Pros & Cons: Soil Vs. Hydro?

[WET]

Very interesting. How does one cook soil? This a new concept all together for me.

oops, I'm always careful not to use slang or trendy industry terms. Cooking is just what some soil growers call composting their nutrients. It's essentially just a short (or long) time frame that allows the nutrients to break down in the soil. Not integrating the nutrients properly results in really hot soil....even for larger plants. I 'cook' mine for 10-14 days and clones do fine. Any less than a week would be malpractice imo.

 

A good measure of proper breakdown is smell. If it smells gaseous, not done. Smells like dirt when it's ready but never before.

 

Wet

[Wild Bill]

Sweeeet!! And thanks for the visual, WB. Is this a setup that you actually constructed yourself or can one purchase this sort of thing online? How would you compare "self-made" configurations to the ones that only need to be assembled?

 

I make my own stuff whenever possible. The barrel was salvaged from a car wash (it used to be my rain barrel in it's previous life) and the buckets are cat litter buckets.  The hose and fittings come from the grow store.

 

My favorite fert is Dyna-Gro at a rate of 1 to 2 cups per 50 gal. Very simple. I use their Grow and Bloom along with Pro-tekt which is a potassium and silicon supplement and Mag-Pro as a blossom booster.

 

I've never used a commercial setup but my guess would be that they're prettier and more expensive.

[Willy]

Right on, Willy. I like the idea of being able to take a little vacay every now and then without having to worry if my girls will be alright. (A reliable babysitter can be tough to find ) Initially, it was the rapid growth rates produced by hydro that peaked my interest. Outside of power failures, what would you say are some of the most common problems faced by hydroponics grower?

haha ok its not much of a vacation, a long weekend is bout max.. you run into ph spikes an crashes.. next in line is a possible leak in the system, anywere is a bad deal.. once you have one or two you dont have them again, if yu fixed it well,. 

ya max growth is outta this world.. system water needs to be changed out every two or three weeks, that can be hard on nutz..get a real good meter for ph and ppm, hydro you dont just want it ,, you realllly need them,,

I made mine from store bought aparts and cost approx 700.00 ++ fans, pumps lights etc..so closer to 1000.00 complete.. and then extra is ac/ dehuey, ... plus a cloner is handy , that can cause a new guy a few issues.. 

[medmanmike]

Yup, dirt. (I'm still getting familiar with all the terms and grow jargon  ) How often do you have problems with bugs and diseases? Is this a common occurrence using dirt as a medium?

The only issue I've had through six grows is I had some plants outside (clones, waiting for space in the basement) and they were infested with scale when I brought them in.  I used Azamax (organic) which took care of them.

 

I use the "High Brix" method via Doc Bud at 420magazine.com  The soil and plants are so healthy that pests are rarely an issue.  Take a look at some of Doc's journals if you're interested.    

 

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/journals-in-progress/183995-doc-bud-high-brix-q-pictures.html

 

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/organic-hi-brix/179834-lab-doc-bud.html

[pic book]

hydro is gods way of making outdoor yields indoors.  if you don't need outdoor size-yields, go soil indoors.  But if you want to get the yields of 60 plants from 6, go hydro.  if plant count matters, go hydro.

the dutch bato bucket was the origin of hydro, and has largely been abandoned in holland, cause 5,000 plants in a dutch warehouse gets you maybe, a year locked up.

It's diff in some places in the us where count rules.

[pic book]

as for organic in hydro, sf organics is cold hydrolysed fish.  don't seem any body notices, all this braying about all hydro is , is nasty salts.

[phaquetoo]

I see fewer insects with hydro than with soil. I know people who firmly believe that their infestations came from soil purchased at a grow store.

 

 

My bubble buckets are connected by tubing. One bucket doesn't contain plants but has a float valve similar to the ones that are in toilets. This bucket controls the water level.

 

The water enters this bucket from the 50 gal. drum. The float is set to let in water when it gets down below the level desired just below the net pots. Since water seeks the same level in all buckets all of them stay the same.

 

I do need to set the lights higher to make sure the plants don't grow up into the lights while I'm gone. I recently had to go out of town unexpectedly and didn't get back for a month.

 

One plant fell over from the weight but fortunately the roots stayed in the water and it didn't die. (a little misshapen though, like a bonsai tree)

 

I wouldn't recommend leaving them unattended for that long but it is possible in a pinch.

