Soil vs hydroponics for what & why?
- Thread starter IntrepidT
- Start date
DubsFan
Well-Known Member
I'm not going to take part in the "what tastes better" argument. They all produce great herb.
Vegging in hydro is no comparison to soil. I can get a two footer in hydro in two weeks. In soil its over a month. When I flower both finish about the same.
It's much easier to avoid or fix a bug problem with most types of hydro. Critters generally don't live in Rockwool but they easily live in soil. If you do have a problem in RW a pyrithrium bomb fixes everything. In soil bugs can hide from that.
Vegging in hydro is no comparison to soil. I can get a two footer in hydro in two weeks. In soil its over a month. When I flower both finish about the same.
It's much easier to avoid or fix a bug problem with most types of hydro. Critters generally don't live in Rockwool but they easily live in soil. If you do have a problem in RW a pyrithrium bomb fixes everything. In soil bugs can hide from that.
wyteberrywidow
Global
Hydro just produce growth quicker.Soil would tale a little longer.As far as the taste issue goes Ive had some soil grown better than hydro grown.
dudeoflife
Well-Known Member
Soil has a cheaper startup than most hydro techniques.
But the losses in yield over the long term will prove to be more costly than growing hydro. When done right, hydroponically grown weed will yield far greater, without any noticeable loss of quality.
That said, it's easier to get better tasting, potent bud in soil. The micronutrients are there, and you only have to keep the soil ph at around 7.0. Easy. If you don't overwater, you can get decent buds. (Don't believe all the grow hype and rumors spread by these commercial nute companies, either.)
If you're a beginner and growing hydro, you need to invest in a cheap ph meter and tds pen (at least litmus paper!) and go 3/4 of the recommended dosage for most brands. That'll be your baseline for adding for nutes, if necessary.
Obviously, hydro needs far more skill and attention to detail. The amount of time and energy you want to invest into your grow should be another cost to consider.
You can see there are pros and cons, anyway.
But the losses in yield over the long term will prove to be more costly than growing hydro. When done right, hydroponically grown weed will yield far greater, without any noticeable loss of quality.
That said, it's easier to get better tasting, potent bud in soil. The micronutrients are there, and you only have to keep the soil ph at around 7.0. Easy. If you don't overwater, you can get decent buds. (Don't believe all the grow hype and rumors spread by these commercial nute companies, either.)
If you're a beginner and growing hydro, you need to invest in a cheap ph meter and tds pen (at least litmus paper!) and go 3/4 of the recommended dosage for most brands. That'll be your baseline for adding for nutes, if necessary.
Obviously, hydro needs far more skill and attention to detail. The amount of time and energy you want to invest into your grow should be another cost to consider.
You can see there are pros and cons, anyway.
iscrog4food
Active Member
I have gone from hydro to soil and i plan to switch back to hydro. bottom line soil is forgiving but hydro is precision. If you know what you are doing and you have the precision element on your side you can definately outproduce any soil grow in hydro. As far as the taste argument goes organic soil may yield the best taste but to me potency is paramount and if i can produce more bud that is just as potent or more so with similar inputs it is a no brainer. That being said if you are new, you may just want to roll in soil or even a soilless medium to start to ensure you actually yield. If it is a just for fun project hydro for the first time is fine. IF you have your life savings wrapped up in it then i would say start with soil and slowly switch to hydro. The learning curve for hydro is steeper but in the end it is well worth it!