Salt on Leca beads? - Orchid Board

snowflake311 · #1 05-02-2016, 12:24 AM

I have had 2 plants in Semi-Hydro for a month now. I have this white stuff on the top few beads only? It looks to be salt. Is this something to worry about will this be a problem in the long run? I did not use much fertilizer on these plants. none of my others have this white yet.

I have hear of other people getting white on the roots.. I have not gotten that. Why do we see more salt with semi-hydro? does it just stick to the clay better? Because I remember getting this white when I used clay pots. Is it the clay?

estación seca · #2 05-02-2016, 02:17 AM

The water evaporates from the top of the medium. More water wicks up to the surface from the depths of the container. As water evaporates it leaves behind any minerals it held. The more minerals in your water, the faster this happens.

You can prevent this by using purer water, or by watering more often. As you water, you should be completely filling the container and displacing all the air from between the LECA balls, then letting the water drain out. If you do this often enough, and your water is low in dissolved minerals, the concentration of minerals will not become high enough to precipitate out on the surface.

Leafmite · #3 05-02-2016, 03:02 AM

With any type of medium, this happens, unless it is replaced. It can even happen in fields where crops are grown. The medium needs to be flushed periodically. Flushing is done by letting water run through the pots for a few minutes to dissolve and carry away the excess fertilizer/minerals.
When you change the medium yearly, this is not usually a concern.
I usually put out all my orchids and non-orchids each summer and let the rain flush all of my pots very well. We get plenty of rain in Ohio.

snowflake311 · #4 05-02-2016, 03:06 AM

It is only these 2 plants that have it they are my first did not flush them well at first. My others don't have this.

Thanks guys I did not think it was a big deal but was not a 100% sure.

Ray · #5 05-02-2016, 09:11 AM

All clay media contain manufacturing residues. One of the reasons for presoaking the pellets is to get mostly rid of them, as they are often sodium salts. Flush the daylights out of the pot at every watering, and it won't be an issue.

snowflake311 · #6 05-02-2016, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

All clay media contain manufacturing residues. One of the reasons for presoaking the pellets is to get mostly rid of them, as they are often sodium salts. Flush the daylights out of the pot at every watering, and it won't be an issue.

Thanks. I did not think it would be a big deal. I just rinsed the pellets of dust I know I should have soaked them but I am not good at waiting... I will make sure to keep flushing.

PaphLover · #7 05-03-2016, 01:33 AM

I may be wrong, but these look like the LECA balls from Ikea. They, more than other LECA I have, tend to show this on the surface. Other balls that I have seem to have more surface holes on them, kind of like lava rock. This 'salt buildup' doesn't show up on them. And I do soak the LECA for days or longer before using. Also applying epsom salts as Ray suggested and then soaking again.

snowflake311 · #8 05-06-2016, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaphLover

I may be wrong, but these look like the LECA balls from Ikea. They, more than other LECA I have, tend to show this on the surface. Other balls that I have seem to have more surface holes on them, kind of like lava rock. This 'salt buildup' doesn't show up on them. And I do soak the LECA for days or longer before using. Also applying epsom salts as Ray suggested and then soaking again.

These are from the Hydroponic store in town it is Hydroton I have a 50L bag of the stuff. I did not soak it I just rinsed it till the water was clear. I will start soaking now. I am just so impatient when it comes to some things like soaking Leca . haha

daddydoall · #9 06-14-2016, 03:15 AM

It is just efflorescence, mineral crystals. Rocks are big mineral crystals. Hard water and well water have a lot of dissolved minerals. At SBOE and else where I see orchids doing well with lots of mineral build up on the media and even on the foliage from evaporation. It may not look nice but does not seem to effect the health of the plant in most cases.

Ray · #10 06-14-2016, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daddydoall

At SBOE and else where I see orchids doing well with lots of mineral build up on the media and even on the foliage from evaporation. It may not look nice but does not seem to effect the health of the plant in most cases.

It "does not seem" to affect the health, but I can assure you it does. There is a pretty delicate nutrient balance in plants, and if you allow the accumulation of one or more minerals, it can prevent the uptake of others.