Hydroponics Vs Soil?

Mr. Weash

Mr. Weash

Member
I was wanting to use a hydroponic setup rather than a soil medium but I was watching a growing video and noticed using soil seems easier.

Can you yield an equally potent crop with soil rather than hydroponics?

Is the bud quality worth a hydro setup or does the medium matter?

Mr. Weash
 
mariapastor

mariapastor

Well-Known Member
if you like taste plus go organic if u like tweeking a plant out go hydro you can get ggod results with both
 
bwatte

bwatte

Active Member
Its all up to the grower. Hydro can yield an incredible amount of buds, as well as soil if you do it right. If you build yourself a decent hydro setup, which you can learn on this site, hydro can basically take care of itself as long as you monitor everything and makes changes accordingly.
 
SunnyD

SunnyD

Well-Known Member
Pros of Soil imo
1. Better Taste
2. Less to maintain

Pros of hydro imo
1. Larger Yield
2. Faster Veg

its basically up to the grower
 
Infusion

Infusion

Member
This is a very good question and something I've been considering alot lately as I'm about to start my 2nd grow, 1st was in soil and took 11 weeks it produced a good yield but, I'm wondering if I could do better,

As I'm only considering starting my 2nd grow I'm definately not an expert, from looking through alot of info from the web, books and speaking to people last weekend at http://www.grow2010.com/ , all the points raised by Sunny D are spot on, I've also heard hyrdo can be more expensive, One of my concerns is that hydro is suppossed to be less forgiving, Which as a new grower is definately a concern,

I've been looking into this again today and have come across DWC Deep Water Culture, Which is a type of hydro, I think most hydro systems work from drippers from the top to bottom of the plant, but DWC works from bubbling water from the bottom to the top, It's suppossed to be easier than normal hydro, produce a greater yield than soil, and seems to cover the benefits of both types of mediums,

As I've mentioned I'm new to growing so hope some one can shed some light on this to help my knowledge grow !
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
i'km curious as to what this "high to maintain" issue is with hydro. i guess each form of hydro it's slightly different, but i have my plants in my DWC, every tuesday morning i fill up a spare tote, let it sit, then next day, i add 60ml of nutes, plug the airstones in, swap the res covers and leave until the following Wednesday. as opposed to soil where i was having to cook up a batch of feed every 2 days. buy a secondary res and i can leave it 2 weeks should i wish to. maybe give the sapre tote and quick wash out while it's near the taps

but as said,

soil = taste and security (you fuck up one plant, you still got 3 left, in hydro you cock up the feeding, and you got no plants left!)
hydro = yield/growth rate
 
CLOSETGROWTH

CLOSETGROWTH

Well-Known Member
IMHO Its like this...

Hydro gives you the "best yields" ONLY if your using chemical nutes.. Great for cash crops...Will taste good if you use clearex, and cure properly.

Using organics in hydro can be a mess... roots may turn color, Air stones can get clogged, ect... and yield will be less than a chemical grow. But, since organics is involved, the bud will taste a bit better.


Soil is ok, Yields will be high if using chemical nutes.. But yields are not nearly as good when compared to hydro.

Soil is perfect for organic grows if you dont care much about yield. Taste will be better than hydro on chem nutes..
 
YGrow

YGrow

Active Member
I've never grown in soil, so I can't really speak to it, but in my experience, growing in hydro is pretty simple. I used to do all ebb and flow, but recently switched my flower to a drip system with hydroton in baskets. I still do my veg in ebb and flow.

My clones start in 2 in. rockwool cubes, which I put into 4 in. cubes, once their roots show. I usually veg until the plants are approx. 1 ft. to 1.5 ft. tall. I then put them into 9 in. square baskets that I fill with hydroton. I put drip stakes in them and feed with water and nutes from reservoirs below the trays. The only maintenance is keeping the water level topped off, replacing the whole reservoir every two weeks with new nutes and keeping the light high enough not to burn the tops.

