Soil vs Hydro?

[MaRiJuAnA MaDnEsS]

I know I know, theres probably a millions threads on this topic, but i seriously couldn't find any by searching on this site. Plus, I wanted a thread of my own of this topic to ask my own noobish questions.

So why hydro over soil? Or why soil over hydro? I'm going to start my first solo medical grow and I can't decide. I can def do hydro (it's not to hard or complicated for me) I'v done both hydro and soil. But am still very amateur. So far I feel that hydro does grow faster and usually yields more potent buds. But soil I have seen some straight dank! But, feel that it might grow slower. So i couldn't decide over my nutshell thinking 1. Grow hydro where it cost more and takes more to maintain, but i'll get a harvest about a month or two faster than soil. Or 2. Grow soil, don't have to spend to much at all to maintain them (all of this applys to excluding pg&e meaning expenses of nutes, water, etc.) But will take about 1 to 2 months longer and possibly a lower yield. What do yall think? Anything will do, thanks.

 

[694]

Man that is a decision you have to make. I do hydro cuz I love messing wit the nutes and lights. I took an old phototron and converted it to ebb and flow and grew some great stuff in there. Added some cfl's and a few other additions and kept me and my friends satisfied until I went away for a weekend and a timer went south. I did a couple soil grows, just wasn't as much fun. They grew, they stank up the whole house, and like you say, they took longer.For me, hydro is the way to go. I am adding t5 to the mix and sort of opening up the tron this next time. will use the curcular flourescents from the tron, some cfl;s and the t5 and see what I get I used Techniflora
a recipe for success last couple grows and had good success with it. Grew bubblelicious that would knock your sox off. Everone wanted more. Might try another nute this next go round. I say hydro all the way..

 

[Hushpuppy]

I love hydro I feel like it is more interesting and more hands on than soil. If you want a challenge or are tired of the current setup you can change to a different type of hydro setup(yeah it does take a little bit of money to change things) but if you are the tinkering type of person who likes to keep yer hands in it, then hydro is the way to go.

I can see where hydro would be a little faster than soil but probably not that much difference in the quality and yeild. That probably depends more on how well you work each type of setup and how experienced you are with each type of setup.

I think the big thing that makes me fear soil and like hydro is the fact that if something gets out of wack in the soil, it takes a while for the plants to show it, then you have to be really good at diagnosing problems and then when the fix is applied it takes a while for it to take affect. While in hydro, if anything goes wrong you can test the water and/or medium, look at the roots, and apply the solution and know within hours if that is the correct answer.

I tell people, "the best thing about hydro is that everything happens fast, and the worst thing about hydro is that everything happens fast. If you are a "hands off" type of person who likes to get it going and then step back and just watch it go, then soil is more the thing for you. But if you like getting yer hands in it constantly then hydro is the way for you.

 

[dman1234]

IMO, they are both fine choices,

I do not believe you will harvest a month or two sooner with hydro at all, 2 weeks sooner with clones and the same time as soil with seeds, jmo.

 

[Budders Keeper]

I like hydro simply because it is more fun to me, and it makes me think more.

 

[Hick]

I know I know, theres probably a millions threads on this topic, but i seriously couldn't find any by searching on this site. Plus, I wanted a thread of my own of this topic to ask my own noobish questions.

So why hydro over soil? Or why soil over hydro? I'm going to start my first solo medical grow and I can't decide. I can def do hydro (it's not to hard or complicated for me) I'v done both hydro and soil. But am still very amateur. So far I feel that hydro does grow faster and usually yields more potent buds. But soil I have seen some straight dank! But, feel that it might grow slower. So i couldn't decide over my nutshell thinking 1. Grow hydro where it cost more and takes more to maintain, but i'll get a harvest about a month or two faster than soil. Or 2. Grow soil, don't have to spend to much at all to maintain them (all of this applys to excluding pg&e meaning expenses of nutes, water, etc.) But will take about 1 to 2 months longer and possibly a lower yield. What do yall think? Anything will do, thanks.

Hydro allegedly grows a bit faster than soil, no way is it going to cut your harvest by " month or two", and as far as 'more yeild' or 'more potent', "I" believe is nothing but a misconception and/or misinformation.
You cannot 'force' the plants to do more than you provide resources for. or than it is capable of. ie... if you provide nutes, light, ect. at maximum levels that the plant can utilize, it is going to produce equally well in either medium.
"My" personal preference is dirt. And that is what it boils down to, 'personal preference'.

 

[4u2sm0ke]

I like dirt under me nails


what ever you decide....Have fun

take care and be safe:bolt::bong:

 

[Rosebud]

I am an organic dirt farmer and like it 90 % of the time. I haven't done hydro. I love the dirt.

 

[NorCalHal]

I will embrace my "job" here as Devil's advocate.

Lets take 2 clones that are the same genetics. Clone A and Clone B


Clone A gets placed in soil, and Clone B gets placed in DWC.
Both clones are in the same room with the same conditions.
Both clones are Vegged for the same time and flipped the same day.

Clone B will produce more due soley to the fact that it will be bigger because the root zone had more aeration and the plant grew faster and more robust.

The Quality will be the same, imo.

If you spent extra time and let Plant A become as big as Plant B at the time of flip, then they would be pretty equal as far as yeild...maybe. Plant B will still have the advantage of higher aeration throughout the flower cycle, where Plant B will not.

