Quote Originally Posted by senorx12562
I'm really pissed off and frustrated right now, because I spent about 2 hours drafting a review of this seminar only for it to be zapped out of existence when I somehow got redirected by this website. So now you get the way- shortened version (And you are all probably saying, "THANK GOD").

No, Dana is not a monster, nor did I ever think he was. What he is is something of a hot head who doesn't like to be questioned or disagreed with (and who among us does, right?). In fact I think he's a pretty nice guy who's heart is in the right place, whose rants on this site were an emotional response. Whether he meant them or not, I can't say, as I can't get inside others' heads. I try to say what I mean, and mean what I say, and assume others do also.

Now the class. Since I refuse to retype my previous post ( hunt and peck barely describes my sad typing and computer skills) I'll cut to the chase. Yes, the class assumed no knowledge on the part of the attendees, although many were experienced growers. Although it is apparent that Dana really knows his shit, and has his method down to a science, the presentation was a little disorganized, a lot of which was due to questions from the audience of 50-60 getting him off track and behind. I think some details were skipped due to subsequent time constraints. I got the impression that this class has not been given before, and will get better with practice. There were other speakers, who were worth listening to, but didn't talk much about growing.

As to Dana's way of growing, basically it's an aeroponic sea of green with supplemental CO2. Rooted clones directly to flower, and he claims 7-8 lbs. every 45 days, from either 36 or 60 plants, which was not clear. Either way, those 8 oz. buds in the bowl must be exceptional even for him based on these numbers. That being said, over time that's a pretty phenomenal yield. Although he claims to follow the principles of KISS and less is more, an aeroponic sea of green with automated controllers, CO2 burners and an RO water purification system is hardly simple, or at all suited to beginners. The 45 day time frame means he's only growing short flowering indicas, and he was pretty openly hostile to organic nutrients, insisting that they aren't necessary instead of telling us how to incorporate them into his system to meet the perception of patients that that is important.

Whether the class is worth the money is hard to say. Since he kindly allowed me to attend at no charge, sure it was. If I had paid, probably not. However, that is only because at this time I have no interest in (or $ for) buying all the equipment necessary for his method, although maybe in the future. When I did all my research before setting up my grow, it was pretty clear that if yield is one's #1 priority, aeroponics and CO2 supplementation were the way to go. I made a conscious decision to give up potential yield for the sake of $ and more importantly, to make for a set up that would be forgiving of the inevitable screw-ups. Going directly into flower is just not possible with soil because of how much longer it takes a good root system to develop in soil vs. aeroponically. That makes the class less valuable to me right now than it might be to others. I did enjoy meeting all of the presenters and my fellow attendees, and the enjoyment factor is important, too. I suppose overall, yeah it was worth it, and if I had paid for it I wouldn't feel fleeced, especially if I hadn't already set up my grow. I will answer any questions any of you may have, just post them in this thread. Thank Dana again for me please, clonequeen.
i was gunna go but the past 3 days iv'e been sicker than a girl that works in the red light district.been coughing so much my throat is so sore that i can't even talk.im pissed to cause i wanted to go.i would have forced myself to go cause thats how i am but i did'nt want to get anyone else sick.maybe next time.

first a couple ?? about the workshop,was there any lawyers there to speak?thats what i really wanted to go so as to ask ??but i also wanted to see dana's setup but from what you said above it sounds close to my very first setup and what i used b4 i came here."did'nt have the money to do the whole setup over again atm because all my gear was crushed in fla".anyways my setup was/is dwc x aero combo.

and senorx i have a friend that lives in iowa he's been growing for 30+ years he was so hell bent on soil.everytime i would say hey u need to try my setup or any hydro set up he would say nope soil is best.then after i started to show him my grows he tried it and now he says he did'nt know why he stuck so close to soil other than he's just an old dog that did'nt want to go outside of that comfort zone.now he says he will never grow in soil again other than his outdoor grows.at first he did'nt want to try it cause he said it looked way to hard and so much more to do.really it is'nt to me it's alot easier.and indoors all the mess that comes with soil.

another funny thing is u hear people talk about i want organic hydro is junk soil is the best blah blah.i have a uncle that grew in soil for 15+ years.i took him some of my first grow done in hydro with a/n nutes and he swore up and down it was soil grown.