IMO, hydro is much cleaner and easier to dial in than soil. I know several soil growers who get decent enough results, but their grows are invariably messy and they often have issues with nutes and pests that I never have. To me, all that soil is just messy. When I finish a flowering, I take all of my equipment and thoroughly wash it with mild bleach to remove residual nutes and/or algae that has collected. That way, everything is pristine for the next set of girls to flower. IMO, cleanliness is a big part of successful growing, so that's one of the main reasons why I stick with hydro.
 
jas6118

jas6118

Well-Known Member
I've never grown in soil, so I can't really speak to it, but in my experience, growing in hydro is pretty simple. I used to do all ebb and flow, but recently switched my flower to a drip system with hydroton in baskets. I still do my veg in ebb and flow.

My clones start in 2 in. rockwool cubes, which I put into 4 in. cubes, once their roots show. I usually veg until the plants are approx. 1 ft. to 1.5 ft. tall. I then put them into 9 in. square baskets that I fill with hydroton. I put drip stakes in them and feed with water and nutes from reservoirs below the trays. The only maintenance is keeping the water level topped off, replacing the whole reservoir every two weeks with new nutes and keeping the light high enough not to burn the tops.

IMO, hydro is much cleaner and easier to dial in than soil. I know several soil growers who get decent enough results, but their grows are invariably messy and they often have issues with nutes and pests that I never have. To me, all that soil is just messy. When I finish a flowering, I take all of my equipment and thoroughly wash it with mild bleach to remove residual nutes and/or algae that has collected. That way, everything is pristine for the next set of girls to flower. IMO, cleanliness is a big part of successful growing, so that's one of the main reasons why I stick with hydro.
Click to expand...
Same for me, hydro seems easier
 
DwAeNeKd

DwAeNeKd

Well-Known Member
YGrow said:
I've never grown in soil, so I can't really speak to it, but in my experience, growing in hydro is pretty simple. I used to do all ebb and flow, but recently switched my flower to a drip system with hydroton in baskets. I still do my veg in ebb and flow.

My clones start in 2 in. rockwool cubes, which I put into 4 in. cubes, once their roots show. I usually veg until the plants are approx. 1 ft. to 1.5 ft. tall. I then put them into 9 in. square baskets that I fill with hydroton. I put drip stakes in them and feed with water and nutes from reservoirs below the trays. The only maintenance is keeping the water level topped off, replacing the whole reservoir every two weeks with new nutes and keeping the light high enough not to burn the tops.

IMO, hydro is much cleaner and easier to dial in than soil. I know several soil growers who get decent enough results, but their grows are invariably messy and they often have issues with nutes and pests that I never have. To me, all that soil is just messy. When I finish a flowering, I take all of my equipment and thoroughly wash it with mild bleach to remove residual nutes and/or algae that has collected. That way, everything is pristine for the next set of girls to flower. IMO, cleanliness is a big part of successful growing, so that's one of the main reasons why I stick with hydro.
Click to expand...
Because thats how cannabis has been growing for the past thousands of years, in "prestine" little plastic trays that are cleaned with bleach? Your not convincing me. Growing a plant that has been in the ground for longer than humans have existed, but not in soil? Just doesnt seem right to me. Easier, maybe, but not consistent with how and in what cannabis has been growing in FOREVER.
 
YGrow

YGrow

Active Member
DwAeNeKd said:
Because thats how cannabis has been growing for the past thousands of years? Your not convincing me. Growing a plant that has been in the ground for longer than humans have existed, but not in soil? Just doesnt seem right to me.
Click to expand...
Just because it's grown in soil for the first few thousand years of its existence doesn't mean that it won't do better when modern technology is applied. No offense, but that's like saying that animal skins make a better coat than my Columbia parka. "My ancestors wore skins all the time and lived to the ripe old age of 40, so that's the only way to keep warm." Grow in soil, if that floats your boat, but I'll stick with my hydro set up, thank you. :eyesmoke:
 
KaleoXxX

KaleoXxX

Well-Known Member
im baffled by hydroponics, i consider myself hydro illiterate. have seen some amazing hydro growns, but its just too complicated for me. i like to keep things simple and im a hippie and not a scientest

i like soil myself because its more forgiving, simpler, cheaper and easier to use organics
 
CLOSETGROWTH

CLOSETGROWTH

Well-Known Member
KaleoXxX said:
im baffled by hydroponics, i consider myself hydro illiterate. have seen some amazing hydro growns, but its just too complicated for me. i like to keep things simple and im a hippie and not a scientest

i like soil myself because its more forgiving, simpler, cheaper and easier to use organics
Click to expand...
Lucas formula in DWC buckets.. It does not get any easier/cheaper.

