I was curious about the percentage of home growers using soil, super soils, soilless or hydroponic methods . . . and why.
I run a soilless, HFF/DTW setup using 100% coco coir and GH Flora Trio + extras. I use this method due to the simplicity and stability of the system as well as growth rates very near, or equal to most hydroponic systems.
High Frequency Fertigation systems (HFF) involves multiple feedings to runoff everyday. Runoff is plumbed to a drain . . . the DTW or Drain to Waste part. This provides plants with a fresh nutrient solution with proper pH and stage specific NER several times each day.
The reservoirs, pumps, drains, etc. take more time and $$ to get set up but more than make up for it in ease of operation. I fill the reservoir(s) every 3-4 days . . . takes maybe 10-15 minutes each mixing. Do any needed training/trimming and wait for harvest time. That’s all the time I have to spend in the grow room . . . of course I still visit the girls most days.
Your system sounds so optimal lol any part of the grow being automated is a back saver. I decided against coco coir since it requires multiple feedings each day and I work full time. I just don’t have time for it. But if I could automate the feedings and have the runoff fed to a drain I might switch from soil.
In soil I like to check on my plants daily and decide myself if they need watered that day. So that would be a learning curve, I’ve only grow in soil with fabric pots since I started
I think I should have added “What is” to title as I was curious about the different methods people are using and why they chose the method they are using. I didn’t mean to imply that my method is the best, just sharing the method I use and why I chose it.
Sorry for any confusion.
Phones and computers are difficult . . . tried taking pics with phone but can’t upload .HEIC images to forum. Will look at that more tomorrow
Im running 2 - 20gal rain science bags of organic living soil. Still using down to earth amendments, but transitioning into build a soil amendments instead. I have red wigglers living in the soil and use cover crop during in-between cycles and veg. This has been working fine. But, im looking into the auto pot xxl 13gal as a replacement system in the future. Ill be keeping the soil from my current grow as it gets better with age. Cheers
Figured out the pictures I hope. Please overlook the mess . . . I’m old, lazy and playing stay at home dad to two girls under 10. Training, trimming and general housekeeping in the grow room are lagging most of the time . . .
Timers control everything but the mixing. Nutrients are pumped into the flower room 3-9 times per day . . . container size determines the number of feedings:
I just switched to hydro with clay as a medium a couple runs ago and I prefer hydro all the way. It’s more expensive with some of the equipment but damn I like it much better. Im setting up to expand my grow.
Nice looking setup. Are you running a recirculating system? Or DTW? I considered going with hydroton for media but I’ve been running coco for so long now I’d be afraid of making the switch.
Am just in soil, as that is what the growshop dude recommended. Only thing I’ve changed since is I moved from liquid to dry soil amendments, to save time mainly, but I also think dry is better for the plants, just my 2c. No tip burn for a start.
Not had any reason to consider a change of system as of yet but I am open to anything that can improve my results or save time. I’m mainly interested in the reasons you all choose the way you like to grow.
The perfect setup for me would be very hands-off but fast-growing and yielding good results. An obvious next step for me is to get Autopots to automate waterings. A further thing I’d like to improve is to re-use the soil instead of throwing it away and buying new each time, seems wasteful at best. No idea how though.
But not sure if there’s much advantage to switch out the whole thing for another system, cost vs reward?
I started and stuck to soil for years. I’ve only got 2 runs under my belt with this system. It’s such a time savor. I don’t have to check on my plants for a week at a time and that’s only to refill the res and the humidifier. I run a chiller and a pH monitor/doser so I don’t have to chase the pH. It like cheat mode if you have the cash to put into it.
Dwc and rdwc your constantly watching but with ebb and flow, if you have a pH doser and a chiller are the key factors to being as automated as I am. Wifi pH dosers with up and down both are 600$$ blue lab make what I have and it’s only one or the other but as soon as we get through the holidays, I’m buying the growee doser. It’s a dual doser so it can raise or lower by automation via a set pH or you can control it off your phone to fine tune things. This device and a good size res (150 gallon res) I could go away for 2 weeks on vacation and not have to worry about anything in my grow room
Nice. Funny, I am away over xmas and wondering what the hell to do about this.
Especially as it falls right when I will need to flip lol.
Think I will have to transplant to autopots on this run, but you’ve defo got me thinking about the iteration beyond. Really like the sound of your setup.
Thats definitely an impressive set-up forsure. Automation is my future. Auto pot is the organic version of hydro. If i were to apply new dry amendments and fill up a good size water reservoir i could basically leave the house for a month. Thats the dream.
If you want to reuse soil and want simplicity look into a grassroots living soil bed. I’m buying the 4x4 bed for my 5x5 tent. I’ll be installing blumats for automated watering. I’ll just top dress weekly and top up the blumats res. The soil will be the same soil for atleast the next 10 years if not the rest of my life. Look up the build a soil YouTube. All he talks about is soil getting better with each use.
