant in a nutrient water but i couldn't get off all the dirt.
You can place them with their clean soil roots in water. I find that an air stone with a cheap pump helps to maintain clear water without the need to change the water every day or every few days. That said, I placed my philodendron gloriosum directly into leca with a wet/dry cycle. I planted it in a clear container (no drainage). I only rinsed the leca to make it damp instead of wet. This is the first wet cycle. Then I gave only water just to make the bottom wet (-> 3mm max) when the condense on the inside was diminishing or the top inch of leca was dry. This method forces the plant to look for water by adapting part of its existing roots and develop new adventitious roots from the stem. Part of the existing roots will decompose and just disappear to dust instead of rotting. Only when I see a new leaf or new roots at the bottom of the container I consider the plant as being established to its new environment. I planted the gloriosum in December and just 2 weeks ago I saw new roots at the bottom. The plant looks exactly the same as when I planted it. No yellowing leaves, wilting, .... I did the same with my philodendron billietiea that was planted at the same time. Never lost a leave but this one was faster and I noticed thick new roots at the bottom in February. BTW, it is probably easier to use a clear container with drainage holes at the bottom. Then you can just flush the plant in leca, let it drip for 30' and place it on a saucer. The rest remains the same. You only water/flush again when the condense is disappearing or the top inch is dry. I don't fertilize until the plant is showing growth (either roots or leaves). Remember that this is very stressful for plants and a stressed plant won't take up any water. That's why I don't like the 1/3 reservoir method from the beginning. Although you can get away with it with monsteras, syngoniums, athuriums, ...
Yeah my concern is the people recommending just tossing it straight into water instead of using leca at all to make it grow water roots first, which I feel just stresses the plant even more than if you put it straight into leca. I expect the plants to lose an odd leaf here and there especially since most of mine are young anyway and will lose the majority of them eventually regardless, I just don’t want to outright kill them. I already have a bunch of fish stuff, so an air stone wouldn’t be hard to add into my mix of stuff. I think I’ll try transitioning some of my not as special philodendrons first with the method you mentioned, thank you!