How I Transition Plants from Soil to Semi Hydroponics

In my experience of converting plants, i’ve found that there are a lot of plants that do great going straight from soil to semi hydroponics and convert without batting an eye. They adjust quickly to growing in a new media and almost immediately begin to push out new root and leaf growth. Its as easy as removing the soil, washing the roots and I’m good to go! The easiest plants to convert straight from soil in my experience have been pothos, scindapsus, trailing philodendrons, spider plants, monsteras, ficus (elastica, audrey, lyrata, altissima) and schefflera etc.

NOTE: It’s important to keep in mind that some plants going straight from soil into semi hydroponics will shed the outer layer of their old soil roots and grow new white roots that are adapted to growing in a soil free media – which is a natural process! As long as the plant looks healthy and is pushing out new root and leaf growth, all is well.

Eventually any soil and remaining plant waste will be washed away when you flush your pot. However, it is still a good practice to check on your plants roots every couple of weeks after first planting to clean out any shedded root waste or roots that didn’t make the transition. In time only clean white roots will remain.

Some plants on the other hand are easier to convert with a bit of transitioning after being removed from soil.

In my experience the plants that benefit most from transitioning include:

• Plants that have roots that are too thin, delicate or fibrous to easily remove the soil from.(e.g. peperomias, pileas, marantas, banana plants etc).
• Plants with compromised root systems (the root system is small and weak / soil removal was difficult and many of the roots were damaged or needed to be trimmed
• Plants that are sick, struggling or have stem or root rot.
• Plants that go into shock easily after soil removal (e.g. watermelon peperomias, pilea peperomioides)

Different Methods to Transition Plants to Semi Hydroponics

The most important step when converting a plant from soil to semi hydroponics is soil removal. Taking that extra time to be very thorough with getting as much soil off the roots as you possible can really save you from future headaches and root issues later down the road.

However, even with that said and done, some plants may have compromised or weakened root systems before or after soil removal. Both LECA and Water propagation methods can be used to promote root growth and strengthen a weak or struggling root system before planting in semi hydroponics.

Furthermore, for plants that have roots that are impossible to remove the soil from, it is often easier to cut the soil roots off completely and grow new roots in water propagation or LECA propagation.

Water Propagation

With water propagation, I place the plant or cuttings in a glass jar with water to encourage new root growth. Once the root system has grown substantial enough to support the plant, it can be either be moved to LECA propagation or straight into semi hydroponics.

TIP: Since the roots of pileas and peperomias are next to impossible to remove the soil from and they propagate very easily, I cut the roots off the plant completely and grow new roots in water propagation. Once roots appear, I move the cutting to LECA propagation.

LECA Propagation

With LECA propagation, I place the cutting or plant in a glass jar with LECA, keeping the waterline at a 1/3 the height of the jar. I find regular tap water works just fine and I only start adding nutrients once I move to a semi hydroponic setup.

If the plant already has some roots, it’s okay if the roots are not submerged below the waterline (especially if there is still some soil remaining). The wicking ability of LECA will pull water up towards the roots through capillary action, keeping the LECA saturated.

For unrooted cuttings the same principal applies, although you may want to submerge the ends of the stems if its a finicky or water loving plant (I see you watermelon peperomia!). In either case, new roots will begin to grow along the nodes of the stem in LECA. Once root growth is substantial, the plant can be moved to semi hydroponics.

NOTE: LECA propagation is a great transitioning step for moving a plant to semi hydroponics.The air spaces within and between the LECA, along with the constant supply of water, provide a balanced root zone environment ideal for root growth! Furthermore, roots propagated in LECA are already adapted to growing in a soil free media, making the move to a semi hydro setup much more seamless.

Propagation Box, Bag or Dome

It can be beneficial to place plants propagating in water or LECA inside a propagation box, clear garbage bag, ziplock bag, or dome.

The idea is to create greenhouse type environment that keeps the humidity high and the LECA saturated while new roots are growing. Hoyas in particular love really high humidity when growing new roots and really benefit from a propagation box or bag. Just make sure if you’re using a box or bag that it is not air tight so that there is some air flow (small holes in the top of the box, or a small space left open in the bag works great).

Transitioning Different Types of Plants to Semi Hydroponics

Thin, Delicate and Fibrous Rooted Plants

Plants such as peperomias, marantas and plieas (amongst others), have very thin, delicate and fibrous roots. These types of roots are very difficult, if not impossible, to remove the soil from without severely damaging or losing the majority of the root system. Too much remaining soil could lead to root decay and a damaged root system could send the plant into shock.

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For these reasons I find it’s easier to cut the soil roots off completely and propagate new roots in water or LECA propagation before planting in semi hydroponics. Just make sure to include sections of the plant that have part of the stem with nodes, as this is where the new roots will grow from.

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With my banana tree, its fibrous roots were coated in extremely hard to remove soil. I ended up using an old tooth brush to gently scrub off as much of the soil as I could (I don’t necessarily always recommend this, as it can be quite harsh on the roots, but I was determined to have this baby soil free!). By the time I was done, the majority of the fine roots had been lost with only the main roots remaining.

I made the mistake of immediately planting it in semi hydroponics instead of transitioning it. By no surprise, by the next day the plant had gone into shock and its leaves were limp. I’ve noticed from experience that this tends to happen when the root system has suffered too much damage from soil removal and can therefore no longer support the plant.

To remedy the situation, I moved the plant out of semi hydroponics and kept it in a jar of water. Its leaves quickly perked back up and by the end of the week, the main roots had pushed out a crazy amount of new fine root growth! With the root system recovered I was then able to plant in a semi hydroponic setup where it has since flourished.

