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Are you new to semi hydro? Or maybe you are thinking of giving it a go? You definitely should! Semi hydroponics has been AMAZING for my PLANTS! But after having some experience I realized that there are many things I wish I knew before starting out. I want you to have all the information I wish I had, so I’m going to let you in on ALL the semi hydro MISTAKES I made as a beginner.
1. Thinking Semi Hydro is Intimidating
My first Semi Hydro mistake was thinking it was scary to try. When I first came across Semi Hydro there didn’t seem to be too many people using this method on all their houseplants. This made me think it was a bit intimidating and only for expert growers. It really isn’t that scary. I promise!
If you think about it there are so many different soil mixes out there. You can buy pre-made potting mix, orchid mix, cactus and succulent mix, coconut coir, sphagnum peat moss, moisture retaining mixes, sandy, grittier mixes and so many more. Each one of this is a different growing medium. Each one will work differently for your plants and need different watering and fertilizing needs. Semi Hydro uses LECA (Light weight expanded clay aggregate) and this is just a different growing medium.
If you are nervous to try it, don’t be. If you need more help you can check out my STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO GET STARTED WITH SEMI HYDRO .
2. Not Soaking New LECA for 24 Hours
The thing about me is, I lack patience. I had heard that you can get away with just rinsing new LECA or only soaking for a couple hours. So to save time I tried this. It seemed to work for me and my plants were fine so it made me feel like cutting corners was totally fine.
Why? Well the reason new LECA needs to be soaked is that it leeches out excess minerals. If there is too much excess mineral build up it can inhibit nutrients from being absorbed by your plant. This probably will not happen right away but it could happen a lot sooner than it should. Which brings me to my next semi hydro mistake…
3. Skipping Flush Days
Once in awhile you want to flush the LECA with just plain water. This will help rinse away mineral build up. It’s not necessary to do this every time you water but I like to do it every time I add new nutrients which is every 4 or so weeks.
TIP: Use new LECA when repotting to avoid mineral build up. Some people notice a decline in their plants after a year and this is likely because they never change their LECA and the minerals build up over time
4. Adding Nutrients Every Time I Had to Water
It’s is not necessary to add nutrients EVERY TIME you water the plant. Depending on the pot size and environmental factors your plant may need water more frequently. I’m not sure why I did this because I don’t fertilize my plants in soil every time I water them. But I was new and still thought Semi Hydroponics was so different.
Plants do not need to be fertilized every time and in some cases too much fertilizer can do more harm than good and it’s a waste of nutrients.
You may like: How To Keep Houseplants Alive in Winter
5. Creating an Environment for Algae to Grow
Take this plant for example:
This is my Hoya Compacta. That green stuff is algae growing on the walls of the jar. What causes Algae to grow? A mix of moisture, sunlight and excess nutrients (especially phosphorus.)
Algae is not necessarily harmful to your plants in small amounts, if it is just on the walls of the reservoir. However, too much algae build up may affect the health of your plant if it starts forming on the LECA and around the roots. Also, decaying algae can smell pretty bad so it’s best to handle the situation ASAP if this happens to you.
The Semi hydro mistakes I made for this to happen: I gave this plant too much nutrients by adding more every time I water. And I put it in my greenhouse cabinet in a clear jar, directly under a bright grow light.
TIPS for preventing algae: If your plant does need bright light you might want to use an nursery or orchid pots inside an opaque cache pot. This will prevent too much light from getting to the nutrients. And do not over fertilize.
You may also like these Plant Potting Tips
6. Dumping the Water I Used to Soak LECA Down the Drain
I know I’m not the only one to make this mistake. As I said before the reason we are soaking LECA is to leech out all the excess minerals. These minerals are left in the water and these minerals can build up and clog your drains. Thankfully I stopped doing this before I had any issues but I have heard stories about it happening to others. Not just a semi hydro mistake but a potential plumbing catastrophe. Save your Plumbing AND your wallet, dump it outside!
7. Not Knowing That The Plant Will Shed it’s Soil Roots
When I first started I had no idea that the plants would shed it’s soil roots and form new water roots. The plant adapts to the growing medium and forms roots that are more suitable for that growing method. How cool are plants?
First I panicked because plants started shedding roots and I thought they were rotting off. Then I panicked because the new roots forming were all fuzzy and I thought it was mold. Turns out the fuzzy roots are just water roots and they are fuzzy because they have little hairs that make water absorption more efficient.
8. Not Letting the Plant’s Roots & LECA Dry First
Honestly some plants will be totally okay if you do not let the roots and LECA dry first. It may even be fine if you only let the LECA dry. But I have killed pothos and peperomia in LECA because I didn’t let the roots or LECA dry before transition. Semi hydro is supposed to help prevent root rot though right? It definitely will help prevent root rot. BUT when initially transitioning a plant that doesn’t like to stay too wet or has delicate roots you do not want to have the roots wet (from removing soil) AND the LECA to be wet too. This was definitely one of my big semi hydro mistakes. It sets the plant up for root rot before it even has a chance to adjust to semi hydro.
9. Picking The First Nutrients I Could Find
When I first decided to try Semi hydro I was so excited to try it that I bought the first nutrients I could find in store. Now my plants were fine in those nutrients but I just felt like the could benefit from a more customizeable nutrient system. I eventual switched to the General Hydroponics Flora Gro system. The system comes with Flora Micro , Flora Gro and Flora Bloom, each one has a different NPK composition. It’s easier to change the amount of each if your plant needs more of one. And it makes me feel like a crazy plant scientist. In a good way.
The reason I regret buying other nutrients is because you need so little and they last forever. I just felt like my plants weren’t thriving so I changed over before I even made a dent in my first nutrients. The price of semi hydro nutrients may seem high but when you realize that they will last you so long, it’s worth it.
10. Not Having Extra LECA and Bigger Pots Ready
My last Semi Hydro mistake was not having extra supplies on hand. Growing plants in soil makes it hard to see just how fast the roots can grow. I didn’t think about this when putting a Monstera Deliciosa cutting in Semi Hydro. In my experience, Monstera Roots grow like crazy in Semi Hydro. I was not ready. Be prepared!
TIP: If you know you want to try Semi Hydro for awhile, get the bigger bag of LECA!
I hope you learn from my Semi Hydro mistakes. Let me know how your Semi Hydro journey is going and if you have any of your own tips, tricks or mistakes!
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