Hydro vs. Aero vs. Organic/soil

alphabibbiddy boo boo

alphabibbiddy boo boo

Well-Known Member
I'm sure this questions been asked plenty of times before, but I'm having some trouble getting to the bottom of this... is there anyone that can tell me the pros an cons of each grow method? Like a side by side comparison of each? I'm trying to decide on which one is right for me.. I like soil because it seems simpler and inexpensive, but I like hydro/aero because of the increased O2 to the roots, and the ability to easily monitor nutes... anyways it'd be cool if some vets could send some knowledge this way

:peace:

p.s. this is also posted in newb central.. i dont care which posting you reply to though... i just want to get this figured out. thanks!
 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
I personally am leaning towards a organic/aero setup. Organic soil on the top 1/3 that would be feed with nutes just like soil, then the bottom 2/3 would have constant watering through an aero setup with just plain water.

check here

and here

Hope this helps

 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
it sounds like you already know the main differences:
soil - probably cheaper, more forgiving
hydro - probably more expensive, bad things happen much faster

personally, i really like hydro but i'm sure i would enjoy a soil grow too.

one thing i often hear is "soil tastes better". If soil bud and hydro bud is flushed, dried and cured properly, I doubt many people could tell the difference. and if you made the test double-blind, i'd bet no one could tell the difference in a statistically significant manner.

anyway - i say make a choice, dig in and start gardening!
 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
This setup makes the most sense to me just for the ease of use factor since I am only looking at a small grow setup. It's basically no more difficult that taking care of the plants around the house. Plus the added benefit of the organic material tends to yield a much better, tastier product.
 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
email468 said:
it sounds like you already know the main differences:
soil - probably cheaper, more forgiving
hydro - probably more expensive, bad things happen much faster

personally, i really like hydro but i'm sure i would enjoy a soil grow too.

one thing i often hear is "soil tastes better". If soil bud and hydro bud is flushed, dried and cured properly, I doubt many people could tell the difference. and if you made the test double-blind, i'd bet no one could tell the difference in a statistically significant manner.

anyway - i say make a choice, dig in and start gardening!
Click to expand...
Well said :joint:
 
alphabibbiddy boo boo

alphabibbiddy boo boo

Well-Known Member
those were some good articles pepper.. but I suppose it wouldn't hurt at all to expose the bottom 2/3 of the roots to nutrient fortified mist, right?.. outside of having to deal with nute concentration and ph... i think I'm going to give aeroponics a go, soon as I figure out a set up.

thanks much
 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
I was thinking the same thing as I was falling asleep last night. I like the soil, because it seems to me the easiest (least harsh) way for a root system to spread. I also like the idea of adding an ultrasonic water fogger.....I think this is probably the easiest and quickest way for a plant to absorb the nutes...or even just plain water for that matter.
 
Earl

Earl

Well-Known Member
I have already wasted money on the ultrasonic mister.

They are way too hot.. That's right hot.

They do not do well with the nutes and.......

When the plants are large enough to flower
the misters will not supply enough water for the roots
and the plants wilt and die......

Don't wast money on misters of any kind.

Regular 50 cent spray jets work very well,
and deliver super oxygenated solution the plants love.



The green one is the correct spray jet



 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
Earl...were you using the fogger by itself or along with the sprayers?? I do know that most of them say not to run it more than 8 hours a day. I certainly wouldn't expect a fogger to be able to feed a large plant all by itself, but it seems like a good addition (couple hours here and there)....as long as it doesn't get hot.
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
Earl said:
I have already wasted money on the ultrasonic mister.

They are way too hot.. That's right hot.

They do not do well with the nutes and.......

When the plants are large enough to flower
the misters will not supply enough water for the roots
and the plants wilt and die......

Don't wast money on misters of any kind.

Regular 50 cent spray jets work very well,
and deliver super oxygenated solution the plants love.
Click to expand...
I know i've said it before but Earl - I LOVE THAT SYSTEM OF YOURS!
 
Earl

Earl

Well-Known Member
sgtpeppr said:
Earl...were you using the fogger by itself or along with the sprayers?? I do know that most of them say not to run it more than 8 hours a day. I certainly wouldn't expect a fogger to be able to feed a large plant all by itself, but it seems like a good addition (couple hours here and there)....as long as it doesn't get hot.
Click to expand...
There is no point in having both.

The fogg is hard to move through the roots once they are full.

I could spend a long time explaining the reason it doesn't work.

Here read this: Nutramist: why not to buy one for growing. - Cannabis Culture Forums
 
alphabibbiddy boo boo

alphabibbiddy boo boo

Well-Known Member
yeah, i actually use a fogger for mycological purposes and it does put off heat.. and pepper, i was thinking the same thing.. like, itd be nice to have a comfortable and spacious volume for root growth, as its probably directly linked to plant height/mass.. so i was thinking, and this would be a bitch to rig, but it would be something like stairs for root-- so they can grow horizontaly as much as vertically, doubling the volume availabe for them... its hard to explain:

-----|
-----|
|-----

damn, this looks ridiculous, youll have to excuse me im a bit burnt.. but you get the princiapl right?? root stairs..
 
bigbudeddie

bigbudeddie

Well-Known Member
alphabibbiddy boo boo said:
I'm sure this questions been asked plenty of times before, but I'm having some trouble getting to the bottom of this... is there anyone that can tell me the pros an cons of each grow method? Like a side by side comparison of each? I'm trying to decide on which one is right for me.. I like soil because it seems simpler and inexpensive, but I like hydro/aero because of the increased O2 to the roots, and the ability to easily monitor nutes... anyways it'd be cool if some vets could send some knowledge this way

:peace:

p.s. this is also posted in newb central.. i dont care which posting you reply to though... i just want to get this figured out. thanks!
Click to expand...
Soil is natural. Hydro is not. Soil is easy to maintain. Hydro is not. Hydro costs money. Soil is 5 bucks a bag.

