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Name: Lindsey Ohio (Zone 6a)            ljones26 Mar 11, 2018 8:37 AM CST |
Hello!  Okay I need some opinions. I went to a greenhouse recently and purchased a ferocactus that had the hydroton clay balls as a substrate topper. I loved the look of it, and coincidentally I found bags of it that day at IKEA so I purchased them. I did some research and saw that they are used in hydroponics. For some reason I thought they would be like pumice and keep a substrate mix dry. Is that not correct? Just wanted to know the effects these have on succulents so I don't kill my plants! Thank you!!!   |
Name: Karen NM (Zone 7b)            plantmanager Mar 11, 2018 9:15 AM CST |
| I'm not totally sure, but think they are like Aliflor which some people use for orchids. They hold water. Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics! |
Name: tarev San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b) Always count your blessings in life           tarev Mar 11, 2018 10:09 AM CST |
| Hi Lindsey, leca ( light expanded clay aggregate) or those clay balls, does share similar attribute with pumice. Those clay balls have lots of air holes which allows good airflow at root zone. Sometimes I use them too with my cactus soil, to help loosen the media, if I do not have perlite or pumice around. But not a lot of it, since it holds water much longer than pumice. |
Name: Baja Baja California (Zone 11b)         |
| Yes, they absorb and wick water and are used in hydroponic type situations. They guarantee plenty of air in the spaces between the balls. Lots of detailed information about one such system here... http://firstrays.com/semi-hydr... |
Name: Kristi east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a)        pod Mar 11, 2018 12:51 PM CST |
| I have used Hydroton in my plants for water conservation. I have never used it as a top dressing and will be curious to see how well it works when used with succulents. Be content moving inch by inch because, by days end, the inches, will add up to feet and yards. Fulfilling ambitious objectives is usually done one step at a time. |
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