Why S/H isn't for me and now.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

How long, on average, would you say is the life of the LECA?

That depends upon a lot of factors - watering frequency, volume, water quality (purity), fertilization concentration and frequency, humidity, air movement, temperature and light levels.

Ideally, if you water frequently, with pure water and low fertilizer concentration, and your growing conditions DO NOT favor evaporation, the buildup will be very slow. I had plants that were watered (flooded) at least every other day, using 25 ppm N fertilizer in RO, and kept in an almost saturated air environment, that had not been repotted in 15 years.

At the other end of the spectrum are folks who let their pots dry out, and only "topped up" the reservoir, never flooding and flushing, and they started seeing plant declines in 2-3 years.

[WaterWitchin]

I’d second Bill’s opinion. When I was using our tap water, 400-600 TDS, and had lower winter humidity, I would change out LECA every 2-3 years as well. Once I started using RO water and upped my winter humidity (different grow space as well now) I go years and years without switching out. I also don’t fertilize heavily at all.

I do think the worst issue with LECA corruption is high TDS water and not flushing often. The other factors just make it happen quicker.