If your looking for easy and cheap with no compromise on quality or taste go soil. If your looking for some effort expense and more of a part time job. Then go hydro. Only plus iv ever heard of about hydro is you have faster growth. Oh and you dont have the problem of soil getting on the floor and shit.
 
alphabibbiddy boo boo

alphabibbiddy boo boo

Well-Known Member
right on, also, from what i've seen.. it seems like ebb and flow is the way a lot of people are doing sea of green and other time oriented grows, which is kind of an issue for me... I think though, since this is my first grow, I'm just going to keep it simple.. next time I'm ballin tho... hopefully.!
 
Earl

Earl

Well-Known Member
bigbudeddie said:
Soil is natural. Hydro is not. Soil is easy to maintain. Hydro is not. Hydro costs money. Soil is 5 bucks a bag.
Click to expand...
Water is not natural? Hmmm..
I thought we were made up of 80% water,
that would make us unnatural.

$5 rubbermaid tub
$20 airpump
$5 airtstones
$20 nutes

I agree with you about the mess you make with dirt.

I wonder why my guerilla growing buddies want my weed?
They say mine is the best they ever had,
and they want to buy me out.
(they flew to amsterdam to get their beans)

I say, if you grow better weed in dirt,
then you are not a hydro grower,
and you should stick with what is easy, and CHEAP.

I get $600 a Z for mine,
and it is ALL gone on the day I decide to let it go,
purchased by a grower
that drives 150 miles to my house,
what do you get for yours?

Don't believe these jealous dirt farmers
that don't have "time" to grow perfect plants.

Oh, and I get three crops/year.
How many can you get in dirt?
 
sgtpeppr

sgtpeppr

Well-Known Member
I think that for that hydro is certainly not nearly as messy as soil, and I understand the benefits of both types of growing. But this is an argument that neither side will every win. Both sides need to just accept that given optimum condition, no matter how you decide to grow, we as the grower have the ability to grow some of the best plants around.....just realize that there is always the possibility that someone else can grow an even better plant.

And Earl:
Please do not use bigbudeddie and your "guerilla growing buddies" who drive 150 miles and giving you $600 a "Z" for yours as the "general" soil grower.....for all I know it may just be that they are just being lazy and/or stupid.....and/or just don't know. In fact I'm sure you will agree that even you with your hydro only viewpoint that you could go to their setup and show them what they could do better in a nice helpful way.

So please, everybody, let's not start another soil vs hydro argument, because frankly I don't think anyone want to hear it or any other drama that has been going on lately.....We all just want some good sound advice to help us make informed, intelligent decisions. No matter how we decide to grow, or how we decide to experiment. People have a right to grow however they want to and two people, no matter who they are, having a pissing contest about who's dick is bigger doesn't help anyone get better ideas for a setup.

Sorry for this rant I just figured I would try to stop another potentially good thread from being ruined like some many have been lately.
 
Hellafied Game

Hellafied Game

Well-Known Member
sgtpeppr said:
I think that for that hydro is certainly not nearly as messy as soil, and I understand the benefits of both types of growing. But this is an argument that neither side will every win. Both sides need to just accept that given optimum condition, no matter how you decide to grow, we as the grower have the ability to grow some of the best plants around.....just realize that there is always the possibility that someone else can grow an even better plant.

And Earl:
Please do not use bigbudeddie and your "guerilla growing buddies" who drive 150 miles and giving you $600 a "Z" for yours as the "general" soil grower.....for all I know it may just be that they are just being lazy and/or stupid.....and/or just don't know. In fact I'm sure you will agree that even you with your hydro only viewpoint that you could go to their setup and show them what they could do better in a nice helpful way.

So please, everybody, let's not start another soil vs hydro argument, because frankly I don't think anyone want to hear it or any other drama that has been going on lately.....We all just want some good sound advice to help us make informed, intelligent decisions. No matter how we decide to grow, or how we decide to experiment. People have a right to grow however they want to and two people, no matter who they are, having a pissing contest about who's dick is bigger doesn't help anyone get better ideas for a setup.

Sorry for this rant I just figured I would try to stop another potentially good thread from being ruined like some many have been lately.[/qu

agreed manggg
Click to expand...
 
B

bigwheel

Well-Known Member
Well I moved my two chillins to hempy buckets from the AG. The plants seem to be loving it. It is sorta messy. Anybody who claim they got hydro down here autmatically quadruple the return on the investment. Otherwise you got whut commonly called Mejican Dirt Weed. Which that purty cheap. Only difference I could tell was the hydro is much smoother..dont fry your lungs so bad cuz you got to toot on so much of to to catch a buzz..it takes a log of puffing. I would like to find some which spin a person's Cowboy Hat plumb around on there head..blow up Aunt Myrtles Dress etc. We was paying 40 bucks for a big bud so guess that put it over 600 for a big oz. Aint had none of that in years. It was sorta skerry. If you use a pipe a small bowl will work fine:) I'm gonna concentrate on growing my Habs to that caliber. I dont do nothing illegal ya know? It was not a product of the dirt.

Big Wheel
 
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