How to get new media into a phal root ball? Especially LECA

[JeffreyR]

Got it. I'm all set now. Smash the plant and then poke with chopsticks. What could go wrong?

But all kidding aside, I think I'm set now.

Thanks to all.

[JeffreyR]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Use a chopstick and tap top of LECA, which also helps to move it around and get more down around the roots.

That was great advice! I just potted up one more plant in LECA and used a pointed (not flat end) plastic chopstick as a tool. It went from a tough job with sometimes wobbly results to an easy job with great results. I could gently push balls into place. I could insert it into the balls/roots and wiggle gently to distribute the balls. I could gently open a root mass and let balls flow into a cavity. It was just what I needed to do the job my fat fingers couldn’t.

I also went back to my wobbly plant that I had staked and applied the chopsticks and another handful of LECA. Problem solved and no need for stakes anymore.

Thanks for that piece of advice.

[Shadowmagic]

been happening to me too jeffrey but it doesn't seem to affect the plants apart from stability. Once the roots grow a bit the plant secures itself.
If you really do want to fill the voids and have had enough trying to balance marbles on top of each other you could try mixing is some perlite.

Perlite is very much similar to clay pebbles and can be interchanged quite easily. The advantage or disadvantage - whichever you want to view it as it is much smaller and compacts more.

If you soak some perlite you can make a little perlite ball , similar to a snow ball which will not hold as well as a snow ball but it will hold better than clay pebbles. Then fill the remaining pot with clay pebbles and sprinkle perlite into the areas that have voids.

On shaking or subsequent waterings the perlite will fill the voids.

[Ray]

Based upon my own experience, I recommend against the use of perlite in semi-hydro culture.

If the perlite is well-graded to offer a narrow range of particle sizes, the open volume will be about the same as with LECA, but the void spaces are smaller, allowing "bridging water" to block the airflow pathways more easily. Plus, over time, perlite crumbles, creating a real root-suffocating sludge in the bottom of the pot if you don't replace it frequently enough.

Adding finer perlite to coarser LECA actually makes the void spaces smaller and of less overall volume than if either ingredient was used alone, and still has the sludge potential.

[JeffreyR]

Thanks. But after getting the “use chopsticks as a tool” tip, I think I’m good. Spent 2-3 minutes with a chopstick and a handful of LECA and the wobbly plant is fine. It goes where my fingers can’t.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by JeffreyR

Thanks. But after getting the “use chopsticks as a tool” tip, I think I’m good. Spent 2-3 minutes with a chopstick and a handful of LECA and the wobbly plant is fine. It goes where my fingers can’t.

The real beauty of that tip is that it's a perfect opportunity to justify ordering in more Chinese takeout.

---------- Post added at 09:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 AM ----------

PS I tried perlite in the LECA mix a couple of times when I first started growing in S/H. Sludge doesn't even begin to describe the mess that occurs in the reservoir. It's a sure way to be having to repot much more often...which is one of the better attributes to using LECA alone. Less root disturbance.