Ideal Set-up

420Blunt's

420Blunt's

Well-Known Member
I want to get peoples opinion. A lot of ppl swear by hydroponics or aeroponics because of the yields and timeliness of the plants. on the other hand i also hear a lot of ppl rant and rave about how great the taste is in soil and how it cant be all organic. It will mainly be for personal use so not too expensive, but price is subjective.

I hear a lot lights. ML for veg and HPS for flowering. a lot of ppl even use CFL's and produce good yields off of the plant. ive heard the ideal is 2 MH and 1 HPS. i've read about UV lights and plan on getting a terrarium 10.0 UVB light to see what kind of difference it has on the plants anyways.

1. What type of set up do you prefer; Hydro, Aero, Soil?
2. If i was only getting one light what should i get to accompany my 10.0 UVB terrarium light that would be the cheapest? note: I may only use on half of the plants to compare.

all input is welcome!
 
dum

dum

Well-Known Member
I did my first grow half assed in soil under an incandesent bulb and got only 6g from a 2ft. plant. I'm now starting hydroponics in a closet sized area. I'm finding that hydroponics is better if you plan on growing more than a couple plants in a tight place. As for your light, go on craigslist and get a HPS for cheap because HPS ballasts can take a MH or HPS bulb. I think that if you buy a hydroponic system from a store or craigslist ready maid it could save a lot of stress, time and effort. I made my ebb n flow system out of rubbermaid and it works but there's always that voice in my head wondering if I fucked up royaly somehow (I did at first when I tried to use pvc rather than regular tubing) You could use soil at first but you'll probably end up moving to hydroponics in a grow or two. I like hydroponics so far but it all depends on your budget. Keep in mind that if you go organic in soil the organic fertilizers can get a little pricey. DEFINATTLEY GO TO CRAIGSLIST (I paid fifty for a full HPS light)
 
outlawcustombikes

outlawcustombikes

Well-Known Member
Ideally, you'd use a MH for just veg....and a HPS for just flower. 400 watt units are more efficent than 600 watt units. If I remember correctly, a 400 watt puts out just as many lumens/kelvin as a 600 watt but only uses 2/3 of the power.....

A bubbleponics setup is super simple and cheap to setup. You'd probably have $25-30 in a functioning system. Then you need to add in PH up/down and fertilizer, net pots, and clay pellets. Keep in mind that everything you buy is re-usable.

Soil or hydro it is all personal preference.

~Outlaw~
 
normlpothead

normlpothead

Well-Known Member
Jesus, I don't have to quote to denounce the replies from dum and outlaw.
dum- 6g under a regular light bulb...
Outlaw-400W puts out same lumens as 600W

I agree hydro vs soil is personal prefrence, after you learn the basics.

With soil and 600Ws, you'll get something even if your a complete fuckup. And learn how to do it better.

With hydro you can fine tune the feeding for maximum growth, but you can get great results in soil with good skills also.

Soil is pretty hard to mess up.

Hydro is pretty easy to kill your garden if you don't know what you're doing.
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
outlawcustombikes 400 watt units are more efficent than 600 watt units. If I remember correctly said:
incorrect

normlpothead said:
Outlaw-400W puts out same lumens as 600W
Click to expand...

incorrect.... 400w=55000 lumens, 600w=95000 lumens, 1000w=147000 lumens. the 600 is faaaaar more efficient than a 400, an extra 40000 lumens for just an extra 200w, do the math, the 600 is the most efficient hps, and a 600 isnt a great deal hotter than a 400 either, 600w gives you the best bang for your buck!
Click to expand...
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
dum said:
I did my first grow half assed in soil under an incandesent bulb and got only 6g from a 2ft. plant. I'm now starting hydroponics in a closet sized area. I'm finding that hydroponics is better if you plan on growing more than a couple plants in a tight place. As for your light, go on craigslist and get a HPS for cheap because HPS ballasts can take a MH or HPS bulb. I think that if you buy a hydroponic system from a store or craigslist ready maid it could save a lot of stress, time and effort. I made my ebb n flow system out of rubbermaid and it works but there's always that voice in my head wondering if I fucked up royaly somehow (I did at first when I tried to use pvc rather than regular tubing) You could use soil at first but you'll probably end up moving to hydroponics in a grow or two. I like hydroponics so far but it all depends on your budget. Keep in mind that if you go organic in soil the organic fertilizers can get a little pricey. DEFINATTLEY GO TO CRAIGSLIST (I paid fifty for a full HPS light)
Click to expand...
firstly not all ballasts run both mh and hps, i started growing in flood and drain hydro 7years ago, did it for a year then switched to organic soil growing, never looked back, hydro buds dont even compare to well grown organic buds.
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
aquamistgrower said:
get a 600 watt HPS soil is for beginners.
Click to expand...
how is soil for beginners? soil is for people who like the taste of proper weed. when i was a beginner i grew in hydro! yes hydro is marginally faster and gives a little more yeild but if done properly soil is far superior to hydro in terms of bud quality and taste.
 
