Hydro VS Dirt the final show down

NotMine

NotMine

Well-Known Member
Back to the topic with soil you get a ph buffer and that in it's self is a benifit to any new growers....however you have much more contol over your enviroment with hydro....and you don't have to by your soil by the truck load...meaning for any med to large set up I would think keeping enough medium around to grow in would be annoying...not to mention your neigbors might think its strange that you carry in so much soil into your house...so hydro would be better there also just my 2 cents
 
Moldy

Moldy

Well-Known Member
Wow! I've been thinking of going to hydro but I'm just a small time med grower for personal use. In my state we can't even "share" with other card holders!
I do okay in dirt but it's DIRT so I'd like to keep things cleaner. I'm thinking of starting a DWC grow. With my 3 plant limit I shouldn't get overwhelmed!! lol Thanks to Mexsin13 for starting this one!
 
mexsin13

mexsin13

Active Member
I was real lucky as a grower. I was taught to grow by my 2 uncles who have been growing for years. When i was 19 my fav uncle took me around the world to let me know that there is more to life than Burbank California. Both my uncles are from WA state "needless to say i now reside there" So the way i learned to grow has been mastered over the years. I cannot take credit for the yields i get. All i do is fallow the routine i was taught. The true master grower is my uncle. You could pick my uncle out of a crowed room. He is like 5 foot nothing fat as hell and always wears suspenders and sandals no matter what the weather. He is always working on growing new strains and adding a little more of this and a little more of that. When he has an awesome break threw moment he just tells me what to do and i listen with ears open and my mouth shut. So the true credit has to go to him..
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
DDub said:
This is way to broad of a question, there are so many variables to consider.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, many variables in so many ways.

A polished soil grower will beat a mediocre hydro grower when it comes to vigor and yield any day and vice versa. I have a sixth sense about soil and grow so fast that my plants are often ready to flower, at least 8 nodes, within 3 weeks after the seed pops the soil. Plants finish out over 42" tall indoors, some over 6' if sativas. Here is an example:
https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/9114-spin-out-chemical-root-pruning.html

I have also seen soil growers make the same mistake over and over regarding pot moisture levels, NPK values, soil components and mix, etc.

Having said that, great thread.

UB
 
mexsin13

mexsin13

Active Member
Any one have a steady Hydro set up that they have been using for more than a year? If so what types of yields do you get?
 
D

DaGambler

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
I have a pump that is hooked up to a hose for watering. When its time to water all i do is plug it in and drop the pump in to what ever reservoir I'm using that day. So its not like i use a water bucket that would be way to hard. But i guess your right the only real way to know for sure is to try one for my self
Click to expand...
ah :D that didn't occur to me... and i'm doing the same thing myself ! (hose with a on/off valve at the tip hooked up to a water pump that i drop into the 44 gal. rez)

(EDIT) i'm assuming your avatar is one of the flower rooms. looks pretty straight forward. could you lay out your veg/clone/mother setup. also.... a bit sensitive question: how are you pulling so much juice (electric) without getting attention ?!
 
mexsin13

mexsin13

Active Member
At the moment i have 8 diff strains my 3 best are MR. NICE G13 X HASH PLANT-----JACK HERER ----ED ROSENTHAL SUPER BUD. I get all my seeds from http://www.sensiseeds.com/default.asp?L=1 The only down side is they will not ship to the US at all. So unless you have a friend that lives over seas "lucky me" or plan to travel you can not get there seeds. For my main 3 strains i keep 4 mothers of each kind. I can usually get 20 to 30 cuttings from 1 mother if needed. As for the other 5 strains i have, I only keep 1 mother of each kind. I use root tone to take my cuttings and i rarely lose cuttings. After i get my roots holding in pete pellets i transfer to 1 gallon pots until they get about 18 inches tall. After they are all about 18 inches tall they are ready to be transfered one more time to 7 gallon containers. It usually take me two and a half to three months to bud. As far and my juice i use all gas appliances. And i installed Solar Panels from http://www.solarhome.org/ The whole set up cost me almost 10 grand but it just about wiped out my electricity bill. The cost up front was expensive but in the end my power bill for 2 months is only 83 dollars.
 
