How to Propagate Plants in Fluval Stratum

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, How To, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.8 • 883 Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You've tried water and soil, but have you ever rooted a cutting in a Fluval Stratum? Yes, it’s technically made for fish tanks. Yes, it looks like little black caviar. But it might just be the best thing to happen to your houseplant propagation! So in this episode, let’s break down everything I’ve learned from my conversation with my plant friend, Lindsay Sisti (@alltheplantbabies), who is a propagation extraordinaire and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation. Thanks to her, I now know exactly how and why this strange little volcanic material is revolutionizing plant propagation!

In this episode, we learn:

[00:00] Is there a mess-free plant propagation?
[02:28] How did Lindsay become a propagation expert?
[07:31] What is hybridization/pollination of plants?
[09:26] What is Fluval Stratum?
[10:00] What is a volcanic tephra?
[12:42] What makes Fluval Stratum popular for plant propagation?
[14:47] Protect yourself this Melanoma Awareness Month with Coolibar’s sun-protective clothing!
[19:07] LECA vs. Fluval Stratum
[20:25] Practical tips for propagating with Fluval Stratum
[25:10] Can you re-use Fluval Stratum?
[26:49] What are the best plants for Fluval Stratum
[27:53] Combining Fluval Stratum with perlite
[30:50] Can Fluval Stratum be used as a growing medium in semi-hydroponic setups?
[32:27] What are the best practices for propagating plant cuttings in Fluval Stratum?
[34:52] Transferring cuttings from Fluval to potting media
[36:50] Experiments with different growth mediums (Fluval Stratum, aroid mix, tree fern fiber, sphagnum moss, and peat moss)
[39:58] Where can you find Lindsay and her resources online?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Get a copy of Lindsay’s book, The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation
Fluval Stratum
LECA
Lechuza Pon
Hoya propagation tutorial with @alltheplantbabies

For Lindsay's expert tips on how to use Fluval Stratum,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Follow Lindsay:

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You've tried water, you've tried soil, but what if I told you there's a sleek,
0:04.3	mess-free way to propagate your houseplants that actually will boost your success rates?
0:09.3	And it's not even marketed for plants.
0:11.9	Today, we are diving into the surprising power of fluval stratum and aquarium substrate
0:16.6	turned propagation powerhouse that might be the answer to your propagation curiosities.
0:28.0	Welcome to the Growing Joy with Plants podcast, where we not only learn how to care for plants
0:32.7	successfully, but how to simply and affordably use our plant babies to cultivate more joy in our lives by doing so.
0:39.6	I'm Maria, former plant killer turned happy plant lady, author of Growing Joy, The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness, Speaker, Podcaster, and most importantly, your new best plant friend.
0:50.0	On Growing Joy with Plants, you'll find conversations about house plant care, gardening tutorials, and wellness through the lens of plants.
0:57.1	Plant care is self-care on growing joy.
1:06.3	Hello, plant friends. My name's Maria. I'm here to help you care for plants and grow joy.
1:10.2	And I am so excited to be talking about a pretty, pretty high level plant nerd moment today,
1:16.1	fluval stratum. If you're curious about propagation and maybe taking your propagations to the next level,
1:21.9	I am so excited for you to listen to this episode. I'm joined by Lindsay Sisti. She is all the
1:27.2	plant babies on Instagram and the
1:28.8	author of The Ultimate Guide to House Plant Propagation, which is a new book. And she loves
1:34.1	fluval stratum. She's known for her step-by-step tutorials, her honest science meets real-life approach to
1:40.1	growing plants. And in this book, there was a whole chapter on fluval stradam. And as I was reading it,
1:44.7	I was like, I got to get Lindsay to come on and talk about this because a lot of people are using
1:48.7	fluval stratum right now. It got really popular in the pandemic. And nobody really knows what it is.
1:53.1	So I wanted to kind of pick a brain about it. Lindsay has unlocked a whole new way of using it for
1:57.8	clean, efficient and successful propagation. Whether you're a beginner or a season plant parent, curious about new techniques. This episode is going to give
	...

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