Queen of clay

Plants and flowers have been lifelong companions for Nora Mutalima (pictured above). “I think I have always loved plants,” she says. “I loved making flower arrangements for Sunday service at church, and I remember having an African violet when I was about 11 or 12 years old and propagating it myself using water. I was really proud of myself.”

Melbourne-based Nora Mutalima – popular indoor plant Instagrammer and star of YouTube channel The Leca Queen – grew up in Lusaka, Zambia. She moved to the UK in 2003 with her husband, Nkandu, to pursue her PhD in Public Health, and during this time they welcomed their son, Mapalo, now 14. In 2010, the young family migrated to Australia, setting up home in Bundaberg, Queensland, where their daughter, Malaika, 12, was born. They then moved to Sydney in 2011, before finally settling in Melbourne and completing their family with a second daughter, Maluba, who is now six.

So how did a young girl growing African violets become The Leca Queen? “My love of plants came first, but I am, by nature, an information seeker and I am always looking for new ways to improve the growth of my plants,” says Nora. ““I think that’s ultimately what a green thumb is – someone who really wants their plants to thrive, so they seek to understand them and provide them with the conditions they need to grow best. Patience also goes a long way.”

It was this drive to help her own plants, hoyas specifically, that led Nora to LECA – an acronym for ‘lightweight expanded clay aggregate’, a growing medium consisting of baked clay balls that absorb water and release it to the plants as required without the roots becoming waterlogged.

Like many plant parents, Nora despaired when she saw her leafy babies struggling to produce or retain new leaves. “I realised that it was because I was watering them erratically, as I didn’t have time. I needed to be a mum and drive my kids around, so some weeks they didn’t get watered at all,” she says. Enter LECA: “I first saw it on Instagram. People were growing their plants in these little balls and I wondered what they were. I became fascinated by the science of the medium and then decided to try it myself.”

By using LECA and a ‘semi-hydroponic method’, Nora found that she was able to deliver a consistent water supply to her plants. “I realised that if I grew my plants in LECA and kept the reservoirs topped up with nutrient solution, the plants would just absorb what they needed,” she explains. “I tried it with a few different plants and the results blew me away. I spent the next few weeks transplanting all my plants to LECA, and the rest is history!”

Nora’s own positive experience is what led her to establish her YouTube channel. “I love learning and teaching, and a sure way to keep learning is to teach,” she says. “Through my YouTube channel, I can teach people, as well as improve my practice and evolve as I try to give the best information I can. There is a lot of misinformation out there about growing plants in LECA. My goal is to show people what is possible, and it doesn’t have to be as complicated or as difficult as people might think.”

For now, The Leca Queen YouTube channel and Instagram profile remain passion projects for Nora, but her growing fan base may one day see it become a full-time gig. Either way, Nora says she’s carrying on creating because she loves it. “I am so happy with how easy it is to grow my plants in LECA that I want everyone else to know about it!” Follow Nora on Instagram, @thelecaqueen

Header image credit: Martina Gemmola