Hydroponics vs Soil

Sativied

Sativied

Well-Known Member
No, not trying to start a discussion, I think we all know the outcome anyway. Just a photo that would have convinced me if I needed more convincing:

26.jpg

Not an equal comparison or test by any means (the one in hp needs more attention so gets more tlc, other is organic.), but, they germinated and grew up nearly in sequence the first days of their lives. Right went into a small DWC and later into an NFT-ish system causing some transplant stress/delay for a few days. No pic of the roots of the right one, you'll just have to take my worth for it that they'd barely fit in the soil pot. Not an equal comparison or test by any means (the one in hp needs more attention so gets more tlc, in soil is organic and gets only micro-something and bacto and no ph-ing, as I did in my previous round though).

I'll keep it in the room as long as there is space, probably until I switch to 12/12, so I'll probably post another photo to compare again later.
 
Sativied said:
No, not trying to start a discussion, I think we all know the outcome anyway. Just a photo that would have convinced me if I needed more convincing:

Not an equal comparison or test by any means (the one in hp needs more attention so gets more tlc, other is organic.), but, they germinated and grew up nearly in sequence the first days of their lives. Right went into a small DWC and later into an NFT-ish system causing some transplant stress/delay for a few days. No pic of the roots of the right one, you'll just have to take my worth for it that they'd barely fit in the soil pot. Not an equal comparison or test by any means (the one in hp needs more attention so gets more tlc, in soil is organic and gets only micro-something and bacto and no ph-ing, as I did in my previous round though).

I'll keep it in the room as long as there is space, probably until I switch to 12/12, so I'll probably post another photo to compare again later.
Click to expand...

It's not the method it's the grower, really. You can get fantastic results either way. It takes commitment, patience and study to learn and you can be wildly successful with either substrate.

The picture of the 2 plants side by side doesn't tell me anything unless I control for the grower. As you yourself say you grow hydro, therefore this is not an unbiased comparison that could lead to any sort of meaningful conclusion, for anyone, to take away from this discussion, which you never meant to start when you clicked post LOL.
 
It's actually a combination of many factors, not just the medium, nor the grower. But simply put, yeah I agree. Besides that, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

One thing though, not to start the discussion :lol: but I just switched to hydro since less than a month. Just had a very successful run on 100% organics on soil (0,96 gr p/w without boosters), done several grows on soil indoor, outdoor, and on balconies, over the past decadeS, and seen many many more, so I have to disagree on the unbiased part. I'm not going hydro for more yields (I already get twice the amount I need from a harvest and don't sell) but for the fun of it and to see the faster vegging for myself.

That said, it is indeed not an equal comparisson or test by any means as I already mentioned. Merely an expression of my enthusiasm regarding the results so far. :D
 
Depends on a similar amount of factors.... but I would guesstimate the answer is blue. Purple maybe...
 
27.jpg
Check the top leafs for main difference, or the distance from leaf to sprayer... ri di cu lous.

Guess how much older that monster (no, not topped) in the center in the back is...
28.jpg

(pic from monster yesterday)
29.jpg

Brassinosteroid said:
I have yet to see a soil grower beat my hydro yields.
Click to expand...
But what about you? Would you be able to beat 'you' on soil? I'm sold though, hp all the way.
 

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iv done so good with my bubbler..im scared to ever change to soil.
i thought i was guna grow this lil cali hash plant in this pc box..but it grew out of it in a month
this pic is 2 weeksPhoto_100509_002.jpghad to buy a tent..now i have many bubblers:weed:
 
hawk- that's bad ass, do you have a grow journal? I always laugh at boxes but I always give props at the same time. Hella cool man


And to the OP- try and tell me the roots on the soil plant is smaller then the hydro roots? You can't, because the plant itself is bigger in hydro- correct. But the roots on the soil is bigger- correct.

What do we get from hydro? Bigger yields
What do we get with soil? Better tasting buds. That FEEL of mother nature.

To Each There Own.
 
