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This'n'that. Part 2. Leca and Pots.

More from Scotland...

> Is the top dressing kept moist by absorbing water from the soil which it
covers >or is additional water added?
 >I use leca or hydrogro almost exclusively for my planting medium, but
>would like to know how to use it as a top dressing for plants which are
>planted in soil.. Thanks a lot Vera, San Jose.
This is the oldest letter I have to reply to - apologies Vera, it doesn't
usually take me a month to answer...
Leca is very versatile as it holds more than 3 times its weight in
moisture, so using it as a top dressing means that it keeps too much
moisture from being lost from the soil.  I usually water from the bottom
and then just sprinkle a bit over the top, to make the leca wet;  it
doesn't seem to absorb moisture from the soil but I suppose it must do, and
that helps to provide extra humidity round the leaves when it is very hot.
I don't water the surface in the winter, my plants do much better in the
cold months if there is not much humidity (which encourages mold and other
nasties).

Lysette asked >Should ALL pots have drain holes?  
Well, not necessarily... Harping back to the days when I did plant
maintenance, most of our plants were in pots without drainage and I managed
to keep them alive and healthy.  But - a big but here - you have to be
very, very careful with the water and feed.  The pots were crocked with
Leca (clay granules) to a depth of 2 or 3 inches so that any water not
soaked up by the soil was absorbed by the leca;  the trick is to make sure
you give enough water to moisten everything without flooding.   We used to
check plants once a fortnight only and found that even those plants grown
in full sun didn't need much water at all - a careful check of the soil an
inch or two under the surface helps to determine if water is needed.  We
also fed the plants when they were watered, just half strength each time. 
This applied to all shapes and sizes of containers, from 6" ornamentals
with a Syngonium, a Dracena and a Bromiliad in, to huge pots with mature
Ficus Benjis in.  The plants are very quick to tell you if they aren't
happy, if they get over watered, leave them until the soil dries out and
then give just a little.  (and if you are like me, tell them you're sorry
and promise to take better care next time, if only, pretty please, they
don't die...!)

If you can stand it, there's more to come...
Liz, whose brain and fingers are working overtime in Scotland.
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