Hydroponic Growing for Indoor Plants: A Beginner’s Guide for Plant Parents

Have you ever been scrolling Instagram before and seen a picture where it looks like plants are planted in Cocoa Puffs, like little brown balls, or gravel? Maybe as you've been scrolling, you've seen the words semi-hydroponics, passive hydroponics, or LECA.

Well, today’s episode is a deep dive into the art of growing plants hydroponically, but specifically through semi-hydroponics, a popular soil-free growing method that uses an inorganic growing medium instead of traditional potting mix.

We'll dive into what that means in the episode. This is a way-back conversation with Kay from @inrootedlove as part of the best of Growing Joy series because more and more plant parents are becoming curious about hydroponic growing for their houseplants, and I thought this would be a really interesting discussion to revisit for anyone considering their own transition away from soil.

I’ll also share a little bit about my personal experience growing in LECA at the end of this episode. It’s been several years since I recorded this interview, and I’ve had a long semi-hydroponics journey since then, so I’ll give you an honest update before we wrap.

In this episode, we learn:

What is “semi-hydro” aka “passive hydroponics”?
How Kay became the LECA Plant Lady she is today
How Semi-Hydro works
What are LECA balls
What materials do you need to have a LECA setup?
How does a beginner make their first LECA setup
How expensive is this hobby?
How to fertilize
What products Kay uses in her home
Pest management for a semi-hydro setup

Mentioned in our conversation:

Are you curious if semi-hydro (aka passive hydroponics) could simplify your plant care routine?

Check out the full show notes and blog for a beginner-friendly breakdown of LECA, reservoirs, and more!

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