My introduction to taking care of plants

In this podcast, I (Roelof Jan) talk about why I started taking care of houseplants, and how it has changed my life. I also share my experience with successfully reviving a dying Alocasia zebrina using LECA, and provide some tips for listeners who are interested in trying LECA for themselves.

Written by Roelof Jan Elsinga

Posted on: 21-09-2024

Last updated on: 16-09-2024

Hi everyone, and welcome to this audio post. I'm Roelof Jan, I'm the author of Plant care for Beginners, and I'm here to talk about why I started taking care of houseplants.

Why I got into plants

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I first got into houseplants in early 2018. I was living in a small apartment, and I wanted to add some life and color to my space. Succulents were my first plants, like most people, and I quickly fell in love with caring for them.

Houseplants became a huge hobby to me, and I started writing about it in April 2019. I thought, "Well I've been quite successful with taking care of these, so let's help others to also be successful taking care of them as well."

Well the rest is history, because I'm almost 300 posts in on this website, and I still have new techniques, new plants, and new things to talk about. So, I hope you're ready for more!

My most rewarding experience

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One of my most rewarding experiences I've had with houseplants was when I successfully revived a dying Alocasia zebrina. The plant had gotten root rot and was growing in soil and it basically completely died. All that was left was a root bulb.

I decided to move the plant into LECA, which is lightweight expanded clay aggregate, and to my surprise, it started to grow again in the following spring. It was like a miracle! It was amazing!

This experience was also my first introduction to LECA, and I've preached about its usefulness ever since. LECA is a great way to grow plants because it provides excellent drainage and aeration, which helps to prevent root rot.

Some notes on LECA

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LECA offers several other advantages for your plants as well. It helps to prevent overwatering because it doesn't hold onto water like soil does. This makes it a perfect choice for plants that are prone to root rot, like my Alocasia. LECA can also be used to propagate plants because it provides a sterile and well-aerated environment for roots to develop.

To water and fertilize plants in LECA, you can simply add water and fertilizer to the reservoir at the bottom of the pot. Anyway, that's enough about LECA, I'll leave a link in the transcription, so you can learn more. Learn more.

Outro

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Thanks for listening to my podcast. I hope you've found it interesting. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send them on social media or send me an e-mail!

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.