Why hydro?

Is there a thread already that compares the benefits of going hydro to just doing dirt and hand watering? It looks like hydrosystems are low maintenance but then each time I read someone's grow log using hydro I hear about having to raise lights a few times / day since it grows so fast.

I want to KISS as much as possible and found the bubbleponics system pretty user-friendly from their site, but just don't know if it's going to require me going down to the plants a few times a day...which I really can't do since my kids will wonder what I'm doing there eventually and will follow me. lol

I will be purchasing a Bubbleponics soon, been researching it for about a month, i am getting the kit with light included, i will add more light and change the nutes, but i am a first timer and this system makes it look easy and i am not patient enough to make my own.... However to answer your question (if i can)hydro is alot more powerful than just regular grow, and as you know it sales for ALOT more. Where i live you can buy a gram of hydro for $60 and an ounce of reg for the same. Anyways i hope this helps and let me know how it goes with you Bubbleponic, i cant wait to get mine (same prob here with the kids...)

If I had kids in my house the last thing I would worry about is growing weed. But, to each their own, and good luck.



b0nger

Hydro is less forgiving than soil for sure......a hydro system really can't be left for a day or two without things like the ph etc being checked.....unless you've spent ALOT of money for extra toys to control those things for you. With your situation (kids) I'd stick with soil. Soil plants won't sob if you aren't down there checking on them often.

With hydro...as quick as plants can grow....that's about as quick as they can go down in a hydro system when something goes wrong.

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Originally Posted by bongerstonerd00d

If I had kids in my house the last thing I would worry about is growing weed. But, to each their own, and good luck.



b0nger

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:wtf:

Well...................I am doing this in a closet that is going to be locked in the basement and it's not like Im growing to sell. The space is only like 2 by 2 by 4 and I'm doing it because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus and the meds that I have currently kill my stomach. I just want to be pain free without having to deal with dealers.

I don't think Bonger was saying you shouldn't grow because you have kids but rather your kids will create more problems for you threw out there lives than growing reefer will.:thumbsup:

In all honesty, if you don't think you're going to be able to go downstairs to check your grow a couple of times a day, then hydro is not for you.

I'm using a simply hydro system - air driven drip lines over a DWC reservoir. And I can honestly say that if I didn't check the system twice a day my plants would be dead. It's just too easy for something to go wrong. And as Weedhound already said, because of the increased growth speed, as well as the fact that you're dealing in just nutrients (water and chems), hydro is much less forgiving than soil. In soil if something goes wrong, it takes a few days before the plants even show signs of the problems, and then you have a few more days in which to take care of things before the problem kills your plant. In hydro the problem can often show up in just a few hours, and you usually have less than a day to respond to it.

So, in your situation, I think I'd stick with soil. Or maybe do hydro and just schedule your grow room visits to those times when the kids are asleep.

Very good advice HN....your time estimates in hydro I think are totally correct. ;)

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Originally Posted by Weedhound

Very good advice HN....your time estimates in hydro I think are totally correct. ;)

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It's the voice of bitter experience lol. I can't believe how many things have gone wrong with my current grow...some of them self-induced. It has certainly been a learning experience. In fact, just this morning I learned that plants in a DWC can go at least 8 hours without air flow getting into the reservoir ;)

I've heard of a hempy bucket before. A grower on another board has just started a grow journal where he's using them. Your post gives a much better idea of how they actually work though. Even seeing pictures I was having a hard time understanding what, exactly, the other guy was doing.

It sounds like a hempy bucket avoids most of the mechanical issues that most hydro systems are prone to. I'm guessing you'd still have questions and/or problems regarding nute solution - mixture proportions, TDS strenght, pH, etc. But it sounds a lot simpler than most setups.

But does it still provide the benefits of the other hydro systems - namely, rapid growth?

If you have not the time to look after the plants<or you cant visit them because of the kids get a system with a large reservoir to make it more stable.

Hydro is no where as difficult as people make it sound. I check my system once every 5-7 days. Yet, as with anything, it boils down to experience. Yet, It's so annoying about people saying that hydro is so complicated. IT's really simple. As with most micro or indoor growing situations, it is a matter of environment first.
Try to have at least 50 watts of light per square foot of growing area.
The other key is to have decent air exchange.
Temperatures and humidity will matter regardless of the method of growing, but will matter a little more in hydro due to the water temp.
If you are running high on the water temp side, there are items that can help you out such as hygrozyme, hydroguard, and even Peroxide)h2o2 .

Hydro isn't hard but it does require some knowledge just as if you were going to use soil. Many soil setups will also require maintenance depending on the stage that you are involved with at the time. I also suggest using neem oil during your growth in order to reduce the chance of mold, fungi, and insects.

I've grown using dwc, flood and drain(which might be your better choice to start), NFT, drip, and ended up using Aero. Yet, my aero setup is a hybrid system. I topoff with water and only add nutes once a week to increase my ppm through different phases of growth.

Almost forgot, I would also suggest buying or downloading a good video to follow. Some are better than others. Yet, some are very creative as well. Building and flood and drain setup is easy to do with minimal tools. YOu can also cheat and use standard gardening items from stores except for maybe the nutrient. It is better to buy a complete hydroponic nutrient to start.