DWC growing vs soil growing: which do you prefer and why?

[Herby Paisley]

Hi folks.... We all love growing pot and sometimes we have our different preferences, So why do you choose to grow in the medium style you are growing in?Is it.... convenience, money, space, time,smells etc.... just curious to know... lol

 

[Emilya Green]

I prefer the buffer that soil provides, not just in the ease of being able to water and then walk away for several days, but also the buffer that soil gives you when problems arise... in hydro, things happen fast, and it is oftentimes too fast to react to and fix a problem when it occurs. Also, I just hate hauling water around... its bad enough to have to haul 5 gal buckets of nutrient from here to there, but in DWC it is all about water... changing water... refreshing water... watching the water pH and PPMs drift... Compared to soil, DWC is some real work. I like easy and natural... and speaking of that, DWC and feeding from a bottle can never equal the taste that I get growing organically in soil, and since I am able to use my soil over and over again, my cost per run is much much lower than a hydro operation ever could be.

 

[multiVortex]

I'll say hydro. Specifically recirculating dutch buckets.

First, I hate hauling dirt. A pump, some hose, and good to go with water supply.

Second, water temp is less crucial. Why? Because the temp for the water in dwc/rdwc is for oxygen for the roots. Since dutch buckets are a bucket of perlite with about 2” of water in the bottom, the roots breathe air like in soil.

Third, most people pH their feed for soil anyway, so that’s a wash. (Not all, but most.)

Fourth, problems are quicker to happen in hydro, but they are also quicker to correct too. Dump water and refill. Problem solved.

 

[Apoc]

Soil, simplicity, takes less time to care for soil, taste, less problems. Can water and ignore for a couple of days. No need for expensive RO water system, no water temperature problems. Just mix 8 gallon jugs every 10 or 12 days, smoke and chillax.

 

[Southerncough]

Soil/coco...because you don't have to worry about keeping a sterile system when cleaning supplies are sparse. And with my luck water temps skyrocket into the 90s and the slime takes over
I still love hydroponics and maybe I'll try again someday. I have been itching to build a DWC lettuce raft out of a storage tote and styrofoam sheet with holes cut for net pots. Did one 10 years ago and grew lots of salad in it!

 

[TysonOG]

DWC all day!! It's expensive to set up correctly in order to reap the benefits but it's all about speed imo. I can fill a 4x4 scrog with a single plant in 9 weeks of veg time (from planting seed), I dont think soil can do that. As for the taste, I havent seen a noticable difference. I do believe that in theory, proper soil can make the taste better just not enough for me to switch. I run a chiller and co2 with a controller and temps in the mid 80s.

 

[Rosti]

I prefer DWC.. fast growth, high yields, dense potent buds. The aroma and flavors aren’t bad either .. Mostly I really just like being hands on with my grow, tending to the plants, changing water, adding nutes, training branches, etc... it can be physically demanding sometimes but I enjoy that, and to me the end reward is more then worth it.

 

[Herby Paisley]

Wow...Love the response's folks, keep them coming! So many interesting reasons why people choose what they choose to grow in, Its awesome to see the diversity in views on what works for them and why.

 

[Ycfro]

DWC.. extremely fast growth,huge yields,nice and clean. no pests.. switched from soil mainly because of pests.. A little intimidating at first but its pretty simple. Last grow turned out amazing. Cant wait to try some new strains next run.

 

[BigD13]

I’m an outdoor grower, so it’s soil only for me. Plus, growing in soil is pretty easy, at least it is for me.

 

[CanadianJim]

I grew hot peppers in soil for years, so when I started growing weed I went with what I knew. I love the smell and feel of soil, especially after watering.
I grew indoors at first for security, but I always wanted to get my plants out in the sun with my peppers. Now I'm an outdoor grower. Indoors is reserved for male plants and my first forays into breeding.
It's extremely peaceful out in the garden.

 

[Herby Paisley]

I grew hot peppers in soil for years, so when I started growing weed I went with what I knew. I love the smell and feel of soil, especially after watering.
I grew indoors at first for security, but I always wanted to get my plants out in the sun with my peppers. Now I'm an outdoor grower. Indoors is reserved for male plants and my first forays into breeding.
It's extremely peaceful out in the garden.

Dammit...Canadian Jim!... Your a pot grower!.. not a gardener!... lmao... Sorry lil star trek humor this morning, I'm kinda doing the same as you right now but in reverse. I have my males outside and my ladies inside in my tent. Agree I love the soil and being out doors yet for winter and experimenting with breeding strains I like starting in DWC and then moving to outdoors come spring with 4 foot plants instead of starting from seed directly in the ground. Do you grow year round or just seasonal?

