I hesitate to post this...

DrFever said:

I like soil find it more forgiving but once you got a nutes dialed in and schedule and knowing the amounts its simple an sweet IMO you need alot of room for hydro and the yields not sure if they will compare where as a bigger plant should in definition in soil produce a bigger yield where as in hydro the plants are alot smaller i would think thus giving you a lower yield dont Quote me on that

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i will have to disagree on this. the reason hydro even exist is because the root system can pull the nutes right away. also the roots grow faster due to no restrictions. soil causes slower root growth. you can fit alot more in hydro than soil. also this i can grow a huge plant in soil....so can i in hydro. i believe if both systems are perfected, hydro will pull ahead. the main issue is perfecting hydro though. i cant exactly put bat shit in my res ya know. and heres a plant in a dwc bucket:

i grow in soil because i'm a cheap bastard that can't bring himself to purchase the tools required to read PPM and PH

robert 14617 said:

i grow in soil because i'm a cheap bastard that can't bring himself to purchase the tools required to read PPM and PH

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well you dont really need a ppm, you can just read the plant like you have to anyway. the meter is just so when you find where the plant likes the nutes you can keep giving that to them, but then again you can just measure out the amount on nutes anyway. the ph is a must, but the drops are more accurate in the long run. the pens need to be recalibrated alot and you dont really know if its telling you the correct ph or if its off. as far as startup cost. dwc tote from walmart: $6, netpots: 30 cents each, nutes: 20-well i just spend 20 at a time. air pump and stones: 30. as in all setups, the light cost the most.

i'm also one who puts things off and with hydro things can go to crap fast the plants react to changes quick its for you guys with more time , i do admire the simplicity once the process is tuned in , just not for me right now

I have a family, a full time job and only a limited amount of time to spend with the plants. I have to spend a lot of overnights for work and the such, I just feel that soil better suits my situation, as long as the soil (peat mix to be exact) is moistened, and the plants aren't locked/burnt nothing terrible usually happens within 24-48 hours of no over sight.

i would love to try some form of hydro in the future.. but for me, i had done a lot of reading before i had started growing, and had also been growing veggies for years in a dirt patch in the back yard, and from past experience and from reading, dirt just seemed easier and like the most logical choice for me..
that, and i dont really have a lot of room in my lil closet grow for res's and pumps and what not.. f#ck, i barely have room for lights and pots and plants, so i grow in soil.. if i had a big ass room, i think i would love to try maybe flood and drain, or maybe even dwc.. the biggest yeild i've seen to date came in a dwc.. simply amazing what you can pump out of a lil system like a 5 gallon container with dwc when you've got it dialed..

I like soil because I find its much more forgiving than hydro (less ph problems and such) but for all my indoor plants I use hydro, haven't had a pest problem in over 2 years

That is the whole thing with hydroponics being easy and hard. Its simple as fuck once you have the PPM/PH meter, if you are reading the tools you are not going to have problems. Now guys who have grown for years will say you can tell by the plant whats going on, you don't need a meter. They can because after years they know what is what. Most people on this forum are trying to figure out what is what, and is going to kill the plants because people say you can do it, just read the plant. DUDE!!!! Its their first hydro grow, don't be stupid. I myself tried soil and can never do it, with hydro I check them once in the morning before work, when I get home, and right before lights out. On EBay they have cheap as hell meters, and they are better then non, do what makes you feel good, not what people think you should know.

To answer your question, there will always be soil growers and there will always be hydro growers.
Hydro means water, so any type of hydroponics.
Soil is just that, soil.

Each of them have their benefits and there is a HUGE wall where soil growers claim they have the best results and vice versa. Its usually difficult to switch from one to the other but really is all about what your situation is.
Each has their unique factors which is why growers choose one or the other.
Choose which one best fits your needs and whats more natural for you.

I've seen great hydro and I've seen great soil. Its all about the person.
Do what you know.

yes, i just think some things need to be cleared up. as far as room goes, i usually grow 6-8 clones in a 18g tote 3'x2x2. when i had pots that space only held two plants. i dont own a ppm. your suspose to ph balance soil and the water you add anyway so i dont know how this differs. in reality, you only have to check dwc every 2-3 days and only takes me 30 min to look after 3 different setups. im lazy on alot of things, just not pot.

hughesresearch said:

i will have to disagree on this. the reason hydro even exist is because the root system can pull the nutes right away. also the roots grow faster due to no restrictions. soil causes slower root growth. you can fit alot more in hydro than soil. also this i can grow a huge plant in soil....so can i in hydro. i believe if both systems are perfected, hydro will pull ahead. the main issue is perfecting hydro though. i cant exactly put bat shit in my res ya know. and heres a plant in a dwc bView attachment 1422494

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it all comes down to final yield as i never tryed hydro but use hydro nutes in my soil heres some pics of my girls day 21 - 23 veg under 10,000 watts useing Mh and HPs in one bulb

http://www.eyehortilux.com/superblue.html

well fuck. 10000 watts. i cant even start to try that. idk what id do if i had a warehouse, might be a different story.

DrFever said:

under 10,000 watts useing Mh and HPs in one bulb URL]http://www.eyehortilux.com/superblue.html[/URL]

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must be a typo 10,000 watts in one bulb , do they make a MH/HPS combo bulb ? i have seen reflectors that have duel sockets for two diff bulbs

robert 14617 said:

must be a typo 10,000 watts in one bulb , do they make a MH/HPS combo bulb ? i have seen reflectors that have duel sockets for two diff bulbs

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im pretty sure he means the dual bulb hoods. one mh and one hps in each. and yes they do make combo bulbs, but there 150+

Serapis said:

I'm sure he does. I grow both. My Mom plant is in soil, everything else from clones to adults are aero or hydro. I think that most people start off growing in soil, or a soil like medium, because of it's perceived ease over hydroponics. There are several different types of hydroponic methods that can be utilized, and that may intimidate some newer growers. Hydroponic growing also has a bit of a steeper learning curve; convincing many to grow in soil.

I love my Waterfarms. I'm new to aero, but I like it as well. It has given me my first 100% success rate with rooting cuttings. Next on my list is DWC, so I can go from rooting, to growing clones quickly.

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I'm not sure if there is anything easier than DWC. Water, Nutes and Bubbles.... easy game. I think new growers want to concentrate on whats going on up top, when in essence what is going on up top is a result of what is happening below. I'm doing 8 clones straight to 12/12, in a 10gal (yes 10gal) ruff neck. Only thing I check now is the Ph, nutes are taking care of them selfs.