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Hail Hydro!

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Well, sort of. I have grown with most hydro from drip, LPA, HPA, DWC, SWC, and F & D, which provides the most control for minimal effort. It is also the easiest to make a correction with; simply disconnect the tubing (I have shut off valves) dump the nutes, flush the plant if needed, make fresh nutes and you're back on track

The old argument that organic tastes better is laughable. Differences could be easily be reduced to whose organic nutrients, v whose inorganic nutrients as well as beginning with pure water to mix nutes. I start with ~ 2ppm RO water, but take it to the next level re-energizing it via vortexing, structuring, and magnetizing. These make the water more available to the nutrients and therefor the root system which feeds the plants

Another great benefit of Hydro is growth, which is typically 2-4Xs greater. This is confirmed by many Greenhouse Seed YT videos.

I'll be posting more later

Here's a super simple DIY I developed and tweaked for a couple years now. It is easily expandable

I start seedlings and clones in a DIY Bubbler, which is easily modified to grow the less choice plants. The best go into my DIY Mini-Me F & D.

View attachment 342885 View attachment 342886

View attachment 342887 View attachment 342888
 

stoned-trout

if it smells like fish
Veteran
sorry to say it but I grew hydro for years all diff kinds and nutes ..when I switched to organic my product got better...theres more in play than just nutrients..all kinds of microbes and such and living soil....yeehaw..to each their own I don't try and convert anyone..that said,,, hydro gave me faster growth and higher yield without question
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
If you notice in the pic of my rez and twin totes, the rez is lower than the bulkhead.

Many people do not know (my hydro store included) that once the low pressure pump is turned off, the nutes will drain back through it into the rez.

This tip is a game changer for me
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
sorry to say it but I grew hydro for years all diff kinds and nutes ..when I switched to organic my product got better...theres more in play than just nutrients..all kinds of microbes and such and living soil....yeehaw..to each their own I don't try and convert anyone..that said,,, hydro gave me faster growth and higher yield without question

No worries! Makes me think though, PERHAPS it's what I do TO the water to energize it (think organic water) that makes the difference
 

Buddyy

Member
"The old argument that organic tastes better is laughable".......you are joking right?
I can only speak from personal experience and that is that organically grown weed DOES taste better than salt based ferts. I have read other people sharing this view. Pet you are the first person I have come across that does not share this view.
"Another great benefit of Hydro is growth, which is typically 2-4Xs greater. This is confirmed by many Greenhouse Seed YT videos"......LOL! Have you ever grown organically? Well I have grown in hydro and in soilless mediums and now finally and thank god I do ROLS and am growing the BEST indoor weed in my life with the least money, the least time and the least problems EVER.
I will call BS when I see it.
 
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Buddyy

Member
Growth in hydro is not 2-4X greater. IMO hydro is perhaps up to 50% faster in veg....but who gives a shit anyway I mean a 10 week strain is still going to take 10 weeks whether in hydro or soil. Sure maybe you have up to 30% higher yield in hydro but even that I think is debateable.

So basically you may perhaps gain a week off veg and an increase in yield of say 30% if your lucky....all so you can spend your time and money on ph meters, ec meters and ferts and boosters and oh lets not forget to preventive spray for bugs and PM because your plants are so weak and have no immune system.....yea hydro so 1990's....I can't believe people still stuck there.
 
Growth in hydro is not 2-4X greater. IMO hydro is perhaps up to 50% faster in veg....but who gives a shit anyway I mean a 10 week strain is still going to take 10 weeks whether in hydro or soil. Sure maybe you have up to 30% higher yield in hydro but even that I think is debateable.

So basically you may perhaps gain a week off veg and an increase in yield of say 30% if your lucky....all so you can spend your time and money on ph meters, ec meters and ferts and boosters and oh lets not forget to preventive spray for bugs and PM because your plants are so weak and have no immune system.....yea hydro so 1990's....I can't believe people still stuck there.

I grow hydro because is far more simple than in soil. In soil i always had to manage the waterings and the nute program, so when to water and when to give nutes. In DWC, you set your mix once a week, and basta. With chelated nutes, you don't even have to care about the PH. And when i see pics of plants grown in soil, i can't avoid a smile, with maybe 20/30 grams per plant, tall and skinny plant. I make 600 gr with 400 w COB led's in 1 sq meter with 4 plants vegged 4 weeks from seed, in average. I can't imagine doing the same with soil.
And soil plants finish faster than in DWC, at least one week faster for a classic 8 weeker. But yield ... ok, i stop.
 

BadRabbit

Active member
Growth in hydro is not 2-4X greater. IMO hydro is perhaps up to 50% faster in veg....but who gives a shit anyway I mean a 10 week strain is still going to take 10 weeks whether in hydro or soil. Sure maybe you have up to 30% higher yield in hydro but even that I think is debateable.

