I don't think anyone will ever convince me hydro is *easier* than soil. Grows plants faster, sure, but not easier. For example, in several years of soil-growing, I have used my ph meter...once. And I didn't need it then either, as the ph wasn't a problem. Wish I had that money back. No EC/PPM meters, no work at all really, except mixing some nutes into some water and pouring them into the pots every few days. I don't need a faucet handy either (good thing too, because there isn't any running water on this floor).

And sometimes, with hydro, things outside your control can just crush your spirit. I have a friend who decided that 'hydro was cool' (and thought it produced higher quality smoke too, which it does not) and decided to start growing early this year. He screwed up his nutes once (basically misread instructions while stoned), and killed off a crop. Then another time a pump failed, and that trashed another crop. His lighting was better than mine throughout most of the year, and yet I have out-yielded him this year by a HUGE margin, because I haven't had any crop-destroying problems.

Crop-destroying problems are the next closest thing to impossible with soil. You MIGHT kill one plant (though I never have), but unless it's an act of God, you should not lose every plant. Even when it IS an act of God (I went 72 hours without electricity over this past summer due to a regional power outage), then the plants still might survive - I had three plants flowering then, and all lived, didn't even go hermie on me despite no light or ventilation and 99 degree temps for 3 days right smack in the middle of flowering.

Soil is way underrated!