imho hydro sucks

bdt1981 said:

Ill aslo like to point out that the aeroflo2 is great. Some people call it an aero/nft hybrid but i call it a small tubed rdwc system. Guess its on how you run it. Its really not aero at all because it dosent produce any mist in rootzone. The stream that comes out the lines is just that a stream. When the tubes stay half full that stream creates mad o2 with the bubbles and surface break that is constant as well as the drain back into the res. Was a pain in the ass to do res changes with the design tho. Anyone who uses it should use a chiller and you wont have any problems.

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The concept of that unit is sound but the pricing is ridiculous. You could build the same thing with stuff from Home Depot for a fraction of the cost. But I'm a do it yourself person. I refuse to pay the ridiculous prices for products targeted at cannabis growers.

When everything is dialed in, non organic or organic, I've found the two very comparable. If the media drains really well, and there's a rich supply of nutrient for the plant, there's no stopping them. Organic or not.

But damn, hydroponic can be so much more convenient. Especially indoors. Cleaner and easier, just measure and you're good to go. That's pretty hard to beat for convenience sake.

Suppose it boils down to a grower's style. When I try to micro manage things, i find my grows aren't quite as good. I prefer to leave the plants to their own natural devices to grow. It's part of the fascination for me to watch nature at work.
It can be equally rewarding when it's all you making it grow. Been there i get it, just not for me, i feel like i'm growing plants in a test tube. Some growers love that about it, and why not, more power to them.
Just gets tedious for myself, don't have the right kind of OCD.

xtsho said:

The concept of that unit is sound but the pricing is ridiculous. You could build the same thing with stuff from Home Depot for a fraction of the cost. But I'm a do it yourself person. I refuse to pay the ridiculous prices for products targeted at cannabis growers.

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Check out alibaba.com for materials. They have square 4in pvc in black. Just have to buy a ton of it but its seriously extremely cheap asf!

3rd Monkey said:

Would you be willing to pop a bean in your best soil mix vs a bean in my hydro? I am most certain it is twice as fast.

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Not that much faster...Might cut a few weeks or so off but, NOT twice as fast!

bdt1981 said:

Some methods of hydro maybe 3-4 times as fast. I grew in an aeroflo2 and after roots came out the net pots ran it in the rdwc way with drain pipe half up kept pump on 24/7. Which did better than when i had it on a timer and pipes down to allow drying out some in the tubes. Growth was crazy fast for the clones i put in there. Few inches a day.

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Ok, this is getting out of hand....

My veg takes about 8 weeks
Bloom is normal (I run long - to a real finish)
So maybe around 18 - 20 weeks total.

Now when running hydro back when the dinosaur's were eating your mom's garden. We would save maybe 3 or so weeks on the total run time vs soil....

Now think about what you said here. NOBODY is going to cut their grow time in half by running any form of hydro (I do have to agree that RDWC is the fastest)

So, you say you can run a plant to done and at 6 ft in 10 weeks? That's only twice as fast!

Now think about what YOU said!

Cut veg in half? Maybe by RDWC......That is still running 16 weeks vs a 20 week run in my soil. Nice reduction but, I'll take my soil over your hydro for final quality overall, any day.

Don't take that as any form of insult to how you fellows grow! I'm sure you have a fine product. It's just that I and my long time cust, er patients. Prefer soil grown over any hydro.....all day long...

I'd smoke yours....I just said "Prefer"..

bdt1981 said:

Check out alibaba.com for materials. They have square 4in pvc in black. Just have to buy a ton of it but its seriously extremely cheap asf!

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Oh goody, goody.
Give your money to the Chinese.....
You do all realize they are waging an economic war against the west right?

Fucking high quality stuff too...lmfao!

Aussieaceae said:

Your wife's a machine!

The tomatoes will likely love the fertilizer, maybe even yield a little better. With repeated use for several years though, i'd put money on her soil being less fertile than it is now. My money is on the soil being less alive. Not just the topsoil, but deeper down as well.

I don't deny the effectiveness of plant fertilizer at all. That has never been my concern.

I love weed. Hydroponic or organic isn't going to determine whether i smoke, or grow it or not. Presented with the opportunity, organic is my preference, all it is.

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Tomato's will not produce more when given high N feeds........They really are hitting an N wall at about 7 or so. Over that you get massive vegetative growth but, a real reduction in fruit production.
It inhibits flowering.....
A 12 or 14 ft tall tomato plant is rather impressive to look at but, it will only produce around 2 fruits. I warned you...

Dr. Who said:

Not that much faster...Might cut a few weeks or so off but, NOT twice as fast!



Ok, this is getting out of hand....

My veg takes about 8 weeks
Bloom is normal (I run long - to a real finish)
So maybe around 18 - 20 weeks total.

Now when running hydro back when the dinosaur's were eating your mom's garden. We would save maybe 3 or so weeks on the total run time vs soil....

Now think about what you said here. NOBODY is going to cut their grow time in half by running any form of hydro (I do have to agree that RDWC is the fastest)

So, you say you can run a plant to done and at 6 ft in 10 weeks? That's only twice as fast!

Now think about what YOU said!

Cut veg in half? Maybe by RDWC......That is still running 16 weeks vs a 20 week run in my soil. Nice reduction but, I'll take my soil over your hydro for final quality overall, any day.

Don't take that as any form of insult to how you fellows grow! I'm sure you have a fine product. It's just that I and my long time cust, er patients. Prefer soil grown over any hydro.....all day long...

I'd smoke yours....I just said "Prefer"..

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2 weeks weg in an aeroflo is probably to long. The system is to tightly packed to veg imo. Straight into flower after rooted pulled zip each. Flipping a clone in soil straight to flower pulls half that. So thats 2X the yield.

Dr. Who said:

Not that much faster...Might cut a few weeks or so off but, NOT twice as fast!



Ok, this is getting out of hand....

My veg takes about 8 weeks
Bloom is normal (I run long - to a real finish)
So maybe around 18 - 20 weeks total.

Now when running hydro back when the dinosaur's were eating your mom's garden. We would save maybe 3 or so weeks on the total run time vs soil....

Now think about what you said here. NOBODY is going to cut their grow time in half by running any form of hydro (I do have to agree that RDWC is the fastest)

So, you say you can run a plant to done and at 6 ft in 10 weeks? That's only twice as fast!

Now think about what YOU said!

Cut veg in half? Maybe by RDWC......That is still running 16 weeks vs a 20 week run in my soil. Nice reduction but, I'll take my soil over your hydro for final quality overall, any day.

Don't take that as any form of insult to how you fellows grow! I'm sure you have a fine product. It's just that I and my long time cust, er patients. Prefer soil grown over any hydro.....all day long...

I'd smoke yours....I just said "Prefer"..

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In 1 month, hydro is twice the size as soil. In 2 months 4 times the size.

When you flip to flower, it shows in yields. If you are going strictly by time, you can play the week game. Most folks I know, shoot for yield.

The way I see it, hydro will grow at least twice the yield in the same amount of time, which if you're shooting for yield, is twice as fast at least.

Dr. Who said:

Tomato's will not produce more when given high N feeds........They really are hitting an N wall at about 7 or so. Over that you get massive vegetative growth but, a real reduction in fruit production.
It inhibits flowering.....
A 12 or 14 ft tall tomato plant is rather impressive to look at but, it will only produce around 2 fruits. I warned you...

Click to expand...

Years ago I grew a tomato plant in a small raised bed. I mixed a whole bag of chicken manure into it and it was apparently a hot batch of manure with a bunch of N. The tomato plant went crazy. It grew into a giant with a huge main stalk and thick stemmed branches. I thought I was going to get a bumper crop of tomatoes. I ended up with a huge tomato plant that looked like a tree but only produced four or five tomatoes. I haven't made that mistake since.

Dr. Who said:

?????? Say the fuck what?

1. Soil self pH's. You don't have to pH soil, ever.
2. It takes energy to root through any solid media. REALLY?
3. It can do that in any solid media!
4. You can get the same things in any solid media.
5. I can get so close to the same yields it's not a factor. AT ALL!
6. This is absolute bull shit. Simply don't water/feed with a solution over 8 or under 5 and never have any pH issues at all...SEE #1
7. Coir, Peat, soil.....Does NOT contain oxygen on their own. O2 is imparted to roots by capillary draw actions from watering. I can get MORE O2 to my roots in soil by watering a metered amount every day. Over your coir that you water less!

8. I reuse my soil all the time! Simply recharge it and re-use it. You have to know what your doing but, it's beyond simple to learn. NOT TO MENTION that coir will hold "salt's and get build ups. You have to wash it out...
If you use synthetic's = compost it and reuse it.

Basically put. What you've written here is simply uneducated drivel! That's 46 years of doing this talking.

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I knew i was going to butt hurt soil lovers,

1. Ph is one of the biggest problems people have with soil, doesnt take much reading and researching to figure this one out.
2. Soil root mass is smaller in soil than with hydro or coir, been growing for decades.
3. I fell out my chair on this one, its impossible to over water with coir/perlite 75/25 unless you dont have any drain holes.
4. Coir is sterile unlike soil, there is no nutrients for microbes or organisms to grow in unless you add soil or organic nutrients/amendments that contain pest. With coir you know for a fact you are starting off right.
5. I couldn't stop laughing, this is common knowledge. The soil experts even acknowledge this one, links below.
6. See #5
7. Coir is like a sponge, it is nothing but air and coir mass which is why it is so light compared to soil. Air freely moves within it.
8. Yes you can reuse soil however with coir all you need is one good flush, cant say the same about soil which is the only tid bit worth debating over. Wasted my valuable time with the rest.