 

It's essentially this system but with bubble buckets instead of pots.

 

That's awsome w.b!

 

I wish I would have seen this before I quit dwc and switched back to dirt!  Now I switched from dirt and went back to c.g

 

I can be on vacation all yr long lol, but I will def let my c.g go on vac also, anytime he needs help I will be there for him, my last plant, green crack gave me 7 zips of mostly cola's and 4 zips of awsome popcorn budds and sugar leaf for my 2 lb's of butter I will use by the time I get my next  plant!

 

During my time of dwc I figured out all of them things I didnt think I needed to learn in school, were worth learning!

 

Peace

[Alleyenoisdope]

Cocogro by Botanicare is a good consistent product, better than most of the options.

 

If you set up automatic watering with basket drippers, watering to runoff twice per day, you'll be able to take vacations if desired. If twice per day is too frequent, reduce the container size. With straight coco, you can use half the rootspace of peat-based soilless methods.

 

Gotcha. How does Coco compare to Hydroton? I think I've just about narrowed it down to these two mediums.

[Alleyenoisdope]

So I finally jumped off the porch!!   Just this past weekend I ordered a few nifty pieces to build my very own rdwc system. Should be here sometime early next week. I will be sure to keep you all updated!! As a side note, I would like to thank everyone for their much needed help and support.

 

Peace & Salutations 

 

-AENID

[Willy]

Gotcha. How does Coco compare to Hydroton? I think I've just about narrowed it down to these two mediums.

ive use hydroton for as long as i can remember since i went wet.. works for me an is reusable simply by washing it off and a dab of bleach then sun dry...I have had the same  bag for 7 yrs and its still going strong..

Edited June 29, 2016 by Willy

[pergamum362]

ive use hydroton for as long as i can remember since i went wet.. works for me an is reusable simply by washing it off and a dab of bleach then sun dry...I have had the same  bag for 7 yrs and its still going strong..

i still find pepples here and there from when i used it 5 years or so ago...

[+Malamute]

So I finally jumped off the porch!!   Just this past weekend I ordered a few nifty pieces to build my very own rdwc system. Should be here sometime early next week. I will be sure to keep you all updated!! As a side note, I would like to thank everyone for their much needed help and support.

 

Peace & Salutations 

 

-AENID

 

Happy growing...

[Alleyenoisdope]

ive use hydroton for as long as i can remember since i went wet.. works for me an is reusable simply by washing it off and a dab of bleach then sun dry...I have had the same  bag for 7 yrs and its still going strong..

Good to know.Thanks,Will. Also, how do you go about washing yours? I've seen various methods. Ranging from using a strainer in the kitchen sink,all the way to throwing them in washing machine.

[Highlander]

Make sure you rinse the hydroton well before the first use or you'll get a lot of sediment in your buckets. I used to use hydroton but got sick of chasing spilled pellets all over the place. That and the washing. I switched to bare root (in DWC) and have never looked back. Another advantage to bare root is you can take the plant out of the bucket and dunk it in water or flip it upside down and hose it off to combat pests.

[Alleyenoisdope]

Make sure you rinse the hydroton well before the first use or you'll get a lot of sediment in your buckets. I used to use hydroton but got sick of chasing spilled pellets all over the place. That and the washing. I switched to bare root (in DWC) and have never looked back. Another advantage to bare root is you can take the plant out of the bucket and dunk it in water or flip it upside down and hose it off to combat pests.

 

I was curious about "bare rooting." What do you use to hold the plant in place? Are the roots more fragile with this method?

[Highlander]

I was curious about "bare rooting." What do you use to hold the plant in place? Are the roots more fragile with this method?

Use a five gallon bucket lid with a 1 7/8" hole drilled in it and a 2" net pot with a foam insert. Same as you'd use in an easy cloner. The net pot comes right out of the cloner and into the bucket lid. I also use lids with anywhere from five to nine holes in them to fit multiple small plants in one bucket. I use five gallon buckets for bigger plants and three gallon buckets for the smaller ones so the roots are closer to the water. I never had an issue with fragile roots.

[Willy]

Good to know.Thanks,Will. Also, how do you go about washing yours? I've seen various methods. Ranging from using a strainer in the kitchen sink,all the way to throwing them in washing machine.