aquamistgrower

aquamistgrower

Active Member
your right but soil man all beginners start with soil it is just simple to take care of but i perfer hydro and now im stuck on aeroponics
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
if anything id say hydro is easier and more suited to beginners, you have meters to test everything and keep all levels optimal, i mean all you gotta do is dip the meters and add whatever to your desired levels, soil you have to rely on reading your plants, knowing when to start feeding and how to spot if your plant is hungry, happy or overfed.
 
aquamistgrower

aquamistgrower

Active Member
yes right thats tru every strain i grew in soil i understood everything about that strain there was nothing i didnt know that plant liked or disliked i agree but most people start with soil because hydoponics scare them i guess anyways grow on
 
normlpothead

normlpothead

Well-Known Member
Londoner said:
incorrect




incorrect.... 400w=55000 lumens, 600w=95000 lumens, 1000w=147000 lumens. the 600 is faaaaar more efficient than a 400, an extra 40000 lumens for just an extra 200w, do the math, the 600 is the most efficient hps, and a 600 isnt a great deal hotter than a 400 either, 600w gives you the best bang for your buck!
Click to expand...

That's what I was saying, I wasn't agreeing with outlaw. Denounce means prove wrong.

Also I completely disagree with your statement of hydro being easier than soil, and your statement of soil tasting better than hydro.

Don't start an argument about hydro vs soil when it comes to quality...

I just can see how you think starting in hydro is easier than soil...

One bucket full of dirt vs water that has to be kept below a certain temp, tds meters, resevoir changes, air pumps, water pumps... Aggregate, net pots, tables, or bubbleponics... There are a ton of variables with hydro, making it more difficult for the novice.

I'm not saying soil is better, just a lot easier... And my personal preference is soil, hydro takes too much effort for my garden size... 8 lights 72 plants...

I am going to try 9 bubble buckets on my next round.
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
normlpothead said:
That's what I was saying, I wasn't agreeing with outlaw. Denounce means prove wrong.

Also I completely disagree with your statement of hydro being easier than soil, and your statement of soil tasting better than hydro.

Don't start an argument about hydro vs soil when it comes to quality...

I just can see how you think starting in hydro is easier than soil...

One bucket full of dirt vs water that has to be kept below a certain temp, tds meters, resevoir changes, air pumps, water pumps... Aggregate, net pots, tables, or bubbleponics... There are a ton of variables with hydro, making it more difficult for the novice.

I'm not saying soil is better, just a lot easier... And my personal preference is soil, hydro takes too much effort for my garden size... 8 lights 72 plants...

I am going to try 9 bubble buckets on my next round.
Click to expand...


:sleep: yawns........
 
outlawcustombikes

outlawcustombikes

Well-Known Member
normlpothead said:
incorrect




incorrect.... 400w=55000 lumens, 600w=95000 lumens, 1000w=147000 lumens. the 600 is faaaaar more efficient than a 400, an extra 40000 lumens for just an extra 200w, do the math, the 600 is the most efficient hps, and a 600 isnt a great deal hotter than a 400 either, 600w gives you the best bang for your buck!
Click to expand...

Sorry, I stated that backwards....that's why in my post I typed, "If I remember correctly"....I was wrong. It was opposite from what I remembered. Thanks for the correction.

~Outlaw~
 
NewGrowth

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
Organic soil growing is an art, Hydroponics is a science. It really depends on your grow space and needs. If you packing a bunch of plants indoors then Hydro is easier to manage. If you want great weed and enjoy gardening then grow organic soil. Indoors I am a control freak so I like hydro because i can control every aspect of the grow. Outdoors I love to compost and grow grade A organic pot. :peace:
 
Londoner

Londoner

Well-Known Member
NewGrowth said:
Organic soil growing is an art, Hydroponics is a science. It really depends on your grow space and needs. If you packing a bunch of plants indoors then Hydro is easier to manage. If you want great weed and enjoy gardening then grow organic soil. Indoors I am a control freak so I like hydro because i can control every aspect of the grow. Outdoors I love to compost and grow grade A organic pot. :peace:
Click to expand...
indeed. the sun+good compost=the best weed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top