Anyone experience this; plants produce shit in soil but gold in hydro

[bobman]

I can not explain what happened with this pheno. I have grown it in soil 3 times. Always the same results low smell and not much visible trich coverage and lower potency(but lack of smell could have had a mental part in that). Well I just harvested this plant in hempy buckets and holy shit its a different plant. Better smell, frosty as hell and kicks your ass. The buds are also more dense. They feel like pumice stones dense but lite. I am not a rookie with soil either been using it for 8 years. The soil grows of this pheno were immaculate. This was my first hempy harvest and I do not have this method dialed in yet. Now the only other difference between harvests is that this time I dropped my drying temps. I have always dried around 78-80 degrees with good air flow. This time they were probably around 70 with good air flow. My jaw is on the floor because the difference is amazing. Anybody have this happen before? No disrespect to the organic soil guys but this is as good as it gets.

 

[Mezz Mezzrow]

I can not explain what happened with this pheno. I have grown it in soil 3 times. Always the same results low smell and not much visible trich coverage and lower potency(but lack of smell could have had a mental part in that). Well I just harvested this plant in hempy buckets and holy shit its a different plant. Better smell, frosty as hell and kicks your ass. The buds are also more dense. They feel like pumice stones dense but lite. I am not a rookie with soil either been using it for 8 years. The soil grows of this pheno were immaculate. This was my first hempy harvest and I do not have this method dialed in yet. Now the only other difference between harvests is that this time I dropped my drying temps. I have always dried around 78-80 degrees with good air flow. This time they were probably around 70 with good air flow. My jaw is on the floor because the difference is amazing. Anybody have this happen before? No disrespect to the organic soil guys but this is as good as it gets.

All of my strains grow great in soil. I haven't grown hydro so they could be better that way, but the quality is great with soil. Try the same strain in smart pots and maybe bump up the nutes and see how it does then.

 

[bobman]

No more dirt for me buddy, even though I think results will vary from strain to strain. Do yourself a favor and try hempy, it is easy as shit. I think everyone should give it a spin once just to see.

 

[ibjamming]

No more dirt for me buddy, even though I think results will vary from strain to strain. Do yourself a favor and try hempy, it is easy as shit. I think everyone should give it a spin once just to see.

"Hempy Cups" work great for cloning too...

 

[Phedrosbenny]

LOLS

 

[gdtrfb]

The plant may have found a better home in that system, or you may have found a system better suited to you, and the plant is that result. Or neither, really.

i know you said you've rocked soil for 8 years - I wouldn't rule out being more attentive to that plant exactly because you were doing something new and different. Once you've done something to death, it tends to go on autopilot. New stuff, new techniques, new processes...you pay more attention.

one way or another, you've got a happy plant, and a happy process from the sound of it. that's about all one can ask for.

 

[cyberwax]

Hydro can be a pain is the butt, but it generally; for me atleast, gives me a yield bonus of 30-50% compared to soil.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

Hempy buckets are super easy, but I got tired of hand watering. flood & drain = win

 

[bobman]

Watering has been easy. I do not water until overflow and even with a big root ball in a small container they were going 3 days in flower without watering. Shoot I just went 10 days without watering after transplanting from 32oz container to a 2.5 gallon container in straight perlite.

 

[Dödsknark]

I have grown it in soil 3 times. Always the same results low smell and not much visible trich coverage and lower potency...

I'm wondering why you kept growing it? Just curious.

Don't know why there's such a difference.

 

[150wclub]

i have the same experience, even though i'm on my 2nd grow. i preffer hydro to soil. to me its alot easier and less messy. My first grow only yielded me about 10g because i had to chop early due to nute burn. now my next grow i'm planing to pull at least 2oz minimum. : ]

Hydro rocks!!

 

[bobman]

Its the only strain I had. Right now I have got 2 others started because of the results. I grow in a perpetual setup so its not like it was a total of 6 months. I harvested this plant for the first time in June.

 

[bobman]

plus i was testing different phenos.

 

[Xare]

Hempy buckets are super easy, but I got tired of hand watering. flood & drain = win

I got tired of hand watering too, but instead of changing to an ebb and flow recirculating system I installed drip irrigation for my hempy buckets.

Mostly I choose to do this because I have height restrictions in my growspace and this setup offers me a low profile.

I have a 20 gallon rez that pumps through 1/2 tube to 1/4 inch lines for each plant on a .5 gallon dripper. (2 liter hempy) A pump in the rez comes on once a day for 5 -10 mins to deliver nutes to the hempys internal rez.

Zero Run off, flush as necessary.

 

[bobman]

another weird thing is that I harvested this plant at 69, 70, and 77 days in soil. When I trimmed those plants there was almost no scissor hash and no sticky fingers. The scissors and my hands were almost as clean before as after. This time I took the plant at 65 days and I got scissor hash and sticky fingers. Plants were much more visibly frosty during the grow.

 

[lokes]

I'm wondering why you kept growing it? Just curious.

