Reconnaissance Mission - Latest and Greatest?

imanoob · #1 07-19-2009, 09:27 AM

So I almost have my first grow (soil) under my belt and it all went pretty smoothly (apart from one or two hiccups)...but I know that since we have all the gear (humidifer, dehumidifer, cooltube etc) from the word go on the 2nd grow it should be pretty straight forward.

After checking grows from from other riu members...you know the ones...mutliple colas this size of your forearm...they make me jealous

If not, check out epixbuds post
All-in-one DIY Aero Cloner/Veg/Flower Systems.....

So what, in your opinion is the latests and greatest method of growing? I think I would like to move into this type of growing not only due to the yeild, but i dont need to buy expensive soils and then get rid of the soil at the end.

I was going to follow epixbuds tutorial, but I wanted your thoughts and opinions before i go out and buy all the stuff.

Im not even sure if I know all the methods

Hydro
Bubbleponics
Aeroponics

Is there anymore? Can anybody that uses or has used these methods tell me the pros cons?

imanoob · #2 07-20-2009, 07:06 AM

Too many questions in one post

Ok, how about this

To all non-soil growers

1) Which method do you use...
2) Pros and Cons
3) Are you planning to change your setup and try another system? If so...why?

Hemlock · #3 07-20-2009, 07:42 AM

I have done both and went back to soil. I just felt to much could go wrong. in my exp it did go wrong with areo. I like soil, (well i really don't use soil I use 10%coco 60%perlite and 10%hydron, That way if something does happen I have time to recover and if I miss a day of water it OK. In those other ways you are looking at if it goes wrong its gone........try the tree method. Check out MBlazes grow or Gyspy bush's grow...I think this is the way I',m gonna go less plants, less stress.

morrisgreenberg · #4 07-20-2009, 10:39 AM

i tried them all so far, my least favorite is drippers on a tray, flooding the tray is the easiest, if you like a challenge then go aero, fencepost style, nothing on this planet does to your plants than aero, plant growth cannot keep up with itself if that makes sense, also what took me 70days in soil took me 50 days in aero....this is not an exageration

morrisgreenberg · #5 07-20-2009, 10:42 AM

that unit is great for cloning, but before you pick a system, make sure you can keep water temps down, 65-68 is ideal, anything near or over 75F will be heart breaking

imanoob · #6 07-20-2009, 10:50 AM

@ hemlock
yeah..that is a worry as the soil is quite forgiving! there was the odd day (think it happened three times) where the plants got a little too dry (then changed the watering from every two days to every day)...so i know that i cannot allow this to happen in another type of medium...cause it quite possibly ruin the full crop.

I will have a look at MBlazes/Gyspy bush grows...im intrigued

@ morrisgreenberg
See, that is why I feel I need to move into this type of growing. If its able to knock a few weeks off of the overall grow time...then fuck yeah! You answer only makes me want to something like in epixbuds tutorial even more...it will do for veg and flower which is a total bonus.

Arrgggh...decisions decisions.

Thanks for input guys, so far it looks like aero is the way to go.

If anybody else would like to share their experiences...I would greatly appreciate it.

Cheers folks!

Hemlock · #7 07-20-2009, 07:15 PM

WOW..70 to 50 is huge...may have to refine my skills...

imanoob · #8 07-22-2009, 07:18 AM

Anybody else want to chip in with their experiences?

Im especially interested in the aero grows...how big the "tub" needs to be to hold the plants and how many plants. Dont want them clogging up the pump or getting messed together.

Is it possible to grow salvia strains? Or does it make more sense to grow lots of smaller indica plants with a quick flowering time?

What is the material used in the aero gardens...it looks like some greyish foam stuff.

Come on the hydro/aero growers of RIU...whats the pros and cons!

QuentinQuark · #9 07-22-2009, 01:05 PM

I will say from experience that if you're going BIG, I would stay away from DWC. Too many tubs to check and maintain, too much water, too much nutes. If you need to cool your res, you can't because there's so many of them. I'm moving from DWC to aero.

imanoob · #10 07-26-2009, 09:25 AM

Well i wouldnt say BIG...but yeah like 6 plants is more than enough for me.

Thats were im a little worried about aero...can i have 6 plants in the one (large) tub what about the roots getting messed up etc. Would i be able to grow say 2-4 week veg then a 7-12 weeks flowering?

I want to try epixbuds tutorial...but this is my first aero so was looking for some advice.