So basically you may perhaps gain a week off veg and an increase in yield of say 30% if your lucky....all so you can spend your time and money on ph meters, ec meters and ferts and boosters and oh lets not forget to preventive spray for bugs and PM because your plants are so weak and have no immune system.....yea hydro so 1990's....I can't believe people still stuck there.


wow ....
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Growth in hydro is not 2-4X greater. IMO hydro is perhaps up to 50% faster in veg....but who gives a shit anyway I mean a 10 week strain is still going to take 10 weeks whether in hydro or soil. Sure maybe you have up to 30% higher yield in hydro but even that I think is debateable.

So basically you may perhaps gain a week off veg and an increase in yield of say 30% if your lucky....all so you can spend your time and money on ph meters, ec meters and ferts and boosters and oh lets not forget to preventive spray for bugs and PM because your plants are so weak and have no immune system.....yea hydro so 1990's....I can't believe people still stuck there.

If you don't have real world knowledge you shouldn't voice an ignorant opinion that you seem to think is FACT

Just because you live in a sheltered world doesn't mean there's not a big wide world outside of it.

IMO the organic zealots v inorganic hydro argument stems from a lot of inexperienced/mediocre hydro growers results (crappy nutes/pH issues/too high ppm/no flush/no DO/temps too warm...). I see plenty of hydro growers using 1500-2000ppms with heavy PK boosters, which will kill the flavor. I max at ~900ppms (briefly), using Hydroponic Research V + B, a complete dry formula specifically for cannabis

Had you gone to the Greenhouse links you would have seen MANY videos of individual strains with side-by-side pics/updates throughout (organic v hydro), including dry harvest weights. But why would you? You're convinced 2-4xs is impossible, and well, the voice in your head says so

The BS is on you BUDDY
 

Buddyy

Member
To each their own.

I find hydro complicated and full of potential problems and things that can go wrong. The main thing I don't like about hydro is I find it UNNATURAL. Another thing is the taste of the weed, organic DEFINITELY tastes BETTER.
Weed grown in hydro is like force feeding whereas in organic living soil the plants are free to choose what they want when they want it. Plants grown in organic living soil have superior immune systems.

Sure I only yield about 0,5gr per watt (I buy 15cm clones, veg them for 2 weeks in 20l smart pots)but I'm not in it for the money. I love producing top quality weed from plants that were happy and untreated with any insecticides or pesticides, just some aloe vera foliar sprays, barley enzyme teas, ACT from ewc and molasses. :)
I also save money by recycling my soil, making my own garden compost, EWC and using plants from my garden to make fertilisers.
The only thing I buy from the growshop these days are clones and bulbs and air filters. I think organic is also better for the environment.

Wait I hear ya...But yield, oh yea yield thats real important. LOL

UNNATURAL remember...or if you like ARTIFICIAL :p

I'm out of here, good luck to you all!
 

jesbuds

Member
Taste, high, love of your buds is all subjective. What you like from your organic buds someone with hydro may feel they can grow comparable or vice versa. Neither way is better and I have no preference as far as smoking, personally can't tell the difference between smoking well grown organic and well grown hydro bud.

I grow hydro out of personal preference and it's not hard, it's not expensive, I don't use any EC/PH/PPM meters, once a week work on the plants for at most an hour. Much better to me than spending 15-30 minutes daily on my non-hydro plants.

Anyone saying one way is better than another may be right...for THEMSELVES but saying it as a coverall is just plain silly. It's like saying Coke is always better than Pepsi, just depends on who you ask and their preference.
 

Buddyy

Member
I grow hydro because is far more simple than in soil. In soil i always had to manage the waterings and the nute program, so when to water and when to give nutes. In DWC, you set your mix once a week, and basta. With chelated nutes, you don't even have to care about the PH. And when i see pics of plants grown in soil, i can't avoid a smile, with maybe 20/30 grams per plant, tall and skinny plant. I make 600 gr with 400 w COB led's in 1 sq meter with 4 plants vegged 4 weeks from seed, in average. I can't imagine doing the same with soil.
And soil plants finish faster than in DWC, at least one week faster for a classic 8 weeker. But yield ... ok, i stop.

John, I beg to differ.

I'm sure there are hydro systems which are pretty easy and carefree, but you still have to measure a lot of things. Also you can't do multi strain grows as easy as in soil.
Soil plants finish faster than DWC, at least one week?? Where did you get this info from? The clones I get from the growshop has the number of weeks to flower beside each strain....guess what? A 8wk strain take 8 weeks in soil, 9wk strains take 9 weeks and so forth. I've grown at least 25 strains in the last 2 years and I always finish as per the strain description. I believe plants of the same cut in general, whether in soil or hydro, finish at the SAME TIME.

