Picking the right growing medium can be a tough decision. Soil is probably the most common growing medium but more and more people are switching to hydroponics. Growers often ask me, “What is better – soil or hydroponics?” