hydroponic (indoor) vs outdoor (soil) grow

frostgrow

Member
whats the main difference between soil and hydro ? what size of a tub or barrel should I use for growing cannabis indoors ? what kind of light should I use ? whats the size of canopy can I have with a indoor hydroponic grow ? tips and tricks ? any hydroponic grow system that come sold as kit for new growers you could list would help,thanks forum.
 

amneziaHaze

Well-Known Member
For short veg smallest i did was 10L and it was full with roots every day 2L refresh.what i would recommend 30-40L

You need a dark tub and airpump masterblend nutes for tomatoes cheapest and works amazing.

Difference with soil is speed and amount.think of it when soil dries it waits for water to work again in water its allways wet

You can have any size of canopy you want.

For hydro you need some meters and something to control algea if your water is shit. Allsoo if you live in a really hot place ita gonna be hard to grow.warm water holds less air than cold water

Soil has more problems with bugs and you can over/under water it
 
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driver77

Well-Known Member
For hydro I use an Aircube system from Growace.
Indoor soil I use 3 gal bags and have 4 to 6 in a 4x4 tent.
Hydro will give you fastest growth with best yield....soil will give you best terps.
Lights are going to be a matter of preference once you decide on a tent size and wattage.....spectrum, diode type, and many other things will come to play.
 

Hugo Phurst

Well-Known Member
Is this your first grow? If not you can ignore this.
IMO - Pro-Mix or soil for your first grow(s), it's far more forgiving that hydro and an easier learning curve. Just one or two plants at first, more later.
Lots of kits & complete grow setups on amazon/e-bay
Full spectrum LED's. I have a preference for something with Samsung chips and Meanwell or Inventronics drivers.

Have fun
 

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
For hydro, DIY is the best option. It's just so much cheaper and modular. I like flood and drain with rockwool, but it has its drawbacks. Hempy buckets are really neat, but I haven't done it, so I won't speak to it.

For soil indoor, earthbox and some good dirt is probably the best way to start. Buildasoil does some great videos on how to use an earthbox, and it eliminates worrying about over or underwatering which is the most common issue for people new to growing.

Outdoors, you just can't beat the earth, but you can just as easily put your earthbox outside, or build a SIP on the cheap (presuming you already own the right powertools)

Use the search function or explore the various sub forums for more details on any and everything.
 

frostgrow

Member
For hydro I use an Aircube system from Growace.
Indoor soil I use 3 gal bags and have 4 to 6 in a 4x4 tent.
Hydro will give you fastest growth with best yield....soil will give you best terps.
Lights are going to be a matter of preference once you decide on a tent size and wattage.....spectrum, diode type, and many other things will come to play.
i like the drain and flow system :3 im going to buy it xD
 

HandyGringo

Well-Known Member
It seems like you haven't put a lot of thought into this. I'd suggest doing some more research before just reading these answers and jumping into something. It seems very rushed.

I wouldn't recommend hydro if you're a first-time grower. Soil is easier. With hydro, you have to know about a lot of things and do a lot of things correctly. If you want to do minimal research and just jump into it, go with soil. It's a lot more forgiving.
 

conor c

Well-Known Member
whats the main difference between soil and hydro ? what size of a tub or barrel should I use for growing cannabis indoors ? what kind of light should I use ? whats the size of canopy can I have with a indoor hydroponic grow ? tips and tricks ? any hydroponic grow system that come sold as kit for new growers you could list would help,thanks forum.
Have you grew before? If not save yourself the trouble and start with dirt once you got the basics down after a few runs if you wanna switch to hydro go for it I just wouldn't recommend it for beginners as more can go wrong imo
 

7CardBud

Well-Known Member
I've set up a quite few novice people to grow and the ones that did peat soilless usually fared better than soil.
"Put X and X of this into 5 gallons of water and every second or third watering dump it on the plants."
For some of them that are sorta the gluehead type I might even weigh out a few weeks' worth of salts in snacks bags.
 

Mr Lizard

Well-Known Member
Soil is how nature intended. Hydroponic was designed for places where it's too cold or places like the spacestation. I can give someone a cutting that they grow in Hydroponic vs my growing in soil (55% potting mix, 35% course, 10% vermiculite and 10% perlite. The hydro grown looks good and is ok....BUT...soil grown, which everybody here calls "Primo" blows it out of the water (forgive the pun) in the terms of taste, freshness, strength and smell. If you want the best quality growing in soil takes years to perfect. In the end it shits all over anything else. Long bud covered mass cola looking one is GG#4 after 4wks on flower. The next is Grease Monkey about the same. In the background is a Bruce Banner #3 on about 8 weeks. I put 2 of ea strain into a 35L pot in a 8' x4' tent. Always on rotation so there's something drying/curing in and out. Farming. Tried over nearly 45yrs aeroponics, hydroponic, flood and drain, Deepwater etc etc. Pots, good soil, knowing what the plants need at a glance from experience. Trying to pass it on to someone else b4 I croak and answering questions that are just basics in my head make it apparent I haven't wasted my time. 1000014908.jpg1000011367.jpg1000014908.jpg1000011367.jpg
 
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Mr Lizard

Well-Known Member
I've set up a quite few novice people to grow and the ones that did peat soilless usually fared better than soil.
"Put X and X of this into 5 gallons of water and every second or third watering dump it on the plants."
For some of them that are sorta the gluehead type I might even weigh out a few weeks' worth of salts in snacks bags.
Yes. To get a simple easy to grow strain. Though for a hard one that needs TLC from seed to harvest. Soil is better in every way. Try teaching someone iron, MAG, potassium and other deficiencies. Then there's white fly, mould gnats and soil born pests. How to deal with them safely. When you can mite treat and not. Most noobs don't see the signs until you are telling them it's too late. Even then they won't listen and waste weeks and weeks ignoring advice. PK Heavy and how much to use. The BS stores will try and oversell stuff like pool salts (magnesium boost) Hydrochloric Acid at $5.00 a litre (add 1 cup to 2 litres as pH down) Baking soda is pH up. Potash booster (get ash from a fireplace and soak it in a 30L bucket) then sieve it into an old gallon juice bottle. Most of the shit on hydroponic shop shelves is for flogs.
 

formularacer

Well-Known Member
I have not tried anything but soil. I have never seen a 15 foot tent which would be the only think that would fit my 13 foot tall Panama Red. All my outdoor plants are taller than me with the exception of freakshow. Having the roots in ground cuts down on rapid temp swings vs above ground in pot. But the joy of sticking ones head in the bush can't be recreated in a tent or needing a ladder to inspect the top buds.
There is a lot of work with outdoor grows I start working on soil prep in the fall and though out the winter. All my baked clam shells go in the garden. In the spring I use hot pepper plants as companion plants which also help control pests, I dose with ladybugs weekly and have hatched multiple praying mantis egg sacks.
I was given 4 --10 inch tall plants that had been growing since May, 3 weeks ago put in garden, one is now taller than a tomato cage. So the sun seems to be the best light source.
There is a lot more work with outdoor but the results I find just can't compare.
 
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