Why hydro?

[fatsax]

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.

fatsax Reviewed by fatsax on 09-07-2007. 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 Rating: 5

[lmdesade]

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.

[lmdesade]

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.