ive grown without nutes and without checking the PH,i was growing with a friend and i thought he knew how to grow but i learned he didnt and started my own.
as the plants got bigger i did transplant into bigger pots...,i used a 1000watt hps and 400watt mh to flower..
we didnt PH the water (or use nutes) but did use the purified 5gal water jugs,and what i noticed is that the fan leaf die quickly..in veg we had a lot of yellowing leaves and dead leaves,the final product came out decent but not the best,the nugs were dense and looked good,but they didnt have that potent smell
though we had a blue dream that came out danky,lots of THC production,great smell and looks.
so in my opinion its pays more to do it right and check your PH,i think the water PH testing kit is only 20$ and lasts a long time.it comes with PH up and down,use the right soil,and make sure it drains good, use some nutrients and have your room temps and humidity set right and you should be good...
then learn the drying curing process yada yada