First time grow, question Soil or Hydroponic?

Hey guys,

I got my seeds today, and I am ready to get stuff going. I've never grown any, but have been reading, watching high times videos with Nico and with georges servantes, and I am wondering... should I start with soiless mixes, or should I think about clay pellets and a drain away hydro system?

I think that for one, not having to carry large amounts of soil is more discrete... but what do i know im a freaking newb.

So thats my question, thx!

You can do what I did and hand water your girls in coco coir it gives you the best of both soil and hydro. read up on it here

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=46490

http://forum.grasscity.com/coco-coir/620656-askeds-coco-guide.html

Soil is more forgiving for a rookie, its my first grow to i got ff ocean forest and with this soil i didnt have to feed till three weeks and i have all ff products, pottasium silicate, and mighty wash for bugs and insects, and those are just stuff i have right now hope it helps man.

I like coco as well. It's what I started with and am currently still running

Hempy FTW...google:hempy collective,hempy for dummies,diy hempy
For seeds I germ in Rockwool starter cubes then straight to Hempy.Check it out before making decision.
I highly recommend Hydroton(give a prewash) as Hempy medium and look up how to prepare Rockwool.

1st timer...go with soil.
use fox farm

yo bro - first grow i ever did was a bubble hyrdo, it was really easy, unlike soil hydro is easy to fix if you f""k up, i found it better as a new grower anyways cause you can really keep on eye on things like ph/ec and it gives you a kind of peace of mind knowing your ok - having said that i grow with soil now, and while its more forgiving, its also more hit and miss with soil types and even different batches from the same companies are different sometimes i rekon .... if your buying your soil. Also, if your worried about being seen with soil etc etc consider noise from hydro pumps, water spills and whatever, at least soil is quite ... bam

I think the best way to start growing is with Promix in ordinary pots. It is cheap to start and proven reliable even among newbies. I'm not sure if you can get Promix in your location, but you should be able to find something around that is similar and has a lot of Perlite. Promix has no nutrients added, so like hydro you know everything the plant is taking in with the benefit of using soil as a buffer zone against errors. It will give you an idea of what a plant needs and also you will be more likely to finish successfully. After your first grow then you can go hydro if you desire.

I first grew with Promix, then a few different hydro systems such as DWC (Deep Water Culture) which I really liked, although your temperatures have to be low. After a few years of different systems and set ups I am now back to Promix. I grow with four 1000 watt HPS vertical and finish the plants very large to kepp my numbers down. I find this is the best choice for me, although everyone's preferences are different. One thing I have not tried that others had wisely suggested was Coco. This seems like a very efficient way of growing for a newbie and seasoned grower alike and will be trying it in the near future. I am sure I will get a lot of help here as there seems to be many experienced growers here.

Good luck on your grow and just remember, growing is very addictive!

WP

Seems that there is a split opinion on the subject. But I will be using soil as most of you suggested it. But the Coco thing, is this what you mean by it? http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Roots-Organics-Loose-Coco-Palms.asp

Do I need to mix it with peetmoss or soil or is it 100% coco?

Im willing to give a shot and yes your right about the hydro noises. I was only thinking of trying out the method of Mr. Green on youtube, with his drain away trays, with 3-4 plants per tray.

I get the compressed bricks more like this
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Classic-Coir-Brick-(Fine).asp

But I've never used that brand. I pick up the bricks at home depot in the spring. They sell them as seed starting materials. I also pick up bricks as needed from the hydro shop when needed.

With that said you can go straight coco or mix it with other things. It can be mixed in soil to help retain water. It can be mixed with perlite to make it more airy. I started with a 20-30% perlite and the rest coco. Now days I'm running near straight coco. Look up Mr. Ed's guide to coco. It's a great resource

Voidling, I don't know much about Coco but from what I have read. I am just curious how come you went from mixing Coco with Perlite to now using only Coco? Is there a specific reason? I ask because Coco interests me and I want to try it next grow in another room. Thanks in advance!

WP