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

First, when you say soil, do you include soil-like medias? I grow in peat/perlite. It's a very forgiving hydroponic media that has many characteristics of soil. Inert media/zero media hydro growing is like driving a very fast car on a narrow, twisting mountain road, at a high rate of speed. You better have your shit together.

 

[Herby Paisley]

First, when you say soil, do you include soil-like medias? I grow in peat/perlite. It's a very forgiving hydroponic media that has many characteristics of soil. Inert media/zero media hydro growing is like driving a very fast car on a narrow, twisting mountain road, at a high rate of speed. You better have your shit together.

I start my seeds in rapid rooters on a dwc system surrounded by hydroton clay pellets in a basket, with those I usually keep for mothers for cloning on the system.. or I use my mini bubbler I built that fits just the rapid rooters and just use them with no need for hydroton or any other medium, and then once I find the plants are at the size I like, I take them out off that system and then put them in pots with organic mix soil in my garden or in 10 to 25 gallon pots so I can move them around my property if need be. I have never tried perlite in with my soil directly well maybe a little indirectly with the organic soil mixes, I guess with the rapid rooters being peat moss based I'm kinda growing like you without the perlite. lol .... Love your analogy mine has always been with growing either with dwc or soil or any other medium used... Its all like walking a tight rope with an egg on a spoon in your hand... your cautiously trying to make it in one piece to the other side( harvest), without dropping the egg(plant).. Lets just say sometimes I'm humpty dumpty and fall off the wall and sometimes I'm the egg man chill'in with the beatles! lol

 

[Southerncough]

Mmm...I'd say soil or coco is more like carrying the egg with a shovel and DWC like a spoon.
Yes, DWC is awesome but you gotta know what you're doing, how to fix things and have all of the proper equipment in place. Also somewhere convenient to dump your water when doing res changes and plenty of cleaning supplies and a decent water chiller and....

Meanwhile i will drop my clone into a cup of coco and feed/ water as needed but that's just me.
Also that's why i drive a 20 year old truck that's no fuss and easy to keep on the road instead of a fine tuned exotic car. Sure, a Ferrari is much faster to drive but also way easier to get in trouble with

 

[Southerncough]

Then again if Mrs cough was ever cool with it I'd put a huge rubbermaid trashcan in our spare bathtub in a heartbeat LOL

 

[Herby Paisley]

Mmm...I'd say soil or coco is more like carrying the egg with a shovel and DWC like a spoon.
Yes, DWC is awesome but you gotta know what you're doing, how to fix things and have all of the proper equipment in place. Also somewhere convenient to dump your water when doing res changes and plenty of cleaning supplies and a decent water chiller and....

Meanwhile i will drop my clone into a cup of coco and feed/ water as needed

Guess the shovel ran away with the spoon! lol ...I hear ya on clones in coco coir or soil that's always easy breezy fun... I use the dwc system mainly to lengthen my grow season from just 5 months if that, to all year round and with my tent being indoors in my home I didn't want to bring in soil case of bad bugs coming in so I went with more sterile approach dwc. I agree it is a learning curve going from soil to dwc but wants you get the hang of it its actually alot of fun if you like the hands on growing, but like you sometimes I like to just plant a seed in earth and just walk away and visit it every day for a watering if needed and watch mother nature do her magic!

 

[Herby Paisley]

By the way Southern cough.... Love the pic as your avatar ...Animal is one of my favorite Muppets next to gonzo!

 

[DakiniKush]

I say soil. For me it's just easier. I water every few days or when she tells me to n that's it! I'm kinda lazy n have little kids so to me it suits my lifestyle

 

[CanadianJim]

Dammit...Canadian Jim!... Your a pot grower!.. not a gardener!... lmao... Sorry lil star trek humor this morning, I'm kinda doing the same as you right now but in reverse. I have my males outside and my ladies inside in my tent. Agree I love the soil and being out doors yet for winter and experimenting with breeding strains I like starting in DWC and then moving to outdoors come spring with 4 foot plants instead of starting from seed directly in the ground. Do you grow year round or just seasonal?

My neighbours also grow, so males outdoors is a no-no. I start my seeds indoors in peat pods, along with my peppers. I just start them a couple of months later, lol. You have to start ghost peppers in February, or else you won't be seeing any peppers before the frost kills them, at least around here. My plants are usually 2 feet when I get them outside.
I used to grow in the winter too, indoors, but a good outdoor grow is more than enough for a year. My first outdoor grow last year I had a plant in a pot, which did pretty well, and before my plant in the ground got ripped I got 3 wind damaged branches from her. Still got enough to make it to March this year, those branches were as big as some of the indoor plants I've had. We have security cameras now, and are thinking of getting a dog.
Growing outdoors takes a bit off the power bill, even though I was using LEDs.