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Comment on The beginning of my Pinguicula on mosses project

May I ask what brand of LECA you use? I’ve read contradictory things about pH of LECA being basic. I got a bag of Growit, and tested it with tap water - the water is indeed very basic compared to my control even after lots of rinsing and repeated soakings. I’m wondering if some brands are better at living up to claims of being pH neutral than others.

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Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I think the brand doesn’t matter much. They all work fine.

I will make a post about it, so it is easier accessible for others too.

TL;DR what I’ll say:

Expensive isn’t much better

There’s “red” LECA (smoother surface, but more compact) and “grey” LECA (very lightweight, porous and floats). Both have their own (small) pros and cons, but still similar. I just mixed them by now for aesthetic purposes lol

The size variation matters a lot. Bigger, rounder balls = more air gaps.

You have to soak it first in pure water when dry. If you use tap water instead, it will leach over the next weeks and alter the water chemistry, including pH.
You can reverse this by cooking pretty fast tho
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TL;DR what I’ll say: