Soil vs. Hydro

I keep seeing people say how easy it is to grow hydro, but if you look in the infirmary, almost all the questions are hydro related- With soil, you just drop a seed in dirt, and make sure it gets wet every now and then. Then firt once the plant has devoured the nutes in the soil, but really it can't be any easier. OK, that may be a bit of an oversimplification, but it really isn't that complicated...

If you get sick plant issues, soil seems MUCH easier to fix- flush the hell outta the soil, dry, then ramp up the watering and feeding again. with Hydro, there seems to be a downward spiral of various deficiencies and other issues...

do the benefits of hydro (quicker growth, more yield) outweigh the increased complications?

I think often times people have massive complications in hydro because they don't follow through and do everything they should. There's a lot of stuff to keep track of too. Ph, EC, temp, aeration, and then there's all the other dillemas that can spring up. I've only done soil so far, but soon as I get my cab up and running I'll be giving hydro a go. I've done aerocloning before and I've read enough in the FAQs (probably will still need to ask a few Q's anyways ) that I should be okay.

Considering how many people on OG I saw with no prob hydro set ups and their resulting yields I'd say, "Hells bells a fucks yeah it's worth it!"

Hm, in a way you kinda have things backwards. I've grown with both methods and I will tell you the differences I noticed:

- Transplanting
There is no transplanting involved in hydro. The plant stays in its same netpot for the duration. When I grew soil I dreaded transplants. Often done too late, messy, possibly damaging to the plant if you mess up, and overall too much work. Your plants then don't grow for about a week as they get assimilated into their new soil and bucket. Waiting a week to grow = the suck.

- Cleanliness
Soil I always managed to grab some sort of pest. Flies and all types of weird things over time. They all seemed to live in the soil or at least need it. Since switching to hydro I've not once had any living pest in my grow area (despite a brief spider mite incident). There's simply no soil for them so they don't come around. Hydro setups are generally very clean and sanitary.

- Growth
In my experiences with DWC vs soil, DWC seems to grow not only twice as fast, but the plant tends to bush out and have many colas. Soil seemed to promote a single stalk for some reason. My plants will often grow up to 2 inches per day in optimal conditions, and sometimes more during flower stretch. Root growth is phenomenal as well, as the roots are not limited in size or restricted by soil. I love huge white fat hairy roots!

- Watering
Soil: water about once or twice a week with a good soak and drain at the end.
Hydro: no need to remember to water, just keep the damn rez filled! I even get lazy and let mine almost run out. The plants don't seem to be affected.

- Nutes/pH
In soil I never really checked my PH ever...seemed to always be good how it was. I just threw in half strength nutes every few weeks and let em grow. The only thing negative I can say is that there is no way to test your nute strength at any given time in soil, and it is much harder to flush and start anew.
In hydro it takes some practice to get things down, but once you got it your home free. Checking PH and nute strengths is not as hard as some think. Stick the meter in once a day or so, make sure the PH is somewhere between 5 and 6 and the PPMs are reasonable. If not, add PH up or down until its correct, or add nutrients if needed. You mess up and put too much in? Empty the rez and put a fresh clean solution in. Every mistake is easily fixable and there are NO uncertainties as to what is in your rez.

- Root rot
If there is any good reason not to go hydro, this is it. Root rot will destory crop after crop if you let it. Since roots are sitting in a pool of water and not airy soil, they need oxygen or they will down ( like being overwatered ). O2 pump/s are needed. Even if you do have enough oxygen, if your water is too warm it simply will not hold the oxygen and the roots won't get it. If you live in any place where it gets semi-warm ( cali ) you either need a rez cooler or something similar. Hydrogen peroxide, SM90 and frozen water bottles keep me goin through the summer.

- Final product/results
This is a tough one. There are amazing soil growers out there who can do crazy things with precice organic nutrient formulas and strict tried and true methods. These growers can do most anything hydro growers can do and possibly go beyond.
However, most soil growers are not like this. It is somewhat tough to get good yields and exceptional quality out of soil IMO. Hydro seems to just do it by itself. It yields well, and it produces fine lookin buds consistently without much creative thought by the grower.
Many say soil bud tastes and smells better, mainly because of organics. I never used organics in my soil, but I can say that my hydro buds taste just as good...if not better. I noticed them not to be as harsh as soil buds, but again this is from my experiences.


Well, you asked why grow hydro over soil....and those are my reasons

Peace...happy growin with whatever method you use.

wow- very thorough. thanks for the excellent response. hydro is intimidating still. Part of the problem is all the equipment needed- I'd hate to spend $$$ on a bunch of hydro supplies only to lose the crop to root rot or something.

And having to go to a specialty store to buy supplies vs. going to any garden supply store or home depot adds to the conspicuosness of it.

I really enjoy the peace of mind that comes w/ 7-10 gallon resevoir and a pump, though that could be said for both hydro and soil I guess. Im working through my first hydro grow and the only snags I've had so far was over watering/ heat. I added clay pellits to the rockwool, problem solved; at the same time I added an extra air intake hole, problem solved. The leasons I have learned so far:

Hydro medium should be chosen very carefully, with as much time taken as deciding the means of water delivery. I had chosen rockwool for its ability to passively filter the h2o and retain it and the nuts. The problem is that my kiddies weren't getting enough o2, lesson learned.

Heat will [size=+1]cook[/size] stuff, hard to believe but true. So if the temps are above the mid 80's then you've got a problem. I thought my high rate fan would be enough (my design called for a vacuum to be created when the cabinets doors were closed) but it really needed more intake air to work properly.

I chose hydro because of all the benefits mentioned above, and have found them to be true. Soil is easier for many reasons, but I dont give the "taste/smoke" benefits any merrit. One reason is that the majority of the herb I can get my hands on is hydro and tastes just fine. The second reason is the mess, I cant deal w/ soild as I have no yard or garden to dispose of the waste in. Wither way is good, as the final result is (more often than not) a big fat bowl for yours and others enjoyment.

Peace

edit: Anonymous, the intial cost isn't nearly as high as you might think. I have a drip system that is giving me excellent results and the whole deal cost me maybe 50 bucks. The most exspensive part to the whole thing is the pump and if you order it online you can get em' for like $15-20 instead of what I paid which was $37 (aquamist 900). The rest of the supplys are easy, rubber maid=$10 (wallmart), 1/8 & 1/4 tubing=$15 (home depot, forced to buy whole roll of both), T-connectors & On/Off ball valves=$5 (home depot). Its not that hard to make either. If ya need any help PM me.

It is simpler to begin with soil, and it is possible to get needed supplies locally, a big plus. I grew up on a farm , and learned weed with sativa's outdoors in the mid 70's, so I started indoors with soil, then organics in soil, which is better once you tune it a bit.

When I began exile, there was no choice, hydro is stealthier to begin in a new environ where folks will see you bringing supplies in. I did the first crop organic, and could do it again, but there is no reason, the girls can't tell in hydro. Once you learn, hydro is cleaner and easier, and the resin for hash is cleaner because there is no soil mix in the fans blowing. I know there will be soil growers that can make me eat my hat on that statement, it is true for me in my experience, results vary with effort and talent. OK?

My current hydro systems are all made with free, salvaged bucket, drums, and igloo coolers, it does not have to be expensive to start up. Likewise in soil, in spring, a chap with the inclination can get his supply of nursery pots free, all sizes, even 5's and 10's.

Have fun, be safe.
H

I third the statement that hydro isn't expensive. I bought a 25 gallon tub, a semi-decent pump, net pots, rockwool, and hydroton for less than a $100. You can go cheaper if you know how to shop! The most expensive part is the TDS meter...for a good one expect to pay over $100.

Seems like a lot now...until you grow two plants and yield a half pound. Then you will realize...those $200 were damn well spent

Everyone had great info on this subject, this is my opoinion on the subject. Soil is very labor intensive, and very messy. This is why I converted to hydro. Not to mention the security issues associated with buying soil in the middle of december, then luggin it inside the house/apt. Then you still have to dispose of it for the next crop, unless you have space to start a decomp pile and wish to re-use the soil. (more work) Hydro simply comes and goes out of the drain....

As for the matter of its easier to fix problems in soil than hydro, I disagree with that. With soil there more of a buffer, or margin of error. This also leads to the fact that it is easier to spot problems as they tend to show more gradually over time. Also to fix the problems, it takes time. With hydro the symptoms can appear very rapidly, and without a trained eye can cause much harm...this is true. It is easier to fix the problem though in hydro. All that is needed is a rez change. Granted it is more difficult to fix if the problem has gone on too long, and they often do...due to the nature of how fast problems develop with hydro.

There benefits of yield can be seen with soil or hydro. One does not nescesarily outproduce the other like it is portrayed. In soil it is harder to get huge yields I think, because of the transplanting process and veg time.


Hydro is very simple, and very economical as some have pointed out. Almost everything is re-usable so after the initial set up costs, you are improving your return on investment more and more. The few things that need to be re purchased are usually cheaper items, which could be re-used yet choose not to be due to their relative to replace. In the long run (few years), I would say that soil would become more expensive...not to mention back breaking.

As for what is better, they are both better for their own unique properties....the decesion lies with what you care for. What are your preferences? I chose hydro because I am a clean freak, obsesive compulsive wierdo and vaccuming every speck of dirt wore on my patients haha

Plus in my situation, I enjoy the ease of the whole grow. I usually spend 30 to 45 minutes a week actually doing work. The rest is just time I admire them, talk to them, or position them (when they get big).....which is really no time at all. Watering every few days is a pain in the ass....plus waiting for runoff, then overfilling haha. Glad those days are over.

FYI- I never check tds, or ppm. Well I do, but I never adjust them....I just like to see what they are at. PBP nutes seem to have the buffers I need, and when used in conjunction accordingly they produce great results. Of course I look at the plants to see if they need or have too much of anything...if so I guestimate with the appropriate amt. of nutes (which are always used at low low strenghts) I always adjust PH tho...

Great point Triv, pH must be checked w/ hydro very often. I will check my resevoir once each day for 2-3 days after a resevoir change, then a week after that to make sure its not too high on the scale. Once you settle into a routine it becomes exponentally easier to maintian. The first few resevoir changes I checked everyday (cuz the pH was all out of wack), after a couple of times I realized that having a slightly acidic solution before the airstone/circulating pump/ runoff from watering was added in resulted in an almost perfect pH after the system was running for a while. Hydro isn't nearlly as intimidating as one might think.

Peace

yes, the growth available with hydro is impressive, and one day I want to have a hydro grow too, but the idea of gardening your plants instead of just growing them... it makes it more personal and I would assume make it (for me at least) more enjoyable to smoke.

Damn I cant wait! One day!

Done Soil and hydro and feels hydro is alot easier to mantain...

With soil,its perlite,verculite (sp),bone meal,blood meal,humic acid,transplanting,messy,water drains,flies,extra bags of soil,extra pots

Hydro....is at least the proper setup includes,chlorine and chloramines remover,air pumps,PH kit,ferts,netpots,hydroton rocks,hoses

Hydro makes its better by taste and smoother too...increased yeild ? Yes,,,it packs a wallop..stems get really thick for increase buds size..Just finished a hydro grow and really impressed by taste,smoke,and weigh...Only thing that i was watching is the flush period..I went as long as 2 weeks with a pure H20 water cuz I wanted a yellow plant and green buds..but it keep growing in pure water from the left over Nitrogen in the plant..So that tells you more about the plants behavior and what it needs to do.

Growing In Bio-Buckets!!

Growing In Bio-Buckets!!

Well I cant speck for everyone else but I’ve done both, I like most started out with a few buckets of soil and then worked my way up to 220 buckets in dirt!! Man that was a lot of packing!! Don’t get me wrong buds were big but compare three mouth buds that were grown in dirt to three mouth hydro-grown buds and your going to see a BIG differents.

It’s been several several several year ago since I grow in dirt, but here a pic of a bud that is three mouths old and look at the size of that thing.

weener, I actually adjust the ph only when I top off my buckets (dwc) and that is it.

When I say I check on the plants in the meantime between topping off, I basically mean I just look at em....haha they grow themselves it seems

TNT, do you always flush two weeks? or just when overferted?

I have never flushed more than 3 to 5 days, though I am still fairly new to hydro. I was always under assumption there was no flush needed, unless they are overferted......your plants look lovely tho, so I am sure you know your stuff too

Haps said:

When I began exile, there was no choice, hydro is stealthier to begin in a new environ where folks will see you bringing supplies in.
H

Click to expand...

I don't see how it's 'stealthier'. going to the hydro store seems much more conspicous than getting supplies from a garden nursery. With soil, you could be growing anything, but with Hydro supplies, isn't that basically saying to the hydro shop owner (and everyone who sees you coming and going) 'Hey, I'm growin' weed here!'.

hydro is simply easier to fix when things go wrong. i think those people with sick plants are trying to either grow without meters, are trying to blast seedlings/barely rooted cuttings with nutes way too strong, and are trying to "optimize" every last little thing.

the plant already knows how to grow. just let it.

hydro really speaks to me because its part science (read the meters, collect data, analyze results) and part art (reading the plant, learning its patterns, giving the plant love)

my problem with soil/soilless mix was always watering. hydro eliminates that problem. you cannot over or under water, you can only over or under fertilize, and its hard to do when you read your tds/ec meter.

clean water is precious. i only top off, i never change out a res. i dont flush either.

i grew hydroponic chile peppers for years before i started growing mary. the seeds are cheaper and i wanted to know if anyone was going to knock on my door and ask why i had so much hydro equipment. nothing ever came of it.

anonamauz, very true. That was one of the main reasons I didn't go hydro on my last grow.

Funny story, sort of... I was at this specialty beer and wine store (I like good[/b] beers like dopplebocks and russian imperial stouts) and I noticed they had this rack for people to leave business cards. I was looking through it while the lady was ringing up my order and I noticed there was one for a brew supply store. "Sweet!" I thought, being a former brewer and considering I've moved to anew locale. When I got home I looked a little harder at the card and it's a brew supply and hydroponic store! Basically it's a one stop DIY get-fucked-up store! Huzzah!

So you could go in there and nobody knows whether you're getting brew supplies (perfectly legal and very acceptable) or whether you're getting hydro ferts (perfectly legal, just somewhat questionable). Now all I need is my tax returns to come in, to go and get that dresser and then I'm gonna check out that store and brew some dopplebock and grow mes ome dank SWC goodness! HUZZAH!

BigToke whats with blurring out your arms? LOL

BTW I grow in a Coco/Perlite Mix. Water everyday by hand, feed canna coco nutes with ph adjusted water every third watering. Its alot of work but I don't mind working if my plants produce big ole stinky buds.

Well one thing soil has... BUFFER!

Peace and love,
Agnes

organics = life
chemicals = death