The least maintanence?
- Thread starter tooldini
- Start date
LightningMcGreen
Active Member
as long as you have the necessary equipment, either/or can be totally maintenance free. im on my first grow and i went hydro, more start up cost by FAR, but i think the benefits will outweigh that. its alot easier to transport/dump water than it is large amounts of soil.
people always say start soil first then go hydro cuz hydro is alot harder to grow in. thats not true, im doin arite for my first go round i think, as long as u can follow instructions and put care into ur garden ull grow just as good as the next guy. its true that its less forgivin as far as ph buffering, but it wont take you long to get a handle on things once u get to know your plant and are able to read what theyre tellin u. also, if u choose to go dro, wat u guna do? drip irrigation, ebb & flow (check my journal, thats what i use), deep water culture, etc....
but if you take a look at some grow journals, ur more impressive grows are usually hydro/bubbleponics. yields are bigger, your able to control the parameters a little more, and without hardly any of the mess! though dont get me wrong ive seen a few bomb soil grows too...just all in how u wana invest....good luck!
people always say start soil first then go hydro cuz hydro is alot harder to grow in. thats not true, im doin arite for my first go round i think, as long as u can follow instructions and put care into ur garden ull grow just as good as the next guy. its true that its less forgivin as far as ph buffering, but it wont take you long to get a handle on things once u get to know your plant and are able to read what theyre tellin u. also, if u choose to go dro, wat u guna do? drip irrigation, ebb & flow (check my journal, thats what i use), deep water culture, etc....
but if you take a look at some grow journals, ur more impressive grows are usually hydro/bubbleponics. yields are bigger, your able to control the parameters a little more, and without hardly any of the mess! though dont get me wrong ive seen a few bomb soil grows too...just all in how u wana invest....good luck!
CLOSETGROWTH
Well-Known Member
Soil requires less maintenance by far... and much more forgiving.
Hydro yields more, but you gotta work for that yield.
Hydro yields more, but you gotta work for that yield.
Anonymouse
Active Member
Agreed, I chose Hydro and have been surprised by work involved, but it's been great. If you can tend your garden daily, it's cake.
blaze1camp
Well-Known Member
I'm new and chose soil...and i must say I'm loving it water and go...I'm in there all the time anyways so I'm going to try hydro just seems to many parts(things to go wrong)at the moment...still trying to learn the art of gardening...
LightningMcGreen
Active Member
of course, u could always do the happy medium ive heard about called the hempy bucket grow. instead of soil, just use straight perlite. its re-useable and provides excellent aeration to the roots. just be sure and cover the top with mylar or even hydroton (thats what i did) to keep algea from formin
aficionado
Active Member
Wow. Ya'll really think hydro is more work than soil? I have grown almost exclusively in soil up until recently. Hydro is once a week maintenance and I am done! No dry plants, no problems with breaking my back to move all the plants around to be sure I don't flood the grow area with the extra water. Ha! Maybe the grass is greener on the other side... pun intended. 
Anonymouse
Active Member
It's not that hydro is more 'work' per say, but it requires more attention to detail and your margin for error is smaller. My pump failed last week, my plants missed 3 waterings (about 18 hours) and looked dreadful, scared the hell out of me, but they looked much better just 30 minutes after feeding.
My garden needs tending daily, the water level drops and the ph rises as they grow fast as hell.
600w HPS, that's the one thing I wish I did do, and will when I can afford to upgrade my ballast from the 400w
My garden needs tending daily, the water level drops and the ph rises as they grow fast as hell.
600w HPS, that's the one thing I wish I did do, and will when I can afford to upgrade my ballast from the 400w
LightningMcGreen
Active Member
aeroponics ive heard is just as good as hydro, but keep in mind, you'll need more power outlets. with ebb n flow, u needa outlet for ur water heater, pump, fan(s), and light. aero/bubbleponics, you need outlets for that, PLUS more outlets/timers for ur bubble stones, air pumps, misters, etc, and keep addin for every extra reservoir you have. and i dont know from experience, but also ive heard alot of people sayin that set ups that have drip emitters or fogger nozzles tend to clog up if theyre not cleaned properly, thoroughly, and timely, especially if you use molasses feeds with your plants. but thats just heresay, i say go with wat is within ur capacity, you cant go wrong either way
Tyrannabudz
Well-Known Member
I started in soil. There are alot of variables to consider when growing hydroponically. For example, when you have an issue with your nutrients or the proper feeding of plants you have a limited amount of time to correct the issue. You also have to be confident that you are taking the correct measures to correct said issue. Otherwise your plant will suffer greatly and may die. Not to say that with the proper research that you could not be successful. When other issues arise such as essential pumps or timers crap out, unless you are wise enough to keep spares you will be having to wait until you can make it to the store. Assuming what you need can be found easily in your area. In soil you have time to correct issues that may come up as it will take a few days for an issue to completely manifest itself. Meanwhile there will be tell tale signs of an impending problem when one is imminent. I am sure you know what I am talking about.
Have you considered another option that is like growing hydro in the sense you provide all the nutrients to your plants without all the costly timers, pumps, trays, RO water purifiers. But is also like soil where you don't have to water daily. Giving you the freedom to spend time with your plants and your family. The option I speak of is peat moss. I have been using Sunshine #4 peat moss for a few harvests. I am getting much better results in the size and quality of my buds over that of Fox Farm Ocean Forest. I am using more nutes than I was with the FFOF but the difference is incredible. If you use an enzyme product in flowering this will enable you to re use the soilless medium a few times over, saving precious funds. Depending on the size of your pots one large bail of sunshine will go a long way, saving more funds. Good luck in whatever method you choose.
Have you considered another option that is like growing hydro in the sense you provide all the nutrients to your plants without all the costly timers, pumps, trays, RO water purifiers. But is also like soil where you don't have to water daily. Giving you the freedom to spend time with your plants and your family. The option I speak of is peat moss. I have been using Sunshine #4 peat moss for a few harvests. I am getting much better results in the size and quality of my buds over that of Fox Farm Ocean Forest. I am using more nutes than I was with the FFOF but the difference is incredible. If you use an enzyme product in flowering this will enable you to re use the soilless medium a few times over, saving precious funds. Depending on the size of your pots one large bail of sunshine will go a long way, saving more funds. Good luck in whatever method you choose.
WeSmkDro
Well-Known Member
dude ... growing is a beautiful thing but it is WORK. if you dont have the time to care for your plants ... dont start.