Mother Earth Products Mother Earth HGC714114 Hydroton Original Expanded Clay Pebbles, 25 Liter, Terra Cotta

I bought these pebbles for growing watercress as they are semi aquatic plants,and also bought Rockwell starter plugs to grow the seeds. The starter plugs were thoroughly whetted and inserted into the pebbles which were almost entirely covered with water. My seeds had 100% germination rate from what I can see, and the watercress plants are growing very well. When I started the watercress, i used water with half strength hydroponics plant food, and increased the plant food to full strength when the plants started growing.It was interesting to see that seeds I dropped on the wet pebbles also grew and new roots are growing into the clay pebbles. I should also mention that these pebbles should be rinsed well since they are covered in brown dust. I don't think it will hurt anything, but, in hydroponics, they will leave a brown sludge in the water.UPDATE 08/04/19:The 4th pictures is my crop of watercress that was taken about 3 weeks after the 3rd picture. I have already harvested quite a bit 5 times for 3 salads for my family each time and it keeps on growing.UPDATE 03/29/20:Since watercress is rated everywhere as the #1 healthiest green, I have been determined to grow it successful. The initial growth has always been great, but within 4 weeks, leaves started turning yellow, and the plants started to die. I was finding that I had to plant a new crop every 6 weeks or so. I did all the internet research that you have like likely done, only to find so many conflicting opinions. I had to figure out what I was doing wrong and what watercress needs for continued healthy growth. In studying the plants, I noticed the roots of the plants had become slimy and were dying. Without the roots, the plants can’t survive. I also noticed an extreme overgrowth of algae growth on the clay pebbles, especially as the plants started to die. The algae growth was hastening the demise of the watercress as it was consuming the nutrients required by the watercress.So, rather than believing everything I read on the internet, I used my knowledge of plants and considered the natural environment of watercress.1) Watercress grow naturally on riverbanks and edges of ponds. So, the water around them is constantly moving and recycling to provide oxygen to the roots.2) The water they grow in has to have a high nitrogen content provided by decomposing fish wastes and plant materials. This would contradict the information on the internet stating watercress doesn’t need plant food high in nitrogen.3) Although watercress can grow in partially shaded areas, some sunlight is required for maximum growth.,I am not growing watercress in only clay pebbles as the Rockwool promoted the growth of algae. I use 1020 flats, both with and without holes. The clay pebbles go into the flat with holes and this flat goes into a flat without holes. After putting the clay pebbles into the flat with holes and inserting into the one without holes, I fill the flat with water containing Fox Farm Big Grow plant food at 10 cc’s per gallon. Then I sprinkle the watercress seeds on top of the pebbles. I keep the water level below the top of the pebbles to discourage algae growth but spritz the pebbles once a day until the watercress seeds germinate. This usually takes 3-4 days. I add water with plant food and keep the water level t just below the top of the pebbles until the plants are established. Once the plants are about 2” tall, I replace the water once a week by pulling the top flat out, spraying the entire flat over a stationery tub to rinse of an algae that might have grown, dump the water in the bottom flat, and replace the water with a fresh solution of plant food mixed at 10 cc’s per gallon. So far, this has been working great. I can harvest and get new growth with no yellowing leaves.I have found that algae will grow on these pebbles when they are kept moist and are under lighting. When planting a new crop of watercress, the pebbles can be reused by first swishing them in a bucket of water to remove all debris. Then soak them in a 1 to 3 solution of bleach and water overnight to kill the algae and any bacteria. After the soaking rinse them well by swishing them in fresh water and draining a couple of times. Once this is done, they are clean and ready to use again.UPDATE 08/23/20:Although the watercress grows well for about 6 weeks in the flats, the roots require circulation of water to provide air to them. After about 6 weeks or so, the leaves started to yellow and I found the roots of the plants were rotting. A few weeks ago, I decided to try growing watercress, using these clay pebbles, in an AeroGarden Grow Bowl. I set the pump to go on for 2 minutes every 4 hours for the first 4 weeks, and then changed the pump setting to 2 minutes ever 6 hours.So far, this is the best crop of watercress I have had, and it just keeps growing with no yellowing of leaves. I have already harvested this watercress for quite a few of salads and steamed enough for veggies for meals a couple of time. I also gave away a gallon baggie full to a friend of mine. It has been growing for 81 days and so far, it looks as healthy as ever. I have added a couple of pictures of this crop of watercress.I hope this review was helpful for you.

