Hydro vs Soil: What You Need to Know For Your Closet Grow

When you’re finalizing the details regarding your upcoming closet grow, the question that’s continuously on your mind is: grow in hydro or soil? Your decision will shape your entire experience because each style requires vastly different obligations. Join us as we detail the costs, ease, quality and overall feasibility for each method.

Growing Cannabis in Hydroponics

The term hydroponics describes its key attribute, which is growing plants with water. This method encompasses a wide array of systems, such as deep water culture, nutrient film technique, aeroponics, drip systems, ebb and flow, and drain-to-waste.

Hydroponics has been used in agriculture for decades because it’s an incredibly efficient method for growing plants. Hydro is well known to increase efficiency, but it simultaneously leads to increased costs and technical barriers.

Key Benefits of Growing in Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponics has become one of the most popular ways to grow cannabis in recent years. Let’s find out why.

Ideal for Limited Space

A major benefit of growing cannabis in a hydroponic system is that they can be customized and fit in virtually any growing space. This is ideal for the closet grower because limited space necessitates an efficient system. Customizing your hydroponic system allows you to tweak every aspect of the way your cannabis plants grow.

Rapid Growth

Possibly the biggest attribute for growing cannabis in hydro systems is their ability to increase the rate at which plants grow. This increased efficiency reduces downtime and the overall length of flowering. Every grower understands the importance of shorter flowering times, so with this in mind, hydroponics are held in high regard for their overdrive capabilities.

In various studies, researchers have found that a fine-tuned hydroponic system is capable of reducing harvest times by 1-2 weeks. This is 1-2 weeks less that you’ll need to spend on electricity and nutrients. Generally, growers that have their crops in closet spaces would prefer their plants to finish as soon as possible, and this makes hydro a premium choice for many.

Bigger Yield

If you’re looking for a notably larger yield, then hydroponics might be the method for you. Every cannabis grower strives to produce not only a significant yield but also a bounty of high-quality flowers. Luckily for you, hydroponics allows growers to reap both quality and quantity.

Many hydroponic-specific nutrients are made to push cannabis crops to their limit. The rapid growth that occurs from hydroponically grown plants is the result of their need for stronger nutrients. Many nutrient producers have found the optimal doses of fertilizer for each stage of growth, whether it’s the juvenile stage or the late flowering phase. This ability gives each plant a catered dose of nutrients that it demands, which it then rapidly uptakes. .

Reduces Water Waste

Many hydroponic systems recycle the water in their reservoir. Aside from drain-to-waste, these systems are incredibly efficient in reducing water waste. This is done by continually re-adjusting the pH and nutrient content in the water, rather than throwing it out and refilling the reservoir.

Cost Efficient

Hydroponics can become fairly pricey when bought from online retailers, but are also incredibly cheap when built via DIY methods. Simple bucket systems can be constructed with equipment easily sourced from local hardware stores.

The Downside of Growing Cannabis in Hydroponics

As with anything, there’s always a negative aspect when compared with so many beneficial facets.

Not Beginner Friendly

Although hydro empowers us with bigger yields, faster growth, and High-Times’ looking buds, it’s also far more difficult than growing in soil. Growing in hydroponics is not as straightforward as it sounds because you’re required to be aware of every aspect during the grow. These elements are the pH level, EC content, water temperature, and nutrient strength. The moment any of these fall out of their norm, your plant will suffer.

Not Organic

The nutrients that are used when growing in hydroponics are seldom organic. This is because hydroponic nutrients are composed of salts that are readily available to the plants’ root system. Most of these salts are produced from industrial sites that also cater to large agricultural companies.

Growing Cannabis in Soil

This is the standard method for growing cannabis and is by far the most accessible method. Growing in soil means that you can either grow from pre-packaged dirt or soil from your backyard.

Rather than direct absorption that’s seen in hydroponic systems, cannabis grown in soil interacts with many different elements to absorb nutrients from the soil. These include bacteria, fungi, and pH. Soil-based nutrients are found in different forms, such as organic compounds rather than stripped salts.

Benefits of Growing Cannabis in Soil

There are a plethora of benefits when growing marijuana in soil-based mediums.

Go Organic

You can easily grow organic cannabis when you choose to use soil. Not only does growing organic cannabis protect you from harmful heavy metals and chemical residues, but you’re also able to recycle the soil and re-use it.

Not only will your flowers be organic, but their aroma and flavor tend to increase due to natural oils that are more abundantly found when grown in organic conditions.

Plug and Play

Growing marijuana in the soil is like turning on the cruise-control option. Everything that the plant needs are inside the soil, and all the microbes are hard at work doing the heavy lifting. No longer do you need to fuss with pH and EC meters to fine-tune every aspect of your grow.

Instead of having to monitor every angle of the grow operation, you can confidently allow the ecosystem found within the roots, rhizosphere, and overall environment to allow your cannabis plants to flourish.

Due to the ease of growth, growing in soil is beginner-friendly, and you’ll be sure to harvest picture-perfect cannabis flowers.

Cost Effective

If you decide to grow in soil, then you’ll need a bag of dirt and a few containers. It doesn’t get easier than this, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Space Effective

You won’t need to worry about growing in soil if you’re limited to a small closet because containers come in all shapes and sizes.

The Downside in Growing Marijuana in Soil

Similar to that of growing in hydroponic systems, soil isn’t immune to adverse attributes.

Prone to Pest Infestations

Soil has a tendency to attract insects. In many cases, pests arise from the soil itself because larvae survived the packaging process. Due to this, it’s common that growers using soil are in constant combat with whiteflies, mites, thrips, and gnats.

Average Growth Rates

Compared to hydro, growing in soil may feel like growing in slow motion. Although the growth rates are classified as standard, soil can’t compete with hydro systems.

Which is Right for You?

The choice is ultimately yours to make. Each option is perfect for growing cannabis in a closet space, but both also present inevitable consequences. If you opt for hydroponics, then you’ll need to understand an entirely new way of growing. If you opt for growing in soil, then you’ll need to be satisfied with a lower yield and increased flowering time. Regardless of the choice you choose, it’ll be your motivation that will produce top-shelf buds.