Plants with Compromised Root Systems

For plants that have a small or weak root systems or have lost a lot of roots during soil removal and their root system has been compromised, I prefer to first transition the plant in either a jar with water or LECA before planting in semi hydroponics. Both are a great way to help a plants root system recover and to encourage new root growth.

Glass jars are great since they also allow you to watch as new roots grow and to see if any of the roots that were damaged have died off. They also keep the humidity high and the LECA saturated while the plant is growing new roots and transitioning to a new medium.

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For my philodendron Selloum, like my banana plant, after removing the soil, many of the finer roots were lost with only the main roots remaining. Since the root system was compromised, I kept it in water for a week to prevent the plant from going into shock and to encourage new root growth. This allowed me to see if any further damaged roots fell off and to observe new root growth. Once I was confident that the root system was healthy I moved the plant from water to a semi hydroponic set up.

My philodendron Prince of Orange was another case of a comprised root system after soil removal. To help its roots recover and ease its transition into semi hydro, I decided to first transition the plant in a jar with LECA.

Sick, Struggling Plants or Plants with Stem or Root Rot

If a plant is sick, struggling or has stem or root rot, it is usually better to first transition the plant. This allows you to treat the plant and keep an eye on the root system to ensure it is healthy before planting in semi hydroponics.

Going from soil into semi hydroponics can be a bit of a shock even if the plant is already healthy (since it has to adapt to a new medium), so extra care should be taken if the plant is already struggling. If it is a plant that has many sections or can be divided, it would be a good idea to treat each section separately rather than propagating it all in one container.

For root rot, remove the plant from its pot and rinse all the soil from the roots, cutting away all the infected and dead roots. I find its usually best to start the plant in water propagation to help its root system recover as well as to keep an eye on the health of the roots over time. This also allows you to remove any further roots that might die off and to change the water easily.

If its a plant that propagates easily it might be best to cut the roots off entirely and grow new ones. Once the root system starts to look healthy, you can move the plant to LECA propagation.

For stem rot, cut above the part of the stem that is infected. If its a plant with only one main stem this may mean that you’ll have to lose the root system entirely; in which case, you can propagate new roots in water or LECA propagation. If its a plant like an alocasia that has rhizomes roots, make sure to cut as much of the rot off as possible but try to salvage a part of the rhizome since this is where new roots will grow from.

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Finicky Plants that go into Shock Easily

Some plants can be super finicky after being removed from soil and can very easily go into shock if planted immediately in semi hydroponics. Watermelon peperomias and pilea peperomioides are both great examples of plants with thin and delicate root systems that are very hard to remove the soil from. Even if the majority of soil is removed, there will likely not be enough root system left to support the plant.

I’ve learned the hard way trying to keep some of the root system while converting pileas and watermelon peperomias. In both cases, the plants went limp within a few hours and I ended up having to cut off the old root system entirely and propagate new roots in water or a jar of LECA.

Mature Plants with Large Root Systems

Some plants, like monsteras and philodendrons, may be more forgiving converting at a larger size. You just need to make sure to remove as much of the soil as possible as well as to trim any roots that are dead or damaged. There is however always the risk that a larger plant might go into shock from being removed from soil and have a hard time adapting to a new media.

After planting a mature plant in semi hydroponics, it is good practice to remove the plant from the pot every few weeks to check on the root system and trim any dead roots that might have not have taken.

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Some plants will also shed the outer layer of their old roots while they grow new ones in LECA. This is nothing to be alarmed about and does not harm the plant. Any shedded plant waste can easily be removed with regular flushing. You should also remove the plant form LECA every few weeks to check on the root system and clean out any shedded root waste or roots that didn’t make the transition. As long as the plant is looking healthy and you are seeing new root growth, you shouldn’t be worried. It may also take a while before the plant starts pushing out new leaf growth since its energy is being directed towards adapting its root system.

If you’re nervous about converting a larger or more mature plant to semi hydroponics, it might be easier to propagate cuttings or divide it into sections to convert instead. Once you begin to feel more comfortable and get a feel for how it all works, you can move onto larger plants.

Final Thoughts

The great thing about growing houseplants in semi hydroponics is that it is somewhat uncharted territory and there really isn’t one right way to do it. If you’ve read my post on “How to Convert a Plant from Soil to Semi Hydroponics” you’ll see i’ve provided a step by step process on how I convert my plants.

While this is a great guideline for beginners, it doesn’t mean that with experience you can’t “bend the rules” and experiment to see what works best for you! The type of plant your converting, the condition its in, its root system and even variables such as the light, temperature and humidity in your home, can all play a role in determining how you want to go about converting your plants. So have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment!

The same principal applies for transitioning plants. There are no hard and fast rules or one method applies to all. Its all about trial and error and determining what methods work best for you with different types of plants and your home environment.

With that said, I hope the methods I’ve outlined in this post have shown you that with a bit of playing around, patience and will, you can grow almost any type of plant in semi hydroponics! From my experience, some plants do great going straight from soil to semi hydro, some benefit from a transition period, while others are easier to convert by propagating new roots altogether!

Happy Planting! ?

Disclaimer: Since the majority of this blog is sharing my personal experiences and advice on growing houseplants soil-free, I feel it necessary to state that I do not have a formal education in horticulture or hydroponics.The vast majority of my knowledge has been acquired through a lot of research, experimentation, trial and error, advice exchanged with other enthusiasts and a lot of hands on experience. I am not a horticultural expert. I am more of a self-taught hobbyist/enthusiast with a tremendous passion for continuous learning. The aim of this blog is to bring awareness to, guide and inspire others about using alternative methods for growing houseplants soil-free. Therefore, while this blog is meant to act as a resource and source of inspiration, it is important to understand that the decision to convert – and the vitality of – any plant converted to soil-free using the techniques outlined in this blog, is done at your own risk.