Once you do it, you'll understand. :mrgreen:
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
KaleoXxX said:
i like soil myself because its more forgiving, simpler, cheaper and easier to use organics
Click to expand...
only vaguely cheaper. it cost me £30 to grow 4 plants (not including nutes)

certainly more forgiving.

but simpler. i honestly don't get this having used hydro coco and soil. soil you can easily over feed, get salt buildups, etc etc, yo've got toa ccurately judge when to feed, whetehr to give them plain water etc etc,. when to feed them, yada yada. hydro you literally fill up a tub of water and wait till it's gone down enough to jsutify filling it up again :lol:
 
blakkmask

blakkmask

Well-Known Member
hydro is awesome... the cost of hydro is what turns me off. Granted a decent system can be strapped together with about 300-500 dollars. Where as an organic grow around the same scale would be 150-300 dollars. Hydro also has the dangers of failing equipment like air pumps or sprayer or clogged/bent lines.

Nutrients for hydro can run a bit pricey aswell. 50 bucks could buy a soil grower a hefty amount of organic meals and guanos, compared to some hydro nutes being 50 bucks for a single phase formula or PART of a total formula (ex. Veg Part A & Veg Part B).

The simplest Hydro methods worth mentioning is DWC (Deep Water Culture). A Multiple Plant system can be made with products found at Wal-Mart, Lowes, Or Home Depot, except for a few items which may have to be bought at you local hydro store or online.
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
blakkmask said:
hydro is awesome... the cost of hydro is what turns me off. Granted a decent system can be strapped together with about 300-500 dollars. Where as an organic grow around the same scale would be 150-300 dollars. Hydro also has the dangers of failing equipment like air pumps or sprayer or clogged/bent lines.

Nutrients for hydro can run a bit pricey aswell. 50 bucks could buy a soil grower a hefty amount of organic meals and guanos, compared to some hydro nutes being 50 bucks for a single phase formula or PART of a total formula (ex. Veg Part A & Veg Part B).

The simplest Hydro methods worth mentioning is DWC (Deep Water Culture). A Multiple Plant system can be made with products found at Wal-Mart, Lowes, Or Home Depot, except for a few items which may have to be bought at you local hydro store or online.
Click to expand...
good point, the moment you want to think big with hydro, you're suddenly looking at a hell of a lot of money and a hell of a lot of nutes.
 
snutter

snutter

Well-Known Member
Here's a thread I posted on how to build a simple but VERY effective DWC HYDRO system. It's easy to build, maintain, use, and cheap. Less than $30 or so to build the reservoir, including the air pump.

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/272015-how-build-easy-dwc-reservoir.html

I hope this helps if you decide to give hydro a try. Also, feel free to PM me with any questions.

-S

Infusion said:
This is a very good question and something I've been considering alot lately as I'm about to start my 2nd grow, 1st was in soil and took 11 weeks it produced a good yield but, I'm wondering if I could do better,

As I'm only considering starting my 2nd grow I'm definately not an expert, from looking through alot of info from the web, books and speaking to people last weekend at http://www.grow2010.com/ , all the points raised by Sunny D are spot on, I've also heard hyrdo can be more expensive, One of my concerns is that hydro is suppossed to be less forgiving, Which as a new grower is definately a concern,

I've been looking into this again today and have come across DWC Deep Water Culture, Which is a type of hydro, I think most hydro systems work from drippers from the top to bottom of the plant, but DWC works from bubbling water from the bottom to the top, It's suppossed to be easier than normal hydro, produce a greater yield than soil, and seems to cover the benefits of both types of mediums,

As I've mentioned I'm new to growing so hope some one can shed some light on this to help my knowledge grow !
Click to expand...
 
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