What Is Lechuza Pon?

I’ve just begun my journey into Lechuza planters and I decided that I may as well just do it all the way and use the Lechuza substrate (called “pon”) instead of my normal potting mix and see how things go…..

In case you aren’t familiar with Lechuza planters, they are planters that are designed with a reservoir for water at the bottom of the pot. There is an inner planter that is elevated above the water reservoir so that the roots of your plants won’t sit in water. This allows for plant owners to take a bit more of a hands off approach to their plants indoors or outdoors. For houseplants it can extend the time between waterings from 2-12 days, according to the package instruction booklet. For outdoor plants and flowers, the time between waterings will change drastically depending on temperature, amount of sun exposure, amount of wind exposure, rainfall etc.

One big advantage that I am anticipating is being able to track the water levels in the reservoir. All of the Lechuza planters have a water gauge that shows clearly the amount of water that is available to the plant/plants. (See photo below)

Many of the “plant people” that I interact with on social media use Lechuza planters with LECA pebbles as a substrate. Since I’ve seen that done so much, I thought I’d give the Lechuza substrate (pon) a try. But before I put any of my beloved plants into some unknown substrate, you’d better believe that I did my research first.

So here’s what I’ve found. Lechuza pon is a mix of four ingredients; pumice, zeolites, lava rock and fertilizer. Pumice, lava rock and fertilizer I use frequently in my potting mixes, but zeolites is a new one to me.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicate materials that are similar to feldspar minerals except that zeolites have larger cavities and usually contain water. So my understanding of their purpose in this mix is that they work like the pumice and lava rocks; they all soak up excess water and then hold that water away from the roots of your plant until it needs the water. I use crushed pumice and lava rock in all of my succulent and cacti potting mixes for exactly this reason.

I have a couple houseplants that I have been struggling with and I really think that inconsistent watering has been the issue. So the combination of the pon and a planter that delivers water on demand…well that seems like exactly the answer I’ve been looking for. Yay!

Directly below here are the links to the Lechuza planters and the Lechuza pon I am currently using. But…I do not think that you should purchase these products online unless it’s a last resort. If you are able to find the Lechuza brand products in a garden center, they will be a fraction of the online prices you will find. I’m not sure why, my best guess is that shipping large heavy planters and super heavy pon is extremely expensive. So please use these links to see the products that are available and then try to find a local place to buy them. Only purchase online if you have no other local options. (Some or all links may be affiliate.)

• Lechuza Classico 35 planter
• Lechuza Maxi Cubi planter
• Lechuza pon

Here are the ingredients you will need to make your own version of pon 🙂

• Pumice
• Zeolites
• Lava rocks
• Nutricote fertilizer

Here’s my YouTube channel video of planting a Maranta in Lechuza pon.

Make sure to comment if you have any experiences with these planters or planting in pon. Also, make sure to let me know if you’d be interested in follow-up articles about how my plants are fairing in the pon. And, as always, thank you for reading!

Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Products I use and (therefore) recommend:

Planty friends – Feel free to use these links to the products that I use for my houseplants.  I receive a small percentage of any sales through these links, so feel free not to use them if that bothers you.

Horticultural 1/4” pumice – https://amzn.to/2KfcNPT

Horticultural perlite – https://amzn.to/3f9wwvE

Coco coir – https://amzn.to/2UBBiZF

Orchid Bark – Extra small chips – https://amzn.to/38OXWWJ

Orchid Bark – Small chips – https://amzn.to/3kA8HOU

Earthworm castings – https://amzn.to/38TRkGw

Coco Loco potting mix – https://amzn.to/2UHV3OY

GE Balanced Spectrum grow light bulb – https://amzn.to/3fdeAAu

Monios L LED grow lights – 2 ft. – https://amzn.to/391NmeS

Bonsai scissors – https://amzn.to/33a6F29

Hygrometer (humidity monitor) – https://amzn.to/32WtiqO

Moisture meter sticks – https://amzn.to/35FR7Vk

Horticultural charcoal – https://amzn.to/2UKOv25

Organic houseplant fertilizer liquid – https://amzn.to/3pIb7ij

Insecticide/Miticide – (many bug sprays don’t kill spider mites, this one does) – https://amzn.to/3pHKREw

Systemic houseplant insecticide – https://amzn.to/36MuoX8

Full disclosure – the last three product links will be much cheaper if you can find them in your local garden center.  I’ve put them here so that you can see what they are called and what they look like, but I’d advise that you buy from these links only as a last resort.

Reference for this article:

“Zeolites” http://www.britannica.com 17 Jan 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/science/zeolite>