Sorry if you disagree, here are some links;

https://420bigbud.com/coco-coir-vs-soil-cannabis/
https://www.advancednutrients.com/articles/coco-coir-grow-medium/
https://www.growweedeasy.com/soil-vs-hydro-cannabis

rshackleferd said:

I knew i was going to butt hurt soil lovers,

1. Ph is one of the biggest problems people have with soil, doesnt take much reading and researching to figure this one out.
2. Soil root mass is always smaller in soil than with hydro or coir, been growing for decades.
3. I fell out my chair on this one, its impossible to over water with coir/perlite 75/25 unless you dont have any drain holes.
4. Coir is sterile, there is no nutrients for microbes or organisms to grow unless you add soil or organic nutrients that contain pest.
5. I couldn't stop laughing, this is common knowledge.
6. See number 5
7. Coir is like a sponge, it is nothing but air and coir mass which is why it is so light compared to soil. Air freely moves within it.
8. Yes you can reuse soil but it builds up waste quicker than coir. One quick flush is all you need with coir.


Sorry if you disagree, here are some links;

https://420bigbud.com/coco-coir-vs-soil-cannabis/

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The only thing that guy has right is using 100% coco. The Fox Farm and Canna nutes are a waste of money. Youtube videos are the worst place to get information on growing cannabis.

I'm the Switzerland of the battle between hydro and soil growers. I just do both.

Silly debate.
90% of the hydro growers have little hands on experience smoking top shelf organic indoor bud so why argue with them, there is no point if most have only smoked the soil grown weed they grew when they were learning to grow and had no clue how to water or feed the plant to get the top shelf results.

I'll bet some of them never learned how easy it is to never worry about PH when watering soil and will give silly .com links to school the seasoned organic growers lol.

At least it was a fun debate to follow for a while.

Kushash said:

Silly debate.
90% of the hydro growers have little hands on experience smoking top shelf organic indoor bud so why argue with them

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I am sorry to feed the troll but this is one of the most ignorant and uninformed things I have seen in my 30 years of growing.

Kushash said:

Silly debate.
90% of the hydro growers have little hands on experience smoking top shelf organic indoor bud so why argue with them, there is no point if most have only smoked the soil grown weed they grew when they were learning to grow and had no clue how to water or feed the plant to get the top shelf results.

I'll bet some of them never learned how easy it is to never worry about PH when watering soil and will give silly .com links to school the seasoned organic growers lol.

At least it was a fun debate to follow for a while.

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LOL

rshackleferd said:

Coir is sterile

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False.

SCJedi said:

I am sorry to feed the troll but this is one of the most ignorant and uninformed things I have seen in my 30 years of growing.

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It was meant to be so your experience is paying off.



Looked to me like someone else was being...…..

I knew i was going to butt hurt soil lovers

I couldn't stop laughing,this is common knowledge.

Wasted my valuable time with the rest.

I guess this was just pleasant conversation from your point of view.

Happy Growing!

SCJedi said:

I am sorry to feed the troll but this is one of the of growing.

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LOL!

What's cool is yes I reacted because I wanted to throw a wrench in the conversation.
I saw no reason to sit out and let the DR. deal with the attitude that was going to continue.
Next thing you know the DR. gets bummed and Johnny jumps in seeing an opportunity to kick when down.
I don't care what anyone thinks when I feel I should get involved. If I'm wrong I'm wrong and everyone can fuck themselves.

Glad so many people felt my one post in this thread was the most ignorant uninformed post ever on RIU!
I hope no one steals that prize from me anytime soon.
I'll wear it as a badge of honor.
Might even put your post in my sig.
Although something about your post makes me think it is Fake News.
most ignorant and uninformed things I have seen in my 30 years. Really???

Maybe we will combine our 59 years of growing experience and try for an intelligent discussion some day.

Peace Out!

Kushash said:

It was meant to be so your experience is paying off.



Looked to me like someone else was being...…..

I knew i was going to butt hurt soil lovers

I couldn't stop laughing,this is common knowledge.

Wasted my valuable time with the rest.

I guess this was just pleasant conversation from your point of view.

Happy Growing!

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I was trolling soil lubbers Kushash, Your statement might not have been the most ignorant of all time but it was a good one. We all post nonsense and bs from time to time, nothing to feel bad about it.

So it dies at last!
Lets see if i spark it up again...
So if you're going to grow commercially hydro wins hands down! More lbs in the same amount of time. Equals more dollars earned in same amount of time. A little more up front cost on equipment but lots less dollars spent on labor since u can have half as many plants and achieve same yield. For instance if im running 100 plants in flower in a rdwc system compared to about 300 in soil to get same end weight i can manage 100 single handed where you better have at least 3 to 5 dedicated guys who know what their doing managing 300 plants in dirt. Transplanting from 1 into 5 gal pots sucks so much when u have a lot of plants to work. Haha. I kno this from expirence.