Swiss cheese plant
Monstera deliciosa
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
LECA / semi-hydro
Soil-free with predictable watering
Clay balls or pon substrate with a reservoir below: the plant wicks what it needs. Fewer pests, no soil smell.
☀️LightDepends on the plant
💧Humidity40–70%
🌡️Temperature18–26 °C
🪴Water & substrateReservoir 1/4–1/3 of pot height; hydro fertiliser
Build
Step by step
Plant
LECA
Reservoir
- 1
Rinse the LECA and soak for 24 hours.
- 2
Wash all soil off the roots (lukewarm).
- 3
Pot up, fill the reservoir only to the bottom third.
- 4
Soil roots may die back – water roots grow instead.
Plant list
What to plant
Background
Midground
Peace lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
Arrowhead plant
Syngonium podophyllum
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
Calathea
Calathea
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Climber, trailer
Heartleaf philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
Wax plant
Hoya carnosa
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Accent
Anthurium
Anthurium
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
Elephant ear
Alocasia
Fewer spider mites in LECA.
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Reservoir always full – root rot.
- Regular fertiliser – hydro fertiliser is formulated differently.
- Leftover soil on roots.
Member setups
From the community: LECA / semi-hydro
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