Pro's and Con's on using Hydro set up instead of dirt?

Man there are a lot of recent ebb n flow converts on here. I'm sure CC will chime in. He gas hydro dialed in many ways.... Good luck with the switch

 

it's not difficult, I've never grown in dirt but you cant screw shit up any worse than I have. and that never was that bad

 

ive done (Rdwc)Recirculating deep water culture systems which are high yielding machines but come with possible hiccups that are hard for a novice to conquer...


Regular 5gallon bucket DWC is simple as well and cheap to start out with, just need a Lowes bucket, netpot lid (6inch) an airstone and a small airpump, insert plant and your off...


Ebb n Flow tables are by far the hardest to screw up, your only introducing the nute solution every 3-4 hours and if you can keep the PH on point and are smart enough to follow a feeding regiment, then you'll grow VERY high quality dank bud....Ive seen all kinds of DIY tables but IMO, if you can pop for a table, do it, to setup a 2x4 table is about $75 for the table,$8-12 for a timer you can set every 3-4hours, $25 or cheaper for the pump, fitting kit and maybe $10 for a 30gallon dark storage container from Walmart or somewhere. So maybe $100-130 to invest in something that will return that 20 times over in the first run alone.


I use the USELESS feeding regiment and it is damn near retard proof, just follow along and youll have the best quality you've ever grown with the least amount of work

 

That's me man!! The soil seems more natural for me 'cause I've always had a green thumb with my flowers outside. But inside the damn mess is getting out of hand. After seeing a couple here, especially Mr Greenjeans grow log thread I'm convinced to give it a go.


And like CCrete suggested getting the right table designed just for that is the ticket. I've found there's only so much 'do it yourself' can save and benefit. I've walked around Walmart and Lowe's for hours looking for something to rig together to do the job. Then I realize I've spent 2 days and 50 bucks to save 100.


And there's plenty of experience and helpful advice here at GK to get us through.


Be Cool, CG

 

I'm currently growing in dirt and running a table. The table is way easier, cleaner, etc. I've also done RDWC and hempy.


Pros for dirt:


It's wholesome


Cons for dirt:


You have to physically carry your grow medium in and out. You never know exactly what you roots are getting in terms of nutrients and PH. Feeding organically can be challenging - try measuring out tablespoons of molasses 16 times (once for each gallon for each plant).


I could go on and on, but in sum unless you are doing a limited number of plants and aren't doing a perpetual harvest or running separate veg / flower rooms, hydro is way way easier.


BTW you can run organic in hydro...for those who care.

 

DO I NEED TO SAY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

growing in toilet paper


now that's something I've never seen before

 

Grows bigger buds:jj:

 

And if it's used TP, you can call it organic! :roffl: Damn T6, you got the LT wired for large buds.


Back to the topic -


Soil is more forgiving. But its also a lot more work.


Hydro is clean, easy, less work because its automated. A good feed schedule is crucial, and I think I've posted a pretty good one that's virtually fool proof.


I love my hydro set ups. I always get faster growing plants, healthier plants, bigger flowers, more potent flowers, and for sure way better bag appeal. Just my two copper pieces, but I am biased, so take it for what you will.

 

CCrete gave you a pretty good inventory of what you'll need but I found a pretty good starter table today at Home Depot. It's actually a masonry mixing tub that masons use to mix mortar in. It's 24" x 36" heavy black plastic and was under 13 bucks. Looks perfect to handle 4 plants. I got one today and the fittings for the pump and drain and the baskets. I'll do a test run tomorrow and take some pics.


Be Cool, CG

 

word from the wise.....I bought and used the same exact tub....4 of my 6 plants died....WHY? Cuz the tub has no elevated spots and my plants basically drowned themselves....if your going to run this tub setup, then get the plant into a pot of some sort to elevate it off the tub base atleast an inch or 2......and put a decent tilt on it from back to front so the water drains properly down to near nothing

 

I can vouch for the Useless Formula. Works great in dirt too. I was having some deficiencies throughout my soil pots here and there, and the day I started feeding the aforementioned Useless feeding schedule, everything started to green up and look perky and happy.


On an interesting side note, I am running a table with a 20 gallon res. I'm using RO water. When I refill the res and add my nutrients, within a day the PH is perfect, and stays perfect all week - right at 5.6-5.8 (drunk piss yellow if your using a dropper tester). Granted I'm at week 3 of veg, and the plants are small and can't drink too much and screw things up yet. But still its encouraging! No PH up or down needed at all. :thumbsup:

 

Yeah, that was a concern. I knew I didn't want any standing water left behind for the roots to be left in. I'll work on finding a rigid porous material to line the bottom that's not biodegradable. Thanks dude!! Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome. Hell, if it doesn't work I'll make the trip to buy a table and have one more litter box.


Be Cool, CG