Joe --
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest to you that you definitely do not start growing with hydro. I know, I know, everyone says that its the best. And I didn't forget how many hit singles Snoop Dogg had all about the 'hydro indo'. Personally, I'm a very smart person and love science etc etc etc. Basically, I'm a Alpha-Geek. I hated hydro. If you want to spend bunches of money on equipment and you have the patience and time to constantly fiddle with your resevoir PH -- then by all means, grow hydro. There are many successful commercial growers that use hydroponics for marijuana, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli etc etc etc. BUT -- as a first time grower, you're trying to learn about the plant, its life cycle, and growing in general. Do you really want the extra overhead of having to learn about basic chemistry as well? Think about it before making that leap ....