Hello, I am curious about the 2 options for my next grow. How much more beneficial is using a hyrdo operation vs a soil operation ? Im only growing for hobby, 4-8 plants. Any feed back would be appreciated.
Also when using CO2, is it supposed to be a CO2 rich environment or do you just spray the plants on a schedule ?
Thanks
I don't normally post in the newbie forum but I like this topic.
Hydro is cleaner (both in terms of grow room cleanliness and the final product), it yields more, it's completely automated, issues can be corrected instantly, less waste is produced after a 'cycle', and growth rates are wicked fast. The downside is that one usually needs to grow one strain per hydro setup given harvest times and the fact that one res feeds all plants in said setup. One can't move plants around too easily should one grow too big or get infested with pests. Hydro has a
much steeper learning curve but once things are 'dialed in', it's a cakewalk. The start up cost is pricey both in terms of the actual hydro system and the meters needed to properly run a setup.
Soil (living soil) supposedly tastes better but I never could tell the difference. One might get a good feeling knowing they're growing 'organically' but ironically organic plant foods contain more heavy metals than their mineral-derived counterparts. Plants can be moved around easily when growing in containers, one can grow multiple strains at a time, and if one plant is problematic, it can be yanked in a matter of minutes. The downside is that soil doesn't yield all that well, it's friggin dirty, bags of animal waste and slaughterhouse byproducts roughly equals the number of bottles of mineral-derived plant food bottles on the hydro side so it's not like soil is a 'KISS' method. I'd even venture to say that soil can be more expensive to run given all the amendments one needs to properly build up a good soil mixture but that depends on one's plant food choice. Savvy growers may even recycle their medium but if they don't, they've got lots of waste on hand after a plant is harvested.
I think a brilliant in-between is promix. It's not even close to 'hydro' but it has all the benefits of container gardening without the so-so yields of organics and all those organic additives. Multiple strains can be grown at once, the medium can be recycled a few times, and growth rates are pretty darn good for not being 'hydro'.
I've grown in with all three methods but these days, I stick to promix and hydro.
