Hi,I have a few questions concerning hydro. Well, I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to hydroponics but I'm growing in soil right now, so I'm not a complete beginner when it comes to our friend MJ. Anyways, I was wondering about the benefits of hydro. I have heard a lot of people talk about it, but I have not heard why it is so popular. Do the plants grow faster? Are they more potent? Better tasting? Bigger yield? It looks like a very interesting method to grow weed and I could be making a switch in the future, but right now I'm getting the science of organics down it soil. I would really appricate any help from anyone.Also, I'm not sure if this is in the right forum, so mods, corrert me if I'm wrong
Hydro grows plants bigger faster. I grew in soil indoors for several years. One day a friend was over and helped me put some rooted clones in soil and other rooted clones (same strains; in fact same mom) in my brand-new hydro set-up. I was amazed at how much better the plants in hydro grew. Faster and lush, while my soil grows were still poking along as usual. My friend came back over a few weeks later and kept saying "you switched those plants we put in hydro with bigger plants". What it won't do: It won't shorten flowering time. The buds won't be more potent. Maybe: some people claim they get slightly bigger buds from hydro, and some say the taste of soil-grown plants are better.
A thought, Given it is accepted that with correct feed in hydroponics a plant grows quicker. Under the same light regime the hydro plant performs better, does more of the conversion from feed/light/co2 etc. So, to get the same grow from a soil plant the daily cycle would have to be longer. And , thus, to get the hydro to perform the same as the soil plant the daily cycle would have to be cut. During flowering the 12hrs of light to a soil plant will give less growth than the hydro, so the hydro could be cut down to produce the same growth as the soil. If say the hydro is 25% better than the soil, then the flower light cycle could be cut by 25%. They should then both be equal grows in terms of 'work done by plant'. Keeping the dark cycle at 12hrs the hydro would reduce the cycle by 3hrs per 'day'. The hydro day could be 12hrs darkness then only 9 hrs light, a 21 hour day! Say 60 days flowering under 12/12 in soil, then hydro may reduce that to 50 days. So in argument to rangers point: '' What it won't do: It won't shorten flowering time. The buds won't be more potent. '' Give the plants 55 days in hydro under 21hr day cycle and they will be flowered quicker and more potent, ( every extra week helps). Well, I think so anyway. And will try it too!! One day