WashingtonState said:
hawk- that's bad ass, do you have a grow journal? I always laugh at boxes but I always give props at the same time. Hella cool man


And to the OP- try and tell me the roots on the soil plant is smaller then the hydro roots? You can't, because the plant itself is bigger in hydro- correct. But the roots on the soil is bigger- correct.

What do we get from hydro? Bigger yields
What do we get with soil? Better tasting buds. That FEEL of mother nature.

To Each There Own.
Click to expand...

Bigger in diameter and more rugged. Hydro has more roots per sq inch and have a more smooth root texture.
 
not much of a journal..but i did take pix..it had a crazy life
baby cali h..jpgfew days old here
bussy.jpg2 weeks
Photo_100509_001.jpg3 weeks
View attachment 2588630Photo_100709_001.jpgtopped at 3 1/2 weeksPhoto_101709_001.jpgPhoto_101709_002.jpgPhoto_101709_003.jpgPhoto_101709_005.jpgFREAKIN turned my fans off to co2 and forgot to turn back ON!!!..DUH!!
Photo_102709_001.jpgPhoto_102709_003.jpgSHES pulls out of it with a lil loven...
that was about 5 weeks of veggin..bought a tent and started to flower..and have NO idea where my flower pix are at..ill post if i find..but doutful..she grew about 3 feet wide and lil over 3 feet tall:joint:
 

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Brassinosteroid said:
Bigger in diameter and more rugged. Hydro has more roots per sq inch and have a more smooth root texture.
Click to expand...

Per cubic inch even, which is pretty much what I meant - the volume of the roots of the hydro would barely fit the soil pot even if there would be no soil in it. It's that extreme.

Thanks for sharing the pics SlayerHawk, she looks very bushy, supercrop-ish.

I'm an average grower at best, but I will continue to post a pic daily to compare the two, as long as I got enough room. Started freezing again here, winter just won't stop... so they've been a little cold last night.

Apart from the fast veggin a major difference I notice in practice is the rez temp being added to the mix. Normally balanced temp+humidity in box (ventilation with thermostat) but now have the rez temp as third factor, making it harder to find and keep a balance throughout the day.

Also, my organic grown soil plants look much better (darker and healthier and more perky) in general than my current hydro plants. That might just be me still tuning my system and methods, but as "good" as she looks in SlayerHawk images, it's not looking optimal.
 
Sativied said:
Per cubic inch even, which is pretty much what I meant - the volume of the roots of the hydro would barely fit the soil pot even if there would be no soil in it. It's that extreme.

Thanks for sharing the pics SlayerHawk, she looks very bushy, supercrop-ish.

I'm an average grower at best, but I will continue to post a pic daily to compare the two, as long as I got enough room. Started freezing again here, winter just won't stop... so they've been a little cold last night.

Apart from the fast veggin a major difference I notice in practice is the rez temp being added to the mix. Normally balanced temp+humidity in box (ventilation with thermostat) but now have the rez temp as third factor, making it harder to find and keep a balance throughout the day.

Also, my organic grown soil plants look much better (darker and healthier and more perky) in general than my current hydro plants. That might just be me still tuning my system and methods, but as "good" as she looks in SlayerHawk images, it's not looking optimal.
Click to expand...

When you have your hydro right, and if you ran in square buckets for example, you will have so many roots that they will actually form a square block. More roots = bigger plant. Less soil = more roots.
 
Figured I make it a bit more fair and drop the photo camera on the hydro plant... (leaf at the top right in pic is broken and has some holes in it).

Nevertheless, soil vs hp day 3:
31.jpg


Since nobody wanted to play the guessing game, the monster in the back is barely a week older.
32.jpg

I don't mean monster in terms of big specifically, it's just has more Indica in it that I expected which makes it so ugly. It's basically my first hydro test plant and has been through a lot already.

The rez+tray leave less height in my grow closet, and why I went with Liberty Haze (I prefer more Sativa). The ones in the first photo, the test, are both from a different strain, Kolossus, a hybrid that should result in roughly the same length and flowering time.
 
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