Soil-less Vs. Hydro

**GreedAndVanity** · 12-07-2009, 10:08 AM

Maybe it is best summed up like this. The addition of a media such as coco coir gives you the benefit of a natural root growth with the ability to give your plants exact nutrient formulas.

Within any hydro system the application of nutrients is going to be more exact over the time you are growing and has the possibility of greater over all application.

Plant growth is not nearly as dependent on nutrients and water as it is on air. The real benefit of hydro is all the extra air you are introducing to your plant. Which in turn allow it to use more nutrients etc etc.

Whether or not you yourself can manage to bring in an increased yield due to hydro is dependent on your growing skills alone. If you feel you have coco and soil down to a T and you are not happy with your harvests then that would be a good place to go to. If not you probably will have about the same results as you would with soil.

Hydro = More variables = more potential control = more potential bud.

**Shrubs First** · 12-07-2009, 01:10 PM

At it's most saturated point Coco still holds near 25% air.

That is a great ratio.

**stumps** · 12-07-2009, 02:05 PM

where do you find info like that on coco?

**Shrubs First** · 12-07-2009, 02:27 PM

Horticulture 101

**Shrubs First** · 12-07-2009, 02:36 PM

Coco holds around 1000 times more air than soil will,
and is a much better alternative to Sphagnum moss, being
that it is a much more sustainable resource, and comes
wthout the environmental burden of Peat mining.

Canna Coco is the most high quality Coco product
i've used, the Botanicare Coco is extremely dirty,
you have to flush it atleast 3 times to get a run off
of zero, it is also not fully degraded, and while
coco degrades it eats nitrogen, competing with
the plant if there is not enough, I've never had
this problem with canna, they are the shit.

**RickWhite** · 12-07-2009, 02:55 PM

I'm not considering soil.

From what I have been reading, coco choir holds too much water to use alone as a hydro medium. Also, I have found studies that have shown that the loose Rockwool croûtons produced considerably better results in side by side grows.

At any rate, I'm pretty sure most would consider a drip / Rockwool system hydroponic. A lot of people get great results. I'm just wondering if a giant DWC or ebb and flow is going to be that much better that it is worth screwing around with.

In the end, I think I will go with my gut on this and go with the drip system. I've used this system before with amazing results and it is a lot less grief.