I have a big tote from dollar general, i thow them in it cover with water n couple tbls spoons of bleach then hand stir it around , sh it floats up to the top i just pick the big stuff up, the little stuff i dont sweat.. then i dump the water out,  dump hydroton onto a tarp,,, also from , dollar general.. once it dries and during the process i stir it around so it all gets a bit of sun.. when dry put it in to 5g buckets..sunlight removes bleach.. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Willy

[Willy]

Use a five gallon bucket lid with a 1 7/8" hole drilled in it and a 2" net pot with a foam insert. Same as you'd use in an easy cloner. The net pot comes right out of the cloner and into the bucket lid. I also use lids with anywhere from five to nine holes in them to fit multiple small plants in one bucket. I use five gallon buckets for bigger plants and three gallon buckets for the smaller ones so the roots are closer to the water. I never had an issue with fragile roots.

Essentially hydro is all bare root., LOL i put the hydroton in just to cover the first few inches of rock wool in seedling cup,,) the roots grow thru that net pot fast and the weight holds them upright but when they get extra big, ( i grow em big) they tend to fall over if i dont tie them up, I do add additional hydroton to help stablilze ,,  but tieing is a must for 5 fters,, I tried the rubber puck deal, but i found that they crushed the stem and i quit using them.. ( likely my own fault) i had bad luck with cloning them that way also.,. just me, we all have oiur favorite ways..

[Wild Bill]

I sterilize my hydroton in the oven, 350 deg. for 1/2 hour.

[Alleyenoisdope]

I have a big tote from dollar general, i thow them in it cover with water n couple tbls spoons of bleach then hand stir it around , sh it floats up to the top i just pick the big stuff up, the little stuff i dont sweat.. then i dump the water out,  dump hydroton onto a tarp,,, also from , dollar general.. once it dries and during the process i stir it around so it all gets a bit of sun.. when dry put it in to 5g buckets..sunlight removes bleach.. 

 

Sounds fairly simple. I think I'll give it a try.

[Alleyenoisdope]

I sterilize my hydroton in the oven, 350 deg. for 1/2 hour.

 

Sounds fairly reasonable, as well. Thanks for the tip, WB.

[zaphod]

ive use hydroton for as long as i can remember since i went wet.. works for me an is reusable simply by washing it off and a dab of bleach then sun dry...I have had the same  bag for 7 yrs and its still going strong..

Me too, but those little balls are showing up all over the place.  They seem to just roll away and hide then show up in the tomato garden or compost bin,  Next time I'll get the expanded clay "chunks". 

[zaphod]

So I finally jumped off the porch!!   Just this past weekend I ordered a few nifty pieces to build my very own rdwc system. Should be here sometime early next week. I will be sure to keep you all updated!! As a side note, I would like to thank everyone for their much needed help and support.

 

Peace & Salutations 

 

-AENID

You'll do great with hydro, no matter which medium or system you choose.  A couple of tips that might help.  Take a look at the "Lucas method"  .

Easy, cheap, and very effective.  Been using it in various systems with various crops for a decade or so.  I recycle my "waste" by checking the ppm (dwc waste water can get pretty "hot" and need dilution), and adjusting the ph to then grow beans, tomatoes, and peppers outdoors.  Also,  I keep a back-up plant in an organic dirt grow, just in case.  And I still prefer the taste of pot and tomatoes grown in dirt.  Beans and peppers, not much of a dif for me.

[Alleyenoisdope]

You'll do great with hydro, no matter which medium or system you choose.  A couple of tips that might help.  Take a look at the "Lucas method"  .

Easy, cheap, and very effective.  Been using it in various systems with various crops for a decade or so.  I recycle my "waste" by checking the ppm (dwc waste water can get pretty "hot" and need dilution), and adjusting the ph to then grow beans, tomatoes, and peppers outdoors.  Also,  I keep a back-up plant in an organic dirt grow, just in case.  And I still prefer the taste of pot and tomatoes grown in dirt.  Beans and peppers, not much of a dif for me.

 

Thanks for the support, my fellow board member!!  I noticed that  "Lucas method" uses General Hydro products. How do they compare to Canna or Ionic?

[Hydraulic Jack]

Ionic is a simple to use one jug product in grow and two in bloom (bloom,boost)..............HJ