itzCESAR*

itzCESAR*

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
At the moment i have 8 diff strains my 3 best are MR. NICE G13 X HASH PLANT-----JACK HERER ----ED ROSENTHAL SUPER BUD. I get all my seeds from http://www.sensiseeds.com/default.asp?L=1 The only down side is they will not ship to the US at all. So unless you have a friend that lives over seas "lucky me" or plan to travel you can not get there seeds. For my main 3 strains i keep 4 mothers of each kind. I can usually get 20 to 30 cuttings from 1 mother if needed. As for the other 5 strains i have, I only keep 1 mother of each kind. I use root tone to take my cuttings and i rarely lose cuttings. After i get my roots holding in pete pellets i transfer to 1 gallon pots until they get about 18 inches tall. After they are all about 18 inches tall they are ready to be transfered one more time to 7 gallon containers. It usually take me two and a half to three months to bud. As far and my juice i use all gas appliances. And i installed Solar Panels from http://www.solarhome.org/ The whole set up cost me almost 10 grand but it just about wiped out my electricity bill. The cost up front was expensive but in the end my power bill for 2 months is only 83 dollars.
Click to expand...
You my friend are GOD-LIKE :clap:
 
Ramona's

Ramona's

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
If the variables of hydro change that much maybe i am better off with sticking to dirt. I understand the variable of the persons experience and the Strain... But once you have your system in place and your routine down and the strains that you want the out come should be pretty much the same. Unless you go off the deep end and find your self experimenting every time you decide to grow. And if thats the case I was hoping for some feed back from a few guys who have a good hydro setup that they have stuck with for more than a year.
Click to expand...

i'll just put it this way....hydro will grow your ish bigger and faster. Ive been a soil guy for a very long time too, and recently changed my soil plants to a DWC. in 2 days it had a freak growth spurt. roots are constantly submerged in the nutrient solution, and the bubbler is constantly providing tons of oxygen. basically the roots are getting everything they want, all the time, and large amounts of it. its ridiculous how awesome they are. but for your size i would recomend a drip or bottom spray method. only thing i worry about with bottom sprays is roots clogging the spray nozzel.

hope that helps
 
macdadyabc

macdadyabc

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
And i installed Solar Panels from http://www.solarhome.org/ The whole set up cost me almost 10 grand but it just about wiped out my electricity bill. The cost up front was expensive but in the end my power bill for 2 months is only 83 dollars.
Click to expand...
so how long do you think it will take for the electric bill savings to equal the cost of all the panels? My dad just got his LEED Aplication for inspecting and certifing buildings as eco freindly, so he is into all the green stuff, but we havnt done any green improvements with our house. Once i move out, though, he can get me a deal on some panels to power the grow (im his supplier) ha
 
mexsin13

mexsin13

Active Member
I have had the solar set up for 7 months and i figure 9 more months it will have paid for it self. My bill before my solar set up was installed was 900 dollars every 2 months
 
Ramona's

Ramona's

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
I have had the solar set up for 7 months and i figure 9 more months it will have paid for it self. My bill before my solar set up was installed was 900 dollars every 2 months
Click to expand...
ouch.

i dont pay for electricity. its included. i pay for water and gas and thats how they rape me.
 
macdadyabc

macdadyabc

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
I have had the solar set up for 7 months and i figure 9 more months it will have paid for it self. My bill before my solar set up was installed was 900 dollars every 2 months
Click to expand...
aight, thats way better than i expected. I know its well worth it. After highschool, i wanna move to a 3rd world country in north or south america, and build a house, and just live there and grow for atleast a couple years. Families in mexico live off of $2000 usd a year.
 
DaveTheNewbie

DaveTheNewbie

Well-Known Member
macdadyabc said:
After highschool, i wanna move to a 3rd world country in north or south america, and build a house, and just live there and grow for atleast a couple years. Families in mexico live off of $2000 usd a year.
Click to expand...
and move large volumes of illegal over the border ?

no thanks.
 
itzCESAR*

itzCESAR*

Well-Known Member
mexsin13 said:
Yea investing in a solar system to cut down the cost is the best way to go when it comes to growing
Click to expand...
Well most ppl here are hobbyists, sounds like you made a profession out of it. In such instances I could not oversee what substantial costs are involved.
 
NotMine

NotMine

Well-Known Member
Hey sounds alot more productive than most hobbies not to mention cutting cost by not buying herbs...and back to topic I also agree dirt/organic pot taste alot better than chemical however now they have organic BASED hydro solutions and taste is better still not dirt but close taste wise. I also grow outdoors in summer and love messing with diffrent soils but hey I am bored but I live my life just how I want and always have fun doing it GROW ON!! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top