Plantific
Hydro Desert
Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.
I’m in love with hydroculture, and have been growing soil-free for a while.
I started with some clear bottles hidden inside other pots, but eventually found a way to order water meters and put them in any random pot.
Hydroculture is so far from popular in the US, I have trouble finding info, products and help. It is made worse by the fact that 99.9% of people growing in hydroculture are growing weeds that are illegal in a number of states. These growers have very utilitarian needs. I want to grow nice-looking houseplants in nice-looking containers.
After years of making my own containers, I’m looking to buy some real ones for my new office. I want something built for the job and easier to clean.
It seems like the company for containers is Luwasa but since they’re in Switzerland and don’t sell direct, you have to find somewhere else to buy.
Lechuza is one of the Luwasa brands, and Lechuza.us now sells in the US. But their sub-irrigation system specifically says in the FAQ that “the LECHUZA sub-irrigation set and the accompanying water level indicator are not suitable for use with hydroculture.”
What? If I look at the Luwasa 2015 Catalog it plainly shows that these planters (see page 130 for example) have parts for either soil or hydro.
So now I’m trying to figure out what the difference is. After looking at it for a while, the big difference seems to be that they use smaller liner pots for hydroculture (compare the model numbers in the screen shot). There is a different part to hold the water meter in hydroculture and possibly a different meter?
I find this all very frustrating. Hopefully someday hydroculture will be the norm and there will be lots of competition in this space.