ichthyogeek
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So I joined reddit, and I can't seem to find any help on r/houseplants , but maybe y'all can provide some guidance? The original question (copy-pasted below).
I'm doing some planning for the eventual move, and I know I want houseplants. I've divided my "want to have" plant list into three "phases" based off of how much I want the plant. Yes, I do in fact, wish to live in a tropical coastal rainforest.
Phase 1: Bird of Paradise, Monstera deliciosa, Fluffy Ruffle Fern, Peace Lily, Heliconia.
Phase 2: Terminalia catappa (Talisay tree), Citrus microcarpa (calamondin/Calamansi/Philippine lime),vanilla orchids, cocoa tree.
Phase 3: Hawaiian ginger, anthuriums, tropical hibiscus
Important things to know: I'm going to have worm bins (yay free compost!), and aquariums (yay free fish water + RODI unit!) when I move. I also have every plan to use terra cotta pots (I like the aesthetic). And if I go with homemade potting soil, it would most likely be a 1:1:1 mixture of worm compost(nutrients): coconut coir(water retention): pumice(aeration).
I'm trying to figure out which would be best for overall plant health and water conservation. I've listed below some of the things I've thought of, but what are all the pros and cons towards hydroponics vs LECA(semi-hydroponics) and just using a mix of potting soil? And what should I do???
Hydroponics: aka, running water from fish tanks into some sort of LECA based substrate, and then draining it back to the fish tanks. This is the one I'm least in favor of, since I just can't seem to figure out a good way to figure out plumbing things in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Since it's running water, I don't have to worry about anything like root rot, since the roots will have non-stagnant water. I might have to add supplements to the water though, my fish don't make that much waste.
LECA/Semi-Hydro: aka, half hydro, half potting soil - you fill a pot with LECA (light expanded clay aggregate), and 1/3 of the way up with water that has nutrients in it. I like the science behind it, since it's basically "take pure water, add nutrients, and rinse plants every week under the sink to remove salt accumulation," and I already know how to pH balance and stuff. It's tied with the potting soil option really. This method also seems the most labor intense, since I would have to move the plants weekly, and some of them (BoP, Heliconia) are absolute monsters. But, since I'll be investing in an RO/DI unit, I'll have that water on hand always. The only other problem, is that a lot of terra cotta pots already have holes in them, which is counterproductive to the LECA method.
Potting Soil: yayyy dirt! It's tied with the semi-hydro method. I just repot once a year(???) with a homemade potting mix. I can water with aquarium water and runoff RODI water (it's got a high mineral count to it). It's also...dirt cheap, since I'll be making the mix myself. I hear there are a lot of pests with houseplants sometimes, and that's one thing that knocks against it. Also, if I knock over any plants, it's going to be a mess to clean, whereas hydro/semi-hydro, it's just a towel and picking up relatively large clay balls instead of pulling out a vacuum. I also am very fond of overwatering which may/may not be an issue depending on plant.
I'm doing some planning for the eventual move, and I know I want houseplants. I've divided my "want to have" plant list into three "phases" based off of how much I want the plant. Yes, I do in fact, wish to live in a tropical coastal rainforest.
Phase 1: Bird of Paradise, Monstera deliciosa, Fluffy Ruffle Fern, Peace Lily, Heliconia.
Phase 2: Terminalia catappa (Talisay tree), Citrus microcarpa (calamondin/Calamansi/Philippine lime),vanilla orchids, cocoa tree.
Phase 3: Hawaiian ginger, anthuriums, tropical hibiscus
Important things to know: I'm going to have worm bins (yay free compost!), and aquariums (yay free fish water + RODI unit!) when I move. I also have every plan to use terra cotta pots (I like the aesthetic). And if I go with homemade potting soil, it would most likely be a 1:1:1 mixture of worm compost(nutrients): coconut coir(water retention): pumice(aeration).
I'm trying to figure out which would be best for overall plant health and water conservation. I've listed below some of the things I've thought of, but what are all the pros and cons towards hydroponics vs LECA(semi-hydroponics) and just using a mix of potting soil? And what should I do???
Hydroponics: aka, running water from fish tanks into some sort of LECA based substrate, and then draining it back to the fish tanks. This is the one I'm least in favor of, since I just can't seem to figure out a good way to figure out plumbing things in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Since it's running water, I don't have to worry about anything like root rot, since the roots will have non-stagnant water. I might have to add supplements to the water though, my fish don't make that much waste.
LECA/Semi-Hydro: aka, half hydro, half potting soil - you fill a pot with LECA (light expanded clay aggregate), and 1/3 of the way up with water that has nutrients in it. I like the science behind it, since it's basically "take pure water, add nutrients, and rinse plants every week under the sink to remove salt accumulation," and I already know how to pH balance and stuff. It's tied with the potting soil option really. This method also seems the most labor intense, since I would have to move the plants weekly, and some of them (BoP, Heliconia) are absolute monsters. But, since I'll be investing in an RO/DI unit, I'll have that water on hand always. The only other problem, is that a lot of terra cotta pots already have holes in them, which is counterproductive to the LECA method.
Potting Soil: yayyy dirt! It's tied with the semi-hydro method. I just repot once a year(???) with a homemade potting mix. I can water with aquarium water and runoff RODI water (it's got a high mineral count to it). It's also...dirt cheap, since I'll be making the mix myself. I hear there are a lot of pests with houseplants sometimes, and that's one thing that knocks against it. Also, if I knock over any plants, it's going to be a mess to clean, whereas hydro/semi-hydro, it's just a towel and picking up relatively large clay balls instead of pulling out a vacuum. I also am very fond of overwatering which may/may not be an issue depending on plant.
Saltwater tanks take time and maintenance of their own. Utilizing the high tds of RODI waste and the tank water would probably be the easiest form as well as you don’t want water to be plumbed into soils and go back in tank....depending on the soil/if there are any fertilizers or even if you spill or spray something (air fresheners or something like that)and it ends up on the soil, it could poison your tank or severely affect the pH. Also plants are photosynthetic and are usually placed near windows....windows let in light/heat/cold....factors that can cause issues with temperature stability and crazy algae blooms. These are some factors from personal experience, Thus my two cents and of course it really ends up being your choice! We all learn from experience in the end! I wish you best of luck! Currently, I’m propagating succulents just for fun! 
