Hi first post here,
After reading this gentleman's post I can't believe nobody caught on. He said 600ppm. This is one of the main keys in hydro that a lot of people don't realize. I see people run solutions at 1000, 1200, 1800 ppm which is just a huge waste of nutrients. This fellow knows his shit and I commend you sir!
Hydro vs. Soil. Depends on what you like. Hydro growers tend to be the ones that like to spend time with their grow and understand the fine nuances of growing. Each grow they fine tune and learn the plant and the various techniques at their disposal that better suit their goals. Hydro is a very "stylish" way of growing, by that I mean every hydro grower has their own way of doing things that better connects them to their passion. It moves from a craft to an art. Hydro guys like to "tinker" and get into the "zone" when they contemplate their next move whether it be to add something new, change ph, or whatever variable we like to mess with. It's just freaking fun.
This is not to say that soil growers aren't connected to their grow. A good soil grower will search high and low for the best ingredients available. They learn watering schedules and when deficiencies kick in and how to fix them and in the long run how to avoid them. Soil growers like to bring the outdoors indoors. Perhaps they feel it is more ethical to grow in a medium that the plant grows naturally in.
Either way it all depends on the grower and how they were indoctrinated into this endeavor. I have seen spectacular results either way.
I am dyed-in-the-wool hydro. In my opinion there is no better, cleaner, funner way to grow. Once a person gets over the mindset that you have to buy the most expensive solutions and additives and that there is a lot of hype out there then hydro is the most rewarding. I love instant gratification and hydro gives this to me. I can see the results of a change within 24-48 hours. I like learning the chemistry behind growing and if you take hydro seriously then it's imperative to know some chemistry. These are just some a few of the reasons I have chosen the hydro lifestyle.
However, my hats of to you guys that have your organic soil grows down to a science. I have never seen an organic hydro grow in my life though. I have seen people call hydro grows "organic" but they are not.
Organic vs. Inorganic. Sorry to break it to some of you but plants dont assimilate organic ions. Good organic growers understand this. Organic growers don't cultivate plants, they cultivate soil. The keep their "micro-beasties" happy which in turn keep their plants happy. In hydroponics we eliminate the micro-beasties and all that work is done in a lab.
The debate of taste and all that other nonsense is easily solved by what forgetiwashere said. Don't run so hot and learn how to flush properly. Treat flushing as if it were a feeding and no worries.
Really I could give two shits about how anyone grows as long as they are happy doing it. It is important though, to understand terminology if you want to debate the other side. Understand what hyro vs. soil means. And for Dog's sake learn what "organic" means.
Hydro 4 Life!