Good quality, super fast shipping.

I was new to LECA when I bought this clay substrate. I was very, VERY nervous. But had heard good things. I looked at a lot of different LECA brands. These were the most reasonably priced for the volume and quality. HOLY MOLEY!!! I received way more than anticipated which was a great suprise. I was able to share with my planty friends. I had very few that were broke or misshapen and the color is stunning. It's a beautiful terra cotta color. They look so pretty in the glass/clear containers! Something I enjoy as someone who's pretty frugal is that they can be reused over and over again. It's more than soil initially. But the investment is worth it in the long runThey were very clean and scent free besides the unavoidable clay dust (totally normal for all LECA, so make sure you rinse them throughly).There is a variety of sizes, which is wonderful for accommodating any vessel or plant and making sure all roots are touching somewh on the LECA while providing good air flow.My plants are thriving in this LECA(see pics)!!! I've been really satisfied with this purchase overall and have converted many of my orchids and some other plants to LECA already. New leaves are popping up daily in plants that were basically dormant.If I'm being nit picky there are a couple things on my wish list for this product:1. The larger balls separated from the smaller ones in some way. It's a pain in the tochus to sort then one by one. Most of my plants do well with a combo of the two sizes, but it's nice to have the option so smaller containers are adequately filled and so they for in narrow necked vessels.2. I wish they came in actual storage containers. The box is fine but it would be nice to have something sealed that had instructions on how to use them. Just the basics as a reminder. I bought a container myself for really cheap, so no big deal.*Neither of these things were deal breakers or a reason to try a different brand, just things I think would improve the product and make things less labor intensive.These are absolute magic when it comes to overall plant health. There are no nutrients so that needs to be added, but it's very easy and affordable to do. But overall LECA is way easier than soil, and almost impossible to overwater or f*$# up. Plus if you place in a clear container you can watch/check up on the root development. Don't be scared if you see white crust on them as this is from tap water minerals building up. Simply flush it with distilled water, or water sitting out for days upon days.I would 100% recommend this brand of LECA and will be reordering when I need more!!!

Great product will buy again

The clay pebbles coming from this bulk bag are a little harder to clean than the ones from smaller packages. They release more residuals after several washes and continue to release particles into the water when used in hydroponic setups. The pebbles come in a range of different sizes but that is not a problem for me. It's convenient to have a bulk bag always available at home.

Better than perlite and cheaper than pumice.

This is my first time using LECA. I was intrigued by this because I've seen it being used for houseplants. I read some more about it and decided to order. The main appeal to me is I can avoid pests and root rot. I propagate and sell plants locally so having healthy plants is important. I rinse the leca thoroughly with regular water until the water is no longer cloudy red from the clay dust. I make my own clear growing pots from clear plastic drinking cups by adding draining holes at the bottom. I propagate the cuttings in water first then I transfer them to leca once they have a bit of a root. I put the clear container in another clear container (with no drainage holes) to be used as a water reservoir. I was anxious using these at first because I didn't know how the cuttings would grow. But as you can see by my pics, not even 3 weeks in leca and my cuttings seem to enjoy it. I add a little bit of water to the leca 2-3 time a week but I don't go overboard.The only downside to leca I didn't know going in is that I had to buy hydroponic nutrients. I just assumed I'd be able to use houseplant fertilizer diluted in water. And hydroponic nutrients are not cheap. But that's the only downside to it so far. The cost of this particular product is great, so if I ever need more, I will certainly re-order.