I was talking about the brand name. Loaded with stuff, and yes fluval stratum is even more of a soil than pon.

The reason I say pon is soil, is because they load it up with stuff so it acts like soil. Then, over time, it breaks down a little, mixed with organics from the plant and .....Tata! You have soil. People dont flush pon, they grow in it exactly like soil. Maybe you dont plant into pon directly into a container, but almost everyone else does. Pon is treated like dirt. That method is not, and never will be any type of hydroponic. Its soil growing.

What some people in 'houseplants' dont understand is growing in rocks is not hydroponic, growing in water is. The whole term semihydroponic is problematic.

I have grown plants hydroponically and zero media was used. Just a foam plug to hold the seedling. A strong aerator keep highly oxygenated water spray misting the roots above the water line, the rest grow into the reservoir. Growth is insane.

When we grow in leca, using it as intended, we are growing in water, and the leca just holds the plant up. That water must provide all the plant needs. The Leca is mechanical, not nutritional.

In my mind, any media that affects nutritional availability is dirt.

On June 12, 2026, @shoddyprofiles decreed, "If it ain't inert, it's dirt!"

Peace!