All how you look at it I guess.

 

[HemperFi]

Not how you look at it at all -- what you state are facts -- undeniable facts, but I love dirt -- I like to get dirty -- squeeze it between my finger and smell its fecundity, and I like to sit back and watch the plants grow without being able to look up their skirts -- all those roots scare me

Peace

 

[akhockey]

I do both. Organic soil. Chem hydro. I enjoy being well rounded. Personally hydro seems to yield more only imo because you can maximize nute intake in hydro where soil is a little more difficult to accomplish this. Granted i mean more by a small margin.

 

[MaRiJuAnA MaDnEsS]

I love hydro
I tell people, "the best thing about hydro is that everything happens fast, and the worst thing about hydro is that everything happens fast. If you are a "hands off" type of person who likes to get it going and then step back and just watch it go, then soil is more the thing for you. But if you like getting yer hands in it constantly then hydro is the way for you.

I am so like that too, I def wanna do hydro, but felt that I lack the money to fund it ATM. But, depending on how much I lean towards it, I might muster up a way. Plus do work full time and go to school full time... So therefore i think soil might be better for my situation as of right now.

Hydro allegedly grows a bit faster than soil, no way is it going to cut your harvest by " month or two", and as far as 'more yeild' or 'more potent', "I" believe is nothing but a misconception and/or misinformation.
You cannot 'force' the plants to do more than you provide resources for. or than it is capable of. ie... if you provide nutes, light, ect. at maximum levels that the plant can utilize, it is going to produce equally well in either medium.
"My" personal preference is dirt. And that is what it boils down to, 'personal preference'.

Wow! Straight words of wisdom right there lol!!! I couldn't agree with you more about the fact that growing is personal preference... Me and my friend in the past tried teaming up, and it didn't work at all because his preference was diff then mine. Even though he seriously didn't know anything at all lol, just had some space....But yet, somehow thought he knew everything lol.


Wow and thanks to all of you'r reply's! so much help here!!

So, so far I am leaning more towards soil for a couple harvests, and then when i can afford it, will probably switch to hydro or do both. So now that I'v decided that, and please don't let this question throw off the topic I def want to hear more people's opinions and facts on hydro vs soil. But, When gettin the soil, i am going to buy Fox Farm Ocean forest with blood bone and kelp and w/e The guy at the hydro store told me it was the best for growing marijuana. So my question is this, should i just use only the soil? Or would mixing something else in there be better? Like dolomite lime, or molasses or something? I mean of course I will still feed with nutes, but for the soil mixture what ya think?

 

[MaRiJuAnA MaDnEsS]

.... wow.... anyone???? Should i use just plain fox farm, or mix it in with some other things?

 

[Rosebud]

Fox farm ocean forest is good soil. I used it straight and had no problems. You will need to add some nutrition around week 4-5 as the nutes in the ff will not last the whole grow.

Green mojo to you madness.

 

[MaRiJuAnA MaDnEsS]

Fox farm ocean forest is good soil. I used it straight and had no problems. You will need to add some nutrition around week 4-5 as the nutes in the ff will not last the whole grow.

Green mojo to you madness.

Thanks dude! right on, would adding some lime to it be a bad idea?? I do have other nutes that i mix with water and feed em with

 

[ozzydiodude]

I add lime to everything I mix as far as soil mixes go

 

[orangesunshine]

although i have never attempted hydro---i am in dirt because that is the school i went to---supposedly more forgiving in mistakes you might make in overfeeding---just because you are in dirt does not mean you can "set it and forget it"---still lots to do---imo there is definitely a difference in taste of your harvest and some even say hydro weed burns faster due to the chemicals used in the grow

 

[kiksroks]

I am still pretty noobish but have been producing "epic" buds, IMO, for a bit now. I use FFOF but I mix in some perlite, dolomite lime, and BT. I usually buy a 12 qt bag of perlite for every 1.5cuft bag of ocean forest I also add 1 cup of dolomite lime per cuft of soil mix and throw in a moistened/crumbled mosquito dunk or 2 and just mix it all up. I use the FF trio, using their feeding schedule as a guideline, and usually start feeding in the 3rd week after transplanting. I start slow and work them up to full strength through flower.

So basically my FFOF based soil mix consists of:

1) 1.5cuft of FFOF
1) 12qt bag of Black Gold Perlite (mainly because it is cheap and available where I buy my soil)
2) cups ground dolomite lime (this is the powdered lime, looks like cement without sand or gravel)
1) Mosquito Dunk (soaked in water long enough to crumble easily)

Pretty simple and effective. Some people go up to 50% perlite but I wouldn't want to water much more than I do now, about every 4-5 days. I am currently using 5 gal nursery pots but they are getting smaller and smaller as the way I grow, clones flowered at around 10", doesn't really require a large pot. Also once I start feeding I usually feed every watering unless the girls protest. Some will, some won't.

 

[EsC420PoT]

wow thanks guys tons of help ! And Thanks Kikroks, i'll definitely use your mixture, it seriously sounds like one i wanted to do before i was even thinking about it, just didn't know the measurements lol.

 

[mslady_1983]

ive read alot on why people grow hydro vs soil. my question to everyone is if you grow the same strain in hydro and soil could you tell the difference in the buds. i heard that hydro buds are harder than soil grown buds. could i please hear what everyone has to think about this subject