Grow Mediums Advantages vs soil

[Gary Laser Eyes]

What are some of the pros and cons of a hydroponic set up? I was thinking of trying it soon

 

[Animatey]

It's a lot cleaner indoors. No bugs or pests.

In general plants in hydro will grow faster and larger.

Hydro also gives you more control. For example you can easily reduce EC on hot/dry days when plants are drinking more to prevent over fertilization.

Also you have more visibility into what's going on in the root zone. Checking pH or EC of the rez (and run off if doing soilless) will tell you what the EC and pH is in the root zone.

 

[Simplicio]

Autos can get huge, and we have no control over flowering, so outgrowing a tent is a frequent occurrence with hydro.
I've got a nirvana blue mystic that's 7 ft tall.
Following the VPD chart leads to profuse growth.
I've been using 15 gallon reservoirs with 2-4 plants, and large reservoirs can lead to too-tall plants.
Hydro is easier with an external storage reservoir and float valve to automatically keep reservoirs topped off.

There are some hydro-like setups that you might want to consider.
Autopots have a large following, and I'm trying the 2.2 gallon pot Easy2Grow version for a small test grow.
I don't have an opinion about autopots yet, but the consensus is that they do about as well as hydro.

 

[Diamond Dog Hair]

I agree with Animatey on the pros. The cons, depending on the system you build is the initial costs and possible equipment failure like pumps and leaks. But if you buy quality equipment and build it right lessens the chances. And i definitely agree with Simplicio on the growth.
Rhino Ryder start of week 7 in an RDWC

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

The number one reason I grow hydro is pumps. Pumps do all of the heavy lifting. I have a bad back and cannot lift even a small pot of wet soil with my arms extended. There are many styles of hydro, coco, aeroponics, Thin film, flood and drain, DWC, and rock wool with others. What style are you looking at?

Hydroponic growing is an everyday event vs. soil that can go a week or more on its own with drip irrigation.
Hydroponic can go terribly wrong in a short period of time vs. soil is slow to show problems.
Hydroponic issues can be corrected swiftly vs. soil problems are much slower to correct.

No matter what style you start with stick with it until you are successful at growing a crop. Each style has a learning curve that should be mastered. Then you can more narrowly concentrate on what the plant is telling you to really fine tune your results.

 

[Gary Laser Eyes]

Autos can get huge, and we have no control over flowering, so outgrowing a tent is a frequent occurrence with hydro.
I've got a nirvana blue mystic that's 7 ft tall.
Following the VPD chart leads to profuse growth.
I've been using 15 gallon reservoirs with 2-4 plants, and large reservoirs can lead to too-tall plants.
Hydro is easier with an external storage reservoir and float valve to automatically keep reservoirs topped off.

There are some hydro-like setups that you might want to consider.
Autopots have a large following, and I'm trying the 2.2 gallon pot Easy2Grow version for a small test grow.
I don't have an opinion about autopots yet, but the consensus is that they do about as well as hydro.

Holy shit 7 feet haha I'll definitely look into hydro seems interesting

 

[Gary Laser Eyes]

I agree with Animatey on the pros. The cons, depending on the system you build is the initial costs and possible equipment failure like pumps and leaks. But if you buy quality equipment and build it right lessens the chances. And i definitely agree with Simplicio on the growth.
Rhino Ryder start of week 7 in an RDWC View attachment 1185694

Looks huge I was thinking of doing dwc because it seems a little simpler

 

[Gary Laser Eyes]

The number one reason I grow hydro is pumps. Pumps do all of the heavy lifting. I have a bad back and cannot lift even a small pot of wet soil with my arms extended. There are many styles of hydro, coco, aeroponics, Thin film, flood and drain, DWC, and rock wool with others. What style are you looking at?

Hydroponic growing is an everyday event vs. soil that can go a week or more on its own with drip irrigation.
Hydroponic can go terribly wrong in a short period of time vs. soil is slow to show problems.
Hydroponic issues can be corrected swiftly vs. soil problems are much slower to correct.

No matter what style you start with stick with it until you are successful at growing a crop. Each style has a learning curve that should be mastered. Then you can more narrowly concentrate on what the plant is telling you to really fine tune your results.

I was thinking of dwc it seems slightly more simple than the rest. It seems with hydro there's less room for error

 

[Animatey]

I was thinking of dwc it seems slightly more simple than the rest. It seems with hydro there's less room for error

DWC is probably the largest yielding method for growing cannabis, but it's got it's own issues and learning curve. I'd say not exactly less room for error, but room for different errors.

Having roots right in the nutrient solution means special precautions need to be taken to prevent root diseases like pythium. In general you'll need to keep rez temps low (which is hard when it's hot). Most successful DWC grows I've seen use a chiller or sterilize the solution or use beneficial bacteria.

I believe in sterilizing with chlorine or chloramine based products as H202 just does not work. This means using something like Dutch Master Zone, or UC Roots, or pool shock/clorox.

Others have success with Botanicare Hydrogaurd, which is considered a beneficial bacteria.

DWC also requires solid pH, you'd need a good meter and to keep it calibrated etc.

It's a great method IMO and it's fun to watch plants grow so fast, but like every method it has its difficulties.

Good luck whatever you decide bro!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@Gary Laser Eyes read my primer on

Deep Water Culture Basics - Bubbleponics