Soil Growing Fuckin Sucks!!!!

[Sinsenumero2]

I once heard that any newbie about to embark on growing his/her own bud, should start out growing in soil and eventually upgrade skill level to hydroponics systems.

I THINK THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!!

Do you know why cannabis cup winners win all those awards growing in soil?
Because they are fucking experts!!

Soil gardening is a complete nightmare to a newbie... and Ill explain why.

1. preparing/choosing correct soil mix -
If your on a budget starting out as most are and you plan on doing a somewhat commercial operation you have two choices- buy the expensive shit from specialty grow shops or buy shit soil from your local hardware (miracle grow etc.) And dont you dare get this wrong because you have a long row of obstacles heading your way my good friend.

2. Purchasing potting containers -
as most will do, can get expensive add on with the cost of soil and you'll probably be digging deep in your pockets.

But lets not worry to much about the financial aspect of this journey because we all know that most people starting out have a big bubble of $$$ floating over their heads so some how they manage to make the financial sacrifice.

So we get all the shit we need and start growing after a lot of hard work, time and money invested the next thing you know you realize a problem with a few plants and your mind automatically jumps into troubleshooting mode and you start to factor out the causes leading to this predicament

Heres the Kicker!.... You realize you dont know what the fuck is in your soil you cant see your roots (which tell you everything about your plant)
-Did i overwater or underwater? which can lead to root rot on the roots i can not see!
-do they need nutes or did i over do it ?
-is there too much N too much P or too much K or not enough ?
according to my feeding schedule, I added this and that last feeding but, o yeah ... theres no practical way of testing the soil in all these fucking containers to find out what the specific causes are to all the different symptoms each one is showing.
Where is my PH?
I can use this inadequate ph soil tester which may or may not be right or better yet ill test the run off water and give it my best guess:) yeah that should fucking do it!
ok so based on my best guesstimate of where my soil ph is now i need to figure out how to adjust it!
Is that hole i just noticed a hole from one of the probes on my testers or did some insect just find himself a new home?

There is a long list of shit that comes up so i dont want to bore you guys but i think the ones i mentioned are the most challenging and annoying.

Go HYDRO you guys... please save yourselves a lot of grief
If you get the nutes off - Flush and start with a fresh batch
testing is as easy as the push of a button for nutes ph and temp
find a good watering schedule and set your timers.
observe your roots and make sure they are super healthy (old mans beard)

There is nothing more frustrating than to see your babies suffering and not being able to help without a great chance of causing more damage. Less is more sometimes in horticulture.
Hydroponics developed because it is easier and more efficient the same way we invented software to type word documents instead of using pen and paper.

Choosing to go hydroponics should not be a matter of skill level.

[VapedG13]

Sunshine profressional mix #4 can be bought at most feedstores (livestock)

cost $25 for a 3.8 cubic ft bales Sun Gro Horticulture | Products | | Mix # 4 Aggregate / LA 4 (http://www.sungro.com/products_displayProProduct.php?product_id=8&brand_id=1)

this is a soilless medium....been growing in it for 15 years

let a pump go out when your away for 5-6 hours and you come home to dead plants....:wtf: my friend lost an entire crop this way

[killerweed420]

Sunshine profressional mix #4 can be bought at most feedstores (livestock)

cost $25 for a 3.8 cubic ft bales Sun Gro Horticulture | Products | | Mix # 4 Aggregate / LA 4 (http://www.sungro.com/products_displayProProduct.php?product_id=8&brand_id=1)

this is a soilless medium....been growing in it for 15 years

let a pump go out when your away for 5-6 hours and you come home to dead plants....:wtf: my friend lost an entire crop this way

You bastard. I've been paying $44 a bale.lol

I agree. One mistake with hydro and you lose everything. Soil or soiless atleast gives you a few days to correct problems.

[LetsSeeYa]

I once heard that any newbie about to embark on growing his/her own bud, should start out growing in soil and eventually upgrade skill level to hydroponics systems.

I THINK THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!!

Do you know why cannabis cup winners win all those awards growing in soil?
Because they are fucking experts!!

Soil gardening is a complete nightmare to a newbie... and Ill explain why.

1. preparing/choosing correct soil mix -
If your on a budget starting out as most are and you plan on doing a somewhat commercial operation you have two choices- buy the expensive shit from specialty grow shops or buy shit soil from your local hardware (miracle grow etc.) And dont you dare get this wrong because you have a long row of obstacles heading your way my good friend.

2. Purchasing potting containers -
as most will do, can get expensive add on with the cost of soil and you'll probably be digging deep in your pockets.

But lets not worry to much about the financial aspect of this journey because we all know that most people starting out have a big bubble of $$$ floating over their heads so some how they manage to make the financial sacrifice.

