Hydro?

[StillHigh1982]

Been growing in soil and smart pots with good results, getting tired of hand watering and wanting to scale up again. For all you hydro growers, do you find hydro to be more or less work than soil? I have read that yeild is better too, has this been your experience? What's your biggest ass pain with the hydro?

[CaptainWiese91]

I want the same answers. I’m a soil grower on 8 years now.
but one thing I know.
the yield doesn’t have to be more than soil. I can totally se that in here on the forum. I achieve the same or more than hydro growers. It’s all about experience in my opinion...

[DW2]

Howdy StillHigh1982, I have been growing in a DWC setup for several years now, I can not give You a good comparison of the differences between the two methods because I never had and luck with growing in soil! The hydroponics is the only way that I have had any success at all. Even with a garden, years ago, when the plants were doing well, some critter(s) would come by and eat the plants!
You do get better (stronger) taste and aroma from soil grows when compared to hydro, but the hydro is faster to harvest (usually 20 to 23 weeks).

[FunkyButtLovin]

You don't necessarily yield more but when you get things dialed in you can get the same results faster with hydroponics.

[CaptainWiese91]

Exactly! My point

[cybersmib]

in my limited experience with hydro when its good its great. When you screw up, it tends to be immediately reflected in the plant. Biggest issue i have had with hydro is staying on top of ph. Nothing goes in the bucket without ensuring pH and I check balance pH at least every other day if not more. I have noticed that my pH will increase over time so I like to adjust my pH to the 5.5-5.7 range assuming as the pH increases different nutes will become more available at different pH's

[DW2]

Howdy cybersmib, I would not recommend 'chasing' the pH up and down during the grow because as the plants take up the nutriments and water, the pH change.s I check pH of the runoff or drainage at the reservoir change each week to keep tabs on how the plants are doing. I only adjust the pH of the nutrient mix and the top off water at mid feed. Different minerals are absorbed by the plants at different pH levels, so ,in theory, One could cause a deficiency by maintaining a singular pH level.
Several grows back, I almost killed all of my plants by 'chasing the pH'. I have found that letting the pH fluctuate between 5.5 and 6.5 the plants do better and I have less stress.

[RagWeedDWC]

I grew in soil in the same space I currently grow in hydro. When growing in dirt it was case of cloning, vegging and flowering while keeping a mother alive in the same space. So with that being said and the new autoseeds probably not a fair comparison from me.

I find it easier to stagger grows, maintain a good environment and over all per year a better yield. expensive to get started, but check out a couple of my journals and you can make a lot of your own system. I think a lot of us do.

Nutshell comment, I will never go back to growing in soil, DWC is the only way for me :-)

[StillHigh1982]

Thanks for the info guys/gals. I'm looking at kits online now, it will be several weeks of research before a purchase but I'm gonna try it out. If anyone has a good setup or one that they dont recommend I'd love to know.

[Poppa]

I only started growing last year and so far only used the setup I started out with incorporating modifications or additions to fit me. That said I used Sirius's https://www.growweedeasy.com/how-sirius-grows and also https://www.growweedeasy.com/high-yi...nics-technique read those, then check out how others are doing it here there's some interesting setups on this forum.

[RetiredGuy]

I have a Supercloset DWC. Reservoir changes are a pain. If I was starting over I would look at RDWC which would make changes easier and also give you an option to add a cooler if required.

[StillHigh1982]

Noted. Thanks!

[RagWeedDWC]

I wish I had the room for RDWC, just for the reasons stated above.

[Rj420]

[Rj420]

2 five gal bucket, 2 6in net pots, 2 100gal aquarium pump, 2 air stones per bucket. Got everything at Home Depot and a pet store about 45$

[Eliot Pryor]

I have a lot of respect for people that can grow in soil. I done it. Once. You have day and night. That is the difference between soil and hydro. Speed baby. I grow pot to smoke. I grow as fast and as much as possible. The quality and quantity are in the genetics of the seed. I use 5 gallon buckets with 1 airstone and one submersible pump. Maybe $30 in each. 5 inch net pots. After you go hydro you will ask yourself "why did I ever play in the dirt ?" Have fun !!

[StillHigh1982]

If you guys were buying a new RDWC with a budget of about 500 bucks which ones would you choose? I have a 5x10x7 flower tent with room outside for the reservoir. I'm wanting to do 4 plants hydro and 4 in soil for a bit until I'm comfortable with the hydro.

[cybersmib]

http://shop.pahydroponics.com/stirpo...eatured&page=1 You didn't say anything specific about the size of the system. These guys will build it for you or supply with the parts if you are willing to invest in some sweat equity.

[Tersky]

IMO hydro is more work than soil. The main reason i switched to coco from hydro was because i got tired of testing ph twice a day and sometimes i would have ph swings for unknown reasons. The thing i like about hydro and coco vs soil is that the plants grown noticeably faster, however they also show issues faster so you have to stay on top of everything. For someone who already has a good understanding of how to grow i dont think it will be too difficult to get the hang of but for a novice (like i was when i tried hydro) it can seem a bit overwhelming. If you go the hydro route it pays to know your way around ppms/EC as that can be a diagnostic tool. Also make sure to keep res water between 65 F and 72 F to make sure diffused oxygen is correct range and to keep bacterial growth at min. And one more tip is to make sure res is clean as root rot is more of a thing i have found in hydro.