Can a Monstera grow in Leca?

A Monstera is a perfect plant to grow in Leca, because it's quite sensitive to overwatering and Leca helps you to avoid overwatering your plants. When you're water propagating your Monstera, it's easy to create root rot because the roots can't breathe under water. Leca helps to provide the moisture and the oxygen, so the roots stay healthy.

How often should I water a Monstera in Leca?

You should water your Monstera in Leca when the Leca is no longer able to absorb new water from the pot. This is when you should add more water to the pot, until the water touches the Leca again. This is usually once every 14 days, but depends on how much Leca you're using and how big the pot is.

What is Leca, and how does it work as a growing medium for Monstera plants?

Leca is short for Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate, which is a growing medium made from expanded clay pellets. Leca works by absorbing water and nutrients, which are then available to the roots of the plant. It is pH-neutral and provides good drainage and aeration to the roots.

Is Leca better than soil for growing Monstera plants, and if so, why?

Whether Leca is better than soil for growing Monstera plants depends on individual preferences and circumstances. Leca can provide better drainage and aeration, which can help prevent overwatering and root rot. It can also make it easier to control watering frequency and the amount of nutrients that the plant receives. However, some growers prefer the natural look and feel of soil, and Leca may require more initial setup and maintenance.

What are the benefits of using Leca for Monstera plants?

The benefits of using Leca for Monstera plants include better drainage and aeration, easier control over watering and nutrient levels, and a reduced risk of overwatering and root rot.

How do you prepare Leca for use with a Monstera plant?

To prepare Leca for use with a Monstera plant, first rinse the pellets thoroughly to remove any dust or debris. Soak the pellets in water for at least an hour, then drain and rinse again. Place a layer of Leca pellets at the bottom of the pot, then add the Monstera plant and fill in the gaps with more Leca pellets.

Can you use Leca with any type of Monstera plant?

Leca can be used with any type of Monstera plant, although some growers may prefer soil for certain varieties. It is important to make sure that the pot size and Leca depth are appropriate for the plant's size and rooting needs.

Do Monstera plants grown in Leca need any special fertilizer?

Monstera plants grown in Leca may require more frequent fertilization and monitoring of nutrient levels than those grown in soil. It is important to avoid over-fertilizing, as this can cause salt buildup in the Leca pellets.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when growing a Monstera in Leca?

Common mistakes to avoid when growing a Monstera in Leca include using too little or too much Leca, not rinsing or soaking the pellets properly, over- or under-watering the plant, and not providing enough nutrients.

How often do you need to replace the Leca in the pot?

Leca pellets should be replaced every 2-3 years or when they become compacted or discolored. To tell when it's time to replace the pellets, check the root system of the plant and look for signs of decay or damage.

How to grow a Monstera in Leca

In this guide, we'll go over the process of converting a Monstera Deliciosa planted in soil to planting it in Leca. This process is very similar for any Monstera, so if you don't have a Monstera Deliciosa you can still follow along with the steps.

Monstera planted in Leca One of the easiest plants for beginners is the Monstera. It's a beautiful plant with large leaves that will survive a lot of neglect. It's the perfect plant for those that forget to water their plants, but also want a striking and tropical plant in their house. The Monstera doesn't need a lot of water and overwatering might actually do the plant harm. So what's the best way to make sure you don't overwater your plant? Leca!

Growing your plants in Leca is easy and helps you to water your plants properly. If you're unfamiliar with Leca, you should have a look at "What is Leca and why is it useful for plants?" and then come back to this guide.

First of, let's meet the plant we're converting from soil to Leca in this post:

Monstera planted in soil

It's planted in soil for now, but as you've already seen in the first image of this post, by the end it'll be in Leca.

To follow along with this guide, these are the things you'll need:

Monstera
Waterproof pot
Nursery pot
Leca
Hydroponics Fertilizer
Bucket

A link to all of these items can be found at the bottom of this guide.

These are the steps we're going through to migrate the Monstera from soil to Leca:

Get the Monstera out of the pot
Clean the soil off the Monstera roots
Clean your pots
Clean your Leca
Fill the nursery pot with a base layer of Leca
Plant the Monstera in the Leca
Water the Monstera planted in Leca

You can click these links to navigate straight to that section. Let's get into it and migrate this Monstera to Leca.

1. Get the monstera out of the pot

Back to top Monstera out of the nursery pot The first step is to remove your Monstera from the nursery pot it came in. Now we can see the healthy roots on the plant and we can see how much soil we'll need to remove from the roots.

