Longwinded LECA Lady

  • Comparison: DIY pon versus premixed options

    UPDATED: January 2025

    There’s been a lot of folks looking for DIY options given that Lechuza is once again out of stock as they periodically are. This page is meant to bring together information on making your own pon, including various comparisons as far as make up, size, cost, fertilizer, etc. I also include links below to products mentioned (no affiliate links). All products linkes are U.S.-specific. The cost comparison is also anchored in the U.S. market at this moment in time (subject to change with price fluctuations and availability based on location).

    KEY DIFFERENCES

    • PREPARATION

    Most DIY ingredients and some premade mixes (TheBasements in particular) do require work in terms of preparing. You’ll need to do some rinsing since they have considerable dust. And some people have reported debris in products like TheBasements; therefore, sifting and rinsing is a good idea. This obviously differs from products like Lechuza where they’re ready-to-use straight out of the bag.

    • SIZE OF INDIVIDUAL PIECES

    You’ll find considerable differences in piece size from one product to another. Lechuza is the smallest piece size I’ve seen. I have not seen anyone replicate this exactly with DIY since the ingredients available to make DIY don’t tend to be that small. But that’s okay! Even with variation and perhaps slightly bigger piece size (which I personally like), it’ll still work.

    🌿Your mix DOES NOT need to be uniform in size. Obviously, my mix is not at all uniform and it’s always worked great for me. Some people aesthetically prefer uniformity but having different size pieces will not make or break success.

    I tend to like my pumice and lava rock to be about 1/4″-3/8″ size with zeolite usually being sold a tad smaller or about the same size. LECA can vary in size as well but generally ranges from 1/2″-3/4″ in size.

    🌿The bottom line on size: The overall mix matters more than individual pieces, i.e., number of big pieces in relation to number of small pieces. The general principle is that if there are more larger pieces over all (i.e., using all LECA), the root zone will be drier and more airy. Conversely, if you’re using more smaller pieces overall, the root zone will have more moisture and less oxygen. In other words, there’s more difference between using Lechuza vs. LECA than there is Lechuza vs. DIY pon.

    • FERTILIZER

    Lechuza is likely one of the few premade mixes with fertilizer built in. The pieces are coated in what would be equivalent to osmocote fertilizer. This fertilizer is said to wear off within six months of use and you’d need to supplement with liquid or osmocote after that point.

    🌿With the cost analysis below, I’ve set aside the issue of fertilizer. DIY and most other premade mixes DO NOT have fertilizer in them. I personally do not see this as a problem as I much prefer to use the same liquid fertilizer for all my plants and control what each are getting getting based on plant type/season/maturity/etc and not have to worry or think about how long a plant has been in its media.

    DIY RECIPE

    The exact proportions aren’t super important but for those looking for a guide, this is what I use. A “part” as referenced below can be any unit of measure you’d like to use (a cup or even some random container). For me, that tends to be a media/soil scoop like this. One scoop = 1 part:

    • 4 parts pumice
    • 3 parts lava rock
    • 1 part zeolite
    • 1-2 parts leca

    COST ANALYSIS

    PRODUCTS COMPARED:

    COST COMPARISON BASED ON VOLUME

    Note: 1 dry gallon = 4 dry quarts. Listed cheapest to most expensive:

    Again, my numbers are very specific to what was available to me at the time this comparison was done. If I ever update it in the future, I’ll always include a date at the top. I included shipping costs as well since I consider that to be part of the overall cost. Obviously, the cost to ship can also vary widely based on where you live.

    MATH DISLOSURE

    If you click on the chart, you can see where I got my numbers from and how I calculated the cost per pound.

    COST COMPARISON BASED ON WEIGHT:

    Full disclosure, I originally ran numbers based on per pound measurements and this was problematic for a couple reasons:

    1. I pulled the wrong information in terms of weight for a 12L bag of Lechuza. I’m still struggling to find accurate numbers on that.
    2. Most importantly, it was brought to my attention that comparing cost per VOLUME is better than per WEIGHT. Reason being, each product/ingredient can vary significantly when it comes to weight.

    WHY VOLUME IS A BETTER MEASURE THAN WEIGHT:

    For our purposes, we want the volume, or how much you’re actually getting, to be apples-to-apples when comparing one to another. Think of filling your pot with media – do you care what the weight is comparing Product A to Product B? Take a look at this comparison based on weight and how the volume differs significantly when comparing the same weight of each (each cup = 5 ounces)

    As you can see, weight isn’t super helpful. For the purpose of potting medium, we care more that the amounts of Product A and Product B we receive will fill our pots in comparable ways. That’s why most established sellers use volume measurements like gallons, liters, or quarts.

    It only becomes difficult when sellers use weight. Unfortunately, many Amazon pon mixes are sold by weight. Since I’ve never bought any of them, I’ve chosen not to compare them here. Ultimately, you might find you get a lot less volume compared to other products than expected if the ingredients are heavier or vice versa. Long story short (too late), this is why I shifted to a cost comparison based on volume.

    ADDITIONAL NOTES

    🌿Note about pumice: Prices can vary pretty significantly depending on where you live. Hess Pumice in Texas has EXCELLENT prices but if you don’t live nearby, the cost to ship is prohibitive.

    Some people have reported finding 1/4″ size pieces at their local garden stores. I’ve not been this lucky so everything I’ve bought has always been online and subject to potential shipping costs.

    Bonsai Jack pumice was my go-to for a few years so I still have some on hand. They’ve recently discontinued selling pumice altogether due to inconsistent supply issues so that’s why I’m also including a comparison with another option (Home Depot, also available on Amazon here) which is similar enough and cheaper for the volume you get.

    🌿DIY and the importance of buying in bulk: When it comes to Bonsai Jack and Home Depot in particular, both must be purchased in BULK to be cost effective. For Bonsai Jack, that’s a minimum of 6 gallon bulk purchase. For the Home Depot products, they come in 20 quart bags (5 gallon) for the best price.

    🌿Home Depot and other garden stores also sell huge bags of “landscaping” lava rock where the rocks are much, much bigger. If you’re willing to do the work of breaking up the pieces and sifting out what’s usable, that would probably be cheaper (personally, I’m not willing to go through all that work!).

    BOTTOM LINE: Which is better?

    Maybe not the answer you’re looking for but I don’t believe there is a “better” option. Everyone has different preferences and priorities. Maybe you prioritize smaller piece size and the ready-to-use aspect of Lechuza? Maybe you prefer availability and size of DIY pieces and don’t mind the extra work and upfront cost involved? Or maybe you prefer Lechuza but the lack of availability forced you to try DIY?

    As far as price, the numbers aren’t so different to make or break using one or the other anyway so use what you like if it’s available. If Lechuza remains unavailable for long periods of time, don’t be afraid to try something else for a while and see how you like it.

    Happy planting!