So we get all the shit we need and start growing after a lot of hard work, time and money invested the next thing you know you realize a problem with a few plants and your mind automatically jumps into troubleshooting mode and you start to factor out the causes leading to this predicament

Heres the Kicker!.... You realize you dont know what the fuck is in your soil you cant see your roots (which tell you everything about your plant)
-Did i overwater or underwater? which can lead to root rot on the roots i can not see!
-do they need nutes or did i over do it ?
-is there too much N too much P or too much K or not enough ?
according to my feeding schedule, I added this and that last feeding but, o yeah ... theres no practical way of testing the soil in all these fucking containers to find out what the specific causes are to all the different symptoms each one is showing.
Where is my PH?
I can use this inadequate ph soil tester which may or may not be right or better yet ill test the run off water and give it my best guess:) yeah that should fucking do it!
ok so based on my best guesstimate of where my soil ph is now i need to figure out how to adjust it!
Is that hole i just noticed a hole from one of the probes on my testers or did some insect just find himself a new home?

There is a long list of shit that comes up so i dont want to bore you guys but i think the ones i mentioned are the most challenging and annoying.

Go HYDRO you guys... please save yourselves a lot of grief
If you get the nutes off - Flush and start with a fresh batch
testing is as easy as the push of a button for nutes ph and temp
find a good watering schedule and set your timers.
observe your roots and make sure they are super healthy (old mans beard)

There is nothing more frustrating than to see your babies suffering and not being able to help without a great chance of causing more damage. Less is more sometimes in horticulture.
Hydroponics developed because it is easier and more efficient the same way we invented software to type word documents instead of using pen and paper.

Choosing to go hydroponics should not be a matter of skill level.

Ok i have a few questions. Did you start out with hydro? Because iv read a ton of hydro grows and the grow mix medium seems like ya need to be a chemist to mix up. But iv never tried because the cost of a hydro set up is way off my budget. Soils cheap and for the beginner, we gotta learn. Start up is way cheaper then hydro. You cant argue this, but will never win. A butter container and bag seed, filled with back yard soil will grow a plant! Its quality you learn to grow:thumbsup:. The best way to learn to grow is to do:jointsmile:. More then 1 timer? I have one? Plus to buy all the medium you need il bet cost a lot. In 2 months i almost have everything i need, but i could never buy a hydro set up plus everything needed in this time. But in this time i have a grow in progress. I am not knocking hydro, as i think its interesting, but it would take a ton of time to get everything involved and would still need help. Now if you started out growing hydro then i understand why you posted this, but anyway you cut it, there is a learning process and im guessing a person dosnt want to drop that much cash on something they may get frustrated with and loose half their money selling it on ebay after one try at it.:rasta:

I could go on but the bottom line is the fact that a person needs to understand basic growing. That means emulating nature and hydro isn't nature.:thumbsup:

[Charbud]

i love soil.

[fasts102376]

i love soil too.. taste better too IMO..:rasta::rasta:

[Mr. Clandestine]

I've been growing in soil since I started growing several years ago, and while I've definitely made some mistakes along the way, I also learned from them. That's vital, regardless of which style you go with. It's more a matter of what you're comfortable with... some people prefer the automation of hydroponic setups, while others prefer to spend more one-on-one time with their soil-grown plants. IMHO soil is much more forgiving than hydro; you can make simple mistakes in soil and not suffer as much as you probably would if the same mistakes were made in a complicated hydro system. Major mistakes are practically guaranteed to ruin a hydro crop in hours (or less), while you'll usually have some buffer-time to flush, transplant, etc., soil plants, possibly saving them.

Again, just my personal preference, but I've been growing for years and just the thought of all the intricacies and methodology of hydro grows still intimidates the hell out of me... :what:

[hearseking]

Organic soil= the best

[mikos]

If soil is expensive I don't know what you'll tell about hydro growing. A cheap soil will grow weed. Weed in a transparent container like a plastic water bottle will grow as well - yes light touches exposed roots and the plant doesn't rot believe me coz i've done a few times (but didn't do the whole grow in them tho). Nutes? On a low budget and still buying nutes?
I', growing for 2years and 4 crops a year and never used a PH meter. I just don't need it. If anything doesn't seem right I flush - cost of flushing? Only water mate.

So when short on money
50L of soil - 10$
Containers - used plastics bottles etc
Seeds - that's another issue

Sometimes people tend to think planting weed is rocket science and need this and that and end up complicating the whole deal. All needed is soil, water and light and of course to change the light cycle if growing indoors. Ventilation is optional as well just use common sense if it's getting too hot. It helps strengthen the plants structure as well but it's not obligatory. To me ventilation is the same as adding spider mites to the final product so I stopped ventilating instead of using MORE PRODUCT$ to kill them. You see when you use more $tuff you'll eventually bring excess/problems and to fight those you buy that other product to fight that but this product brings this other problem and it goes on and on. Sorry my english and I hope I made my text understandable.
Sometimes simple might be better but it also doesn't bring the best of the best results (more bud) but it might be quite acceptable - I also know that. Oh if we had the money... that would be it! money money money that's what we all want.

[M.B.A.]

IMO, I started out in soil, I tried a small Hydro Setup at that time as well. I hated the hydro setup, probably spent too little on it. Not to say that I didnt have my problems at first(root rot from overwatering, had nute lockout a couple of times, didnt even repot to the correct sizes). If you are looking for PERFECTION, that notion is fleeting. Indoor Horticulture is "Trial and Error". You should look at growing as a scientific experiment, there are alot of variables and too many possible outcomes. I am on what may be my last soil/pots grow. I don't feel like rambling too long, BEST OF LUCK!!!