2. Clean the soil off the Monstera roots

Back to top We can now start to clean the soil off the roots of your Monstera. This process could take a while and will involve several phases, so reserve a little bit of time for this process. To get started, clean the soil off the roots with your hands. Be careful not to damage the roots of your Monstera. The best way to minimize the damage is to take your time and do this process slowly.

Exposed Monstera roots

When you've reached a certain point in the process where your roots look a little like the image above, it might be very difficult to remove more soil with your hands. Luckily there is a trick to remove more soil from the roots of your Monstera: water.

To get started with this, get a bucket that you're not afraid to get dirty, because this is quite a dirty process. Fill the bucket with water at room temperature like below.

Bucket filled with water at room temperature

Now you can carefully clean the roots inside of the water and you'll see that you're able to remove a lot more soil this way. After cleaning for a few minutes your water will very dirty like the image below.

Water filled with dirty from Monstera roots

You might have to refresh your water a few times, depending on how much dirt you still have on the roots. When your roots are mostly clean, or at least approaching the roots like in the image below, you're done cleaning the roots at this point.

Clean Monstera roots after cleaning in water

It's impossible to clean the roots completely at this point and that's okay. Cleaning the roots is a continuous process for the first few weeks your plant is in Leca.

3. Clean your pots

Back to top Now that your plant is clean, it's ready to be planted in Leca. Before we do this, we'll need to clean the pot we're using for this process. The goal is to leave no dirt behind and get the pot as clean as possible. This reduces the risk of pests significantly.

4. Clean your Leca

Back to top Before we can plant the Monstera in Leca, we'll need to clean all the dust off the clay balls. If you're using Leca that you've already washed before, you can skip to the next step. If the Leca you're going to use for this project hasn't been used before, there will be a lot of dust on the clay balls. Cleaning them is very important. To do this, get a bucket and get enough clay balls to fill your pot up until about 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the top.

Now that one bucket is filled with the Leca, get a second bucket that's clean and empty. First, fill the bucket with the Leca with water and wash the clay balls thoroughly. When they're clean, move them into the second bucket, leaving the dirty water in the bucket you used to clean the clay balls. Throw the dirty water away and repeat the process until the leftover water is (almost) clean. This could be 4-5 cycles. Afterward, you have clean Leca and you're ready to plant the Monstera in your pots and Leca.

5. Fill the nursery pot with a base layer of Leca

Back to top Now that your Leca is clean, we can start to fill the nursery with a base layer of Leca. This base layer is here to make sure the roots of your Monstera aren't sitting in water at all times. If your roots are sitting in water all the time, the risk of root rot is quite high. The base layer of Leca protects your plant from this. Fill the nursery pot with about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of Leca like the image below.

Base layer of Leca in a nursery pot

With this base layer, you're ready to plant your Monstera in Leca and you're reducing the risk of root rot on your plant.

6. Plant the Monstera in the Leca

Back to top Now you can plant your Monstera on the base layer in the nursery pot. You can do this in any way you want. Just make sure you cover all the roots by Leca, so they're not exposed to light. You can rearrange your plants to your liking and fill the Leca intil the top like the image below.

Monstera planted in Leca in a nursery pot

Your plant should be able to stay in the position you chose for it. If this is not the case, you might need a bigger pot or you can use a stick or moss pole to support your Monstera.

7. Water the Monstera planted in Leca

Back to top Now the most important part of taking care of your Monstera planted in Leca: watering your plant. When you're watering your Monstera in Leca, it's important to include hydroponics fertilizer in the water. Leca doesn't contain any nutrients by itself, so adding this to the water is important. When you're watering your plant, make sure you don't add water to the waterproof pot past the base layer we've created earlier. This makes sure the plant is never sitting in the water and the Leca will regulate the water in the pot for you.

The conversion process is now complete, but there is more maintenance to do over the next few weeks. Every time you're getting ready to water your Monstera, you'll need to pull your plants out of the Leca, clean their roots, and clean the Leca. There will still be soil left behind on the roots and if you don't remove this, it could cause problems later on. Usually it's 2-3 times, after which the roots should be soil free and you won't have to pull your plants out any more. From here on out you'll only have to water your plant and it'll stay clean.

Conclusion

In this guide, we've converted a Monstera planted in soil to Leca. We've got it out of the pot, cleaned its roots, prepared the pots and Leca for use, and planted the Monstera in Leca. The process takes a little bit of time, but after it's done, your plant won't need as much maintenance as it would with soil. Just water your plant when the Leca is no longer able to absorb the water in the waterproof pot and that's it. You'll have helped to reduce the risk of pests on your Monstera significantly by converting it to Leca. Now you also have the option to pull out your plants to check on their roots without the soil in the way if you so choose.

Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with.