Making ACT and botanical teas takes some time but is not necessary for a successful grow. I could do a water only grow.
I water once every 24-48 hours with plain dechlorinated tap water, no ph, throughout the whole grow...I could automate the watering and leave the grow for a week or so, if I wanted to.
20-30g plants?...no about 50g per plant after a 30day from seed veg. If your room is dialled-in and you know what you're doing organic soil is not low yield, and it's relatively lower yield to hydro doesn't matter because it makes up for it in QUALITY.
I should make some photos and post them but I'm not legal so I don't bother just to err on the safe side.

I'm going to do a side by side, rating growth, overall plant health, bud-taste, bag appeal, smell and potency. will post my findings in the hydro section...probably late 2016. till then adios
 

jesbuds

Member
I'm sure there are hydro systems which are pretty easy and carefree, but you still have to measure a lot of things. Also you can't do multi strain grows as easy as in soil.

Measure a lot of things? Measure out ~10-12tsp of nutes (between 2 bottles) once a week, mix and drop in reservoir. I measure more making a single dinner.

Can't grow multiple strains easily? Someone should have told me this because apparently I've been doing it wrong since I started, every F&D system I've had runs multiple strains without issues (if I couldn't do multiple strains I would have never gone hydro).

While your plan to do a side by side is nice for your own knowledge (and I'll surely peruse your thread), I think you've already come to your own conclusion with things. Going into an experiment with the bias that organic is better will probably make it so in your grow or influence how you feel about the buds.
 

jesbuds

Member
Always a pot to be stirred with online weed forums, no reason to be sorry especially with valid/logical arguments :).
 

LostTribe

Well-known member
Premium user
Well, sort of. I have grown with most hydro from drip, LPA, HPA, DWC, SWC, and F & D, which provides the most control for minimal effort. It is also the easiest to make a correction with; simply disconnect the tubing (I have shut off valves) dump the nutes, flush the plant if needed, make fresh nutes and you're back on track

The old argument that organic tastes better is laughable. Differences could be easily be reduced to whose organic nutrients, v whose inorganic nutrients as well as beginning with pure water to mix nutes. I start with ~ 2ppm RO water, but take it to the next level re-energizing it via vortexing, structuring, and magnetizing. These make the water more available to the nutrients and therefor the root system which feeds the plants

Another great benefit of Hydro is growth, which is typically 2-4Xs greater. This is confirmed by many Greenhouse Seed YT videos.

I'll be posting more later

Here's a super simple DIY I developed and tweaked for a couple years now. It is easily expandable

I start seedlings and clones in a DIY Bubbler, which is easily modified to grow the less choice plants. The best go into my DIY Mini-Me F & D.

View attachment 342885 View attachment 342886

View attachment 342887 View attachment 342888

what is it you are doing to vortex, structure and magnetize your h2o then?

In years past I had gone through EJ, GH 3pt, floranova, guanos in living soil and have settled down with Pure Blend Pro and see more growth and better quality than any of the above.

Living organic soil is where I started and know that tastes can be easier to achieve in that sort of medium. However at a much longer veg time 3-4x and still less yeild. That means alot less numbers and alot less risk. Plus you are lugging around soil you have to dump somewhere every single grow.

Same hydroton for 8 years too.

That being said not trying to highjack the thread just wanted to put in an opinion and question your water treatment technique.

I have run RO w deionizer for 15 years running. occasionally tap when just keeping a couple select bonsai kept varieties as mom's.
 

Buddyy

Member
jesbuds,

Ok you can do multi strain grows and hydro its easy. I take back what I wrote. I don't have the knowledge or experience to write such comments like multi strain grows are harder in hydro than soil.
I think if I'm going to go to the trouble of buying a hydro bucket+air pump+pebbles+nutes to do a side by side to satisfy my curiosity I really don't think I have any interest in being biased to myself.
I did 3 hydro grows back in '99 and I remember what it entailed and the results I had. I had those pots called aqua farm and water farm. I was a newb but my second hydro grow worked out perfectly (first was blueberry and got spider mites) and I remember the main cola was huge and I remember thinking I knew how to grow because my buds were just as pretty as those in the Sensi seeds catalogue. I also remember the strain was white russian from serious seeds and smoking this weed gave me a headache.
I thought it was because it was hydro. The third crop got moved and I was not able to harvest it, but it was a jack herer which got out of control height wise due to too long veg...
 

jesbuds

Member
Again not at all saying not to do a side-by-side test, awesome learning experience and especially for yourself but from everything you've said, you're going into it with the bias that organic is inherently better (I won't argue that point with anyone, good bud is good bud to me). One thing I always like to keep in mind with my growing and things I've done in the past that failed (or that I didn't like) is that I was an entirely different person and grower at that time. What didn't work for me then, might work for me now with my added knowledge/experience/patience/etc.
 

Buddyy

Member
well it has to be better because it's more natural...like eating an orange vs vitamin c supplement, or like natural tits vs silicon....and I will know for sure.
 
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