Don't know why there's such a difference.

LOL, was wondering the same thing. Must be fate.

 

[bobman]

Again I run a perpetual system. When I got my first results I was half way through another run so I replaced the first results with new plants and this current run was already vegging in hempy. So when the second run finished I wanted to try hempy so I put those in and got new strains. Then I harvested the 3rd round then I harvested the 4th round which is this hempy round. It all happened pretty fast.

 

[cyberwax]

Was the question why?

"What’s best all depends on how you use each method and if you know how to use them properly. It also depends on the situation or location. One may not have much water around in his area, or may not have access to good organic soil, or the ability to get heavy bags of soil and the amount of water needed to the location of the garden. Hauling lots of heavy bags of soil up 3 stories to your apartment grow room is not very fun or efficient. Also, some plants seem to grow better and easier in either soil or hydroponics. To figure out which method is best suited for you to grow in you must first understand hydroponics and organics to make an educated decision.

Only 2 different dictionaries I found describe hydroponics as a science. “The science of growing or the production of in nutrient – rich solution…” (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 1999), and “the science of growing plants without soil” (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1996). Most other dictionaries and encyclopedias define hydroponics as “the cultivation, process or practice of growing plants without soil, all suggesting that hydroponics is a procedure of growing plants, not a science on how plants grow without soil. There are several variables and slightly different definitions of hydroponics so it really depends on how you define hydroponics. Most of us know or define hydroponics as “the art of growing plants without soil”.

Let’s look at some of the different types or methods of hydroponics systems and how they vary. Some of them include NFT (Nutrient Film Technique), Aeroponics, DWC (Deep Water Culture), Ebb N’ Flow, Fogging Mister Systems, and Drip Systems. Different hydroponic media are used within each system. Some of these media include hydroton grow rocks, rockwool, perlite, vermiculite, are inert and contain no natural nutrients or food. On the other hand some hydroponic media consist of coco coir, peat moss, mineral rocks, compost, bark, coco chips, and other ingredients that are organic, but consist of no soil.

NFT systems work well with lettuce, basil, and other green leaf herbs as long as you keep the water temperature under 68-70 degrees and your oxygen levels in the channels do not get too depleted.
Aeroponics works well on plants with smaller root systems because when the root systems get too big the sprayers or misters are not always getting at the root system evenly. The roots can block and even clog the sprayers and misters. Water temperature is critical here as well as is keeping the water quality clean and free of pathogens.

DWC systems are basically roots hanging from a net basket with a small amount of airy media such as hydroton grow rocks or perlite, not retaining much water. The roots grow out of the rocks and basket and down into the water or nutrient supply, which is also the reservoir in most cases. Air pumps supply oxygen to the nutrient solution where the roots are bathing and hanging. Problems here occur when the nutrient solution gets warmer than 70 degrees, and/or the oxygen supply is not high enough. Remember most pathogens and diseases develop best in standing water.
Ebb N’ Flow systems work by plants sitting in containers with well drained bottoms. A pump floods the table with an inch or two of water, a couple of times per day, and then it drain backs in to the reservoir. Some problems can occur here with pathogens and diseases when water conditions are not ideal.
Fogging or misting systems are very technical. Since it is literally a fog or fine mist spraying the roots everything has to be perfect. It is probably one of the hardest systems to grow with and learn to master, and requires the most maintenance and time. The roots can actually get too big to where they block the spray or mist from wetting the entire root system.

Drip systems are probably one of the easiest, most natural hydroponic systems you can grow with. It also allows the option for multiple different media to be used, but your watering cycles will vary with different media and systems. When you know how to use these systems properly and choose the right system for the right plants, just about anything can be grown in hydroponics.
To compare hydroponics to soil you must first understand soil. In hydroponics we are simply mimicking how plants grow in soil, so understanding soil growing will give great insight to growing hydroponically. Soil is a living micro-ecosystem that works totally different than hydroponic media. An example of an organic garden or ecosystem is the Amazon Rain Forest, a perfect microbial eco-system, organic and thriving. In soil, plant’s roots grow out wide and deep to search out and find nutrients and minerals. About 70% of a plant’s energy goes into root production and about 30% goes into foliage or fruit production. In hydroponics it is the exact opposite, with 30% energy going to the roots and 70% going to the foliage and fruit production. The roots spread out like an army of feeder roots absorbing the essential elements from the soil solution, which is in fact a very dilute solution. The soil is both mineral and organic in nature with many physical and complex properties. Thru the process of solubilization and equilibrium chemistry, the elements removed by root absorption and up taken by the plant are replenished by this process naturally. In hydroponics you are giving a plant all the nutrients it needs so it does not have to work as hard to search for nutrients and elements, therefore having more energy to produce heavier, bigger fruits.

Normally one might judge the health of a plant by the size of its root system. A large mass of fibrous white roots would be considered the ideal situation for a healthy strong plant. That may not be the case in hydroponics. It has been demonstrated in studies that a single root is enough to supply a corn plant with phosphorous from early stage to maturity. The larger root mass in hydro could be a negative in some situations. In the case of an NFT a plant, with a root system too large, it could actually clog up the drain lines and stop all water and oxygen from flowing down the channels to the other plants and they could die. On the other side, if minimal root mass is needed to supply the plants, a smaller root system would provide enough nutrients to the plant and allow for better oxygen levels in the nutrient solution and better flow of the solution in the channels. Smaller root systems in hydroponics could lead to better plant development, and heavier fruit set and size.

When using media such as coco coir, rockwool and hydroton the media develops complex properties similar to those in soil and creates soil like conditions, due to the accumulation of precipitates. When calcium and phosphates (whose surfaces absorb other elements such as copper, iron, manganese and zinc) build up in the media the precipitated elements accumulated are not removable by leaching. The EC levels can rise over time as well. All of this creates conditions similar to soil like properties in the media.

Since you are controlling what elements go into your nutrients, you can control what happens and what conditions grow and develop in the media and the plant. This is one of the benefits of hydroponics. Having ideal growing conditions and ideal nutrient solutions is what makes a perfect, healthy plant. In hydroponics you can adjust by adding or subtracting different minerals, nutrients or elements into the solution to make the plant grow a certain way, creating a perfectly balanced nutrient solution. You can also flush or clean out a plant much quicker than in soil which is a major benefit if you need to flush the plant out in case of a nutrient problem. Soil would hold the elements much longer than in hydro. The opposite is true in hydro in that the nutrient uptake by the plant is much faster and due to that comes the accelerated growth.

Almost 90% of the insects and diseases in your garden are soil born insects. By starting with a soilless hydroponic media you eliminate that 90%, and have a 90% less chance of having or getting bugs or diseases. Growing inside with hydroponics is cleaner, not as messy as soil and less work than to carry all of those bags of soil into the house. Can you imagine NASA taking tons of soil on the shuttle up to the space station to grow their produce for the astronauts? This could not be done in space without hydroponics. By controlling the nutrient solution and uptake to the plant one can fine tune their garden and plants. Plants can also grow up to 10 times faster in hydroponics. This does not mean you will harvest quicker or flowering will be faster. The vegetative growth is faster but the flowering time is the same genetically. It means you can trigger certain critical developments in the plant and fruit by adding or subtracting nutrients and other elements from the nutrient solution, and you have the ability to flush it within very short amount of time.
A couple other benefits of hydroponics are the fact that it uses about 1/10th the amount of water per plant compared to soil grown plants, especially in the field or in uncontrolled environments. 1 acre of hydroponics is equal to about 10 acres of soil grown crops, and with 80%-90% less water needed and much less labor, it is the better choice in many situations. As far as our Mother Earth is concerned, we’re loosing about 38 Billion metric tons of top soil per year due to several factors involving traditional field soil growing. Just the dust alone from the tractors tilling the fields takes away a lot of top soil in to the air, turning it in to dust. Mining, erosion, cutting down our forests and the many other harmful things being done to Mother Earth has all contributed to 38 billion tons of erosion annually. With hydroponics you are not watering into the ground pesticides or toxins due to the fact that hydroponics can be controlled, also not washing away our topsoil. Often times large hydroponic operations are small compared to field farms, are all recalculating systems, and have little to no waste in to the ground.
Are you sure you’re a dirt farmer? Most of us think we’re buying plants in soil from our nursery or Home Depot.

The truth is most of these plants are grown in a soilless media such as perlite mixed with coco coir, peat moss, bark and other similar medias. They do this because of the plants ability with a smaller root mass to produce larger foliage and fruit growth. When you’re buying a plant this is usually what you’re looking at. The stores selling them do this, as it also saves them room and allows for more plants to be displayed for sale. Many of us think we’re growing in soil when actually there is no soil at all and it’s a good chance that it is a soilless hydroponics media.

There is no right or wrong answer to which is better, soil or hydro. There are benefits to each. You should first understand soil to better understand and grow successfully with hydroponics. The same results can be achieved in both systems, if done properly. There are more things to control and maintain in hydroponics to achieve the same success, but the same can be said for growing in soil. They are both tools and once you learn them and know them, you will find both easy to grow in. Many consider hydroponics a very valuable growing method that can achieve superior results without the use of heavy organic soils. As long as the growing conditions, environment, nutrient solution and everything else is ideal then anything will grow well in either media. But remember, one or the other may have benefits or advantages for your specific situation and growing needs."

 

[ThePizzaMan]

This is not uncommon. Hydro supercharged your grow, and the buds showed it. I doubt it is your drying method. Little things can make an enormous difference in trich coverage, density, smell. There is also a difference in growing from seed and growing from clone. The clones can really shine, where the same plant in seed form is lack luster.

get some flood tables and go for the gusto@!!

 

[johnny drama]

go with dwc or rdwc buckets your plants grow so much faster they never limp like they do in soil when they need watering because they are growing 24/7 you could easily pull double what you do now per grow