Hate towards hydro?

Indoor Growing Hydroponics
#153

Omri isn’t perfect but it’s far from a scam…… All of the organic farmers I know aren’t going through all of the extra work of soil fertility, and tough IPM because they want a “seal” to sell their products for slightly more. They do it because they believe it produces a healthier product for people. And in order for people who want that product to even know it is grown organically, they are required to get certified. While not every allowed input and methodology makes perfect sense in organics, the main idea is people trying to do better.

Also to be clear I’m not nocking hydro or salts. Just adding my perspective.

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#154

I’ve been reading through this thread trying to understand.
Im seeing way more hate here toward organic growers than I ever see hate toward hydro growers in organic threads.
Do your own thing. Different strokes for different folks.
That’s all I have here, good vibes to all!

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#155

Gotta disagree. They make it because it sells for more. It’s a market share they want.

If Heinz could charge what they do for organic ketchup without actually doing “organic” practices buddy you better believe they will.

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#156

It feels like one of those stupid border wars, where neither side will win because the two extremes are dug in so firmly. I land in the middle, for some things organic is great, for others, it’s lacking. Common sense is one of those things NOP, EU, JAS, COR and on and on want to squabble over their own set of rules rather than adopt other’s standards. Organic standards are often political in nature and used to push imports of agricultural goods. If all of these organizations actually cared, they would sit down with each other, the farmers, the processors and manufacturers and agree to a universal standard. The reason they never will, egos, greed,

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#157

@vernal Don’t even get me started on this… Let’s just say there’s a hell of a lot of don’t ask don’t tell in the organic food and beverage industry. Also, a minimal amount of testing

Go check the country of origin for organic produce in cooler climates… think about the carbon footprint there.

Also, now you’ve got organic consumers demanding GMO free certification. You want to talk about a scam and a public that had no idea why they’re even buying organic and what it means…

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#158

Again just my perspective, all of the farmers I know.

I don’t know hienz. Its not surprising Big corps are cashing in on “organics” the cheapest they possibly can. Like any system, it can be taken advantage of, especially when large amounts of money are thrown at it. But organic certification on the smaller scale helps farmers differentiate between themselves and traditional AG and allows consumers a clearer picture of who they are supporting. So in my mind not a scam but certainly being exploited.

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#159

From my experience, you have to be a top notch grower to survive in this world. There are far too many people cranking out crapweed and saying it’s good. I’ve tasted crapweed grown in all methods from the same clones I supplied to other people. If you don’t know what you are doing… crapweed is headed your way!

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#160

Growing in hydro is a PITA. I’m starting to feel like the extra yield isn’t worth the extra work you’ve got to put into it. :thinking:

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#161

Not all hydro is created equal. My ebb and flow buckets require very little time or effort. I can literally spend less than 10 minutes per week feeding 16 plants or more. My soil grows take that much time several times per week for a fraction of the number of plants.

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#162

True. Ive grown in autopots in the past and that was mega easy.
I’ve been threatening to go back to autopots for the simplicity, how easy it is to adjust stuff and less energy use. :+1:

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#163

Never tried autopots, but if you’ve had good luck with them in the past, and you find them to be easier than soil - you should follow through on your threat!

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#164

I grow in rdwc bro but it’s becoming a PITA as I can’t give the plants the attention they deserve and it inevitably causes me issues. Yield wise you can’t beat rdwc but with my autopots I can grow 9 plants instead of 4 (or 8 at the minute as I’m putting 2 in each 30l bucket).

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#165

I have a thread where I showcase a grow of 10 plants in my buckets under one light (600W, then upped it to 1000W halfway through 12/12). I got just under 3 pounds from them. I don’t know how that compares, but I already described how little time it required, and the nutes cost me less than $7. You can check out the thread HERE.

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#166

Two ways to skin the same cat! I think a lot of which camp you prefer has to do with an individuals background.

IMHO nothing beats the environment set up by Mother Nature. Lots of sun and soil. In my location that limits me to one harvest a year. I can sew a suitable seed, pretty much leave it alone, and it grows.

I choose to do hydro during the other months. Yes, I could do soil in the tent, but the speed and yield in hydro is what keeps me interested. I spend about 10 minutes a day maintaining the tent, can easily cut that to 5 if need be or even skip a day, but I like looking at her. Hydro is comfortable for me as I also have about 40 years of large aquarium experience so many of the concepts make sense to me and are already familiar. I can measure my Rez and know if I am in range or not, with soil I dont have that knowledge/control. I can easily inspect my root ball. Bugs are not as much of a problem in a sterile Rez as I have had with soil.

I think it is all in one’s background and experience, which way you prefer. I am pretty sure you can get killer smoke either way.

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#167

I’ll take a look bro. Thanks.
I’ve grown a few mega yielding plants in my system in the past. Had a few 12oz + plants in the same buckets. My issue is my job is demanding. Once I get home the last thing I wanna do is tend to my plants so I neglect them. It’s more user error than the hydro if I’m 100% totally honest :rofl:

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#168

I’m not able to grow outdoors, but I grow in soil and hydro indoors. Background and experience are factors, but so are other things like the indoor environment and water. I grew the best weed I’ve ever grown when I had city water and grew organically in soil. When I moved into my new home, my well water was pure, but the pH was extremely acidic. So I get better results from my hydro grows because of the control I have, but I still grow in soil because it’s where my roots began.

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#169

IMHO
It’s not as much about better / worse as consistent.
Hydro with dialed in conditions and great genetics produces great weed consistently since conditions are, well, consistent. (Think of a great clone-only strain here)
Organic - outdoor / living soil / bag soil etc. just is not as consistent. However - I do think that organic can be SPECTACULAR on occasion - but yielded 1oz. per plant of foxtail buds and the plant next to it might suck - much more a roll of the dice. (Landrace, etc.)

The question itself starts to lean a bit into the scotch realm:
Do you like blended Johnny Walker (name your mainstream piss here) - or a 28yr. Laphroaig Single Cask?
The JW wins for consistency - it’s tasted EXACTLY the same for 40 something (or more) years, and it’s cheap.
The Laphroaig - read the reviews before buying; this year might be heavenly while the next cask might be metho/urine for $400 a bottle.
(wow - re-read my post and think I’m into one of the good plants from the grow I just jacked-up! :rofl: )

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#170

If you mix your own salts then you have complete control over how much N or P your plants are receiving.

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#171

Yes true, I hear that, an def a cool way to do it too, and maybe it’s possible to find the exactly right proportions of NPK to create the best terpene profile. And, I suppose you could try to get close to the right proportions of micros, and there are water born microbes. I’m not sure about the trace elements, have people figured out water soluble trace elements?

For me I just like dirt; river silt and old growth humus, mmmm:)

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#172

There are chelated micronutrient mixes available that are highly water soluble. A commercial grower I speak with occasionally told me balancing your micros just right is the key to obtaining 30+% THC consistently. I’m not there yet but, I’m learning.

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