False vivipary is where plantlets grow where flowers should be on a flower stem: in effect some of the cells have get confused. Botanists don’t full understand why this happens, but it seems to occur more frequently in certain plants, such as Agaves, Gasteria, Aloe and some carnivorous plants such as the venus flytrap. The plantlets can be snipped off and rooted on gritty compost: they will be genetic clones of the parent, whereas plants grown from seed would be genetically different: in other words, false vivipary is a form of vegetative (as opposed to sexual) reproduction. This doesn’t seem to hurt the plants and once it turns brown the flower spike can be chopped down to the base of the plant or pulled away using a firm tug.

LECHUZA-PON consists of high quality, mineral stones, that are free from contamination and pollutants. Arvin: So I would say, generally, start off small. Test your plants in Lechuza Pon first. Generally, most plants will adopt Lechuza Pon quite well, but in terms of changing over from soil directly, you've got many benefits. Firstly, if you're an allergy sufferer, soil is going to have mould, it's going to have fungus, it's going to have live microorganisms which are always breeding. So if you suffer from allergies in any aspect, soil indoors is not ideal for you. Where, in this case, you can replace it with an inorganic compound like Lechuza Pon and you eradicate all of those allergy issues immediately and those pest issues go out the window as well. So that's the first benefit of using Lechuza Pon. Secondly, is the stable pH level of Lechuza Pon. Certain soils can increase or decrease in pH levels depending on, obviously, the type of plant, the type of fertiliser you're adding into it. Lechuza Pon will stabilise itself and always maintain a rough level of 7.1 just to ensure that the plant is at its optimum level of development. I think there's a couple of the other issues, as well, in terms of watering, forgetting to water. Generally soil will dry out at the top. Most people, generally, start seeing that as an indicator that the plant needs water. So not realising that soil holds about 75% of its water below that first layer, most people over water their plants. With Lechuza Pon you eradicate this problem. Because of the capillary action, the entire sub-level to the top always has enough water and it will always draw water from the bottom up into the rooting structure. Pon can be watered from the top once it dries out like soil, but it can also be used in semi-hydroponic growing. Many people who use Pon as a semi-hydrponic media prefer to use two types of pots. The first choice is either clear plastic pots with holes or clear slotted orchid pots with a reservoir. Alternatively, many people like to use the self-watering pots sold by Lechuza brand/similar dupes. What is DIY Lechuza-Pon? Why make your own DIY Lechuza-Pon? The best-known brand of Pon is undoubtedly Lechuza, but Pon is what's in the bag, which gets its name from 'Semi Hydro-PON-ics'. It's a popular 'remedy' for fungus gnats, just like Leca, but tends to be more user friendly than Leca for growing and propagating, and is used both added to potting mix, as well as by itself. Let's return to our chat about Lechuza Pon and I wanted to find out whether you have to buy the pots from Lechuza, or whether you can just buy the Pon and use your own pots.The multiple filtering in production reduces the fine particles in the substrate to a minimum. This prevents a silting up in the root area and sustains a long-lasting capillarity. LECHUZA-PON has continuous capillary action, drawing water up into the planter. Even undergrowth and small rooted plants get the perfect amount of water this way.

LECHUZA-PON has an ideal air / water ratio for plants (45% water/55% air). It also reduces a plant's vulnerability to diseases. Even after years, this structurally-stable plant substrate does not condense and keeps its air-permeable structure. LECHUZA-PON can be used for years without needing to be replaced! LECHUZA-PON has an adjusted bulk weight. Your plant is supported firmly in the planter, which is important for bigger plants. LECHUZA-PON takes care that your LECHUZA planter stays stable and is suited perfectly for outdoor use. Jane: More Pon chat to come, but now it's time for Question of the Week and it comes from Frank who has noticed something strange happening to a succulent. Helpfully, Frank has sent a picture, but they're not sure what succulent this is. It looks to me like some kind of Gasteria aloe cross. There are loads of different hybrids out there and I think this is one of those. I wouldn't be confident to say which one, but it doesn't matter because the advice is the same. The plant has put up a flower spike, but coming up along some of the points on that flower spike are some little baby plants, or as Frank puts it, "A tentacle-like thing sprouted out!" and what looks like a couple of baby plants have started to grow, like a spider plant does. Frank wants to know what to do with these little tiny plants that have grown along that flowering stem. Now, this gives me a chance to use one of my favourite words in the botanical lexicon and that is vivipary! I don't really know how to pronounce it, vivipary... viv... vivipary!? It's a word I've read a lot but not said a lot! So what is vivipary or vivip... however you say it!? What is it? It happens when seeds germinate while they are still attached to the parent plant in the form of the fruit or the seed head. You may have seen, on social media, a picture of a strawberry, where the little seeds on the outside of the plant are all sprouting? That's a great example of vivipary. People get very freaked out by it, but it's not that uncommon in the world of plants. So that's vivipary, but what we have here, with Frank's succulent, is called 'false vivipary' and this is where a flowering stem gets all confused and starts producing pups rather than flowers. This phenomenon is seen in succulents, particularly things like Agaves and some of the Gasterias and Aloes do sometimes do this. The other group of houseplants that you'll see this happening with is the carnivorous plants. Sometimes a Venus Flytrap will put up a flowering stalk and will end up growing plantlets at the top of that, rather than flowers. Lechuza Pon has the 'magic ratio' of 45% water and 55% air. I can almost hear my aroids and hoya breathing a sigh of relief at that, what with their love of chunky, free-draining substrate (and my fear of over-watering). And yes, aroids and hoya are the most popular Pon plants, but Pon is also popular for Bonsai cacti, succulents and more. Ik gebruik Lechuza Pon nu meer dan twee jaar met heel veel plezier. Hoewel het een prijzig product is, werkt het erg goed en hoef je het in tegenstelling tot potgrond niet weg te gooien. Je kan het gewoon omspoelen en daarna voor een andere plant gebruiken. Ik merk ook dat mijn planten een echte groeispurt hebben gemaakt sinds ik Pon gebruik. Het werkt goed voor veel verschillende type planten en is gemakkelijk te gebruiken.

What is pon?

You don’t have to used Lechuza self watering planters to use pon: you can use a sealed bottom planter or open drainage planter: lots of people used clear plastic sealed containers with pon so they can see what’s happening at root level. Jane: One of the other questions that really came up so often when I asked listeners about Pon, is rinsing. So, a question of, "Does Pon need to be rinsed before it's used?" I've got people who want to rinse a whole bag in one go, people who don't want to rinse it, people who want to rinse a little bit at a time. Give me the lowdown on rinsing. In addition, perlite is much much lighter than Lechuza Pon and it is neutral and doesn’t contain any nutrients. Jane: Now that is where you might have me, in terms of converting to Pon, that idea that you can just buy the amount you need for your plants, transition them and then you can just keep using it over and over again. I love the fact that that's sustainable. That is probably the most appealing feature of it for me, so it's really interesting to hear that. I guess the difference is it's inorganic, so it's not breaking down the same way that my compost will be breaking down over time and ending up on the compost heap. That's a really good point that I hadn't thought of. As I say, I'm an old dinosaur! I don't know if I'm going to ever fully switch away from soil, but it's really interesting to hear what you're doing, Arvin, and thank you very much for joining me today!

To switch from the hydro-system to a new substrate is quite stressful for plants, considering the different climate, especially the water balance at the root and the type of plant. Perlite is expanded volcanic glass that is heated to temperatures above 183 degrees Fahrenheit (1000 degrees Celsius). Planters get very dirty after a while as debris and roots are accumulating. The roots attach to the inside of the planter and grow into the water reservoir

Transitioning to Pon

Du vil måske opleve at din plante i starten smider et blad eller to, men der er ingen grund til panik. Giv blot din plante lidt tid (og kærlighed) til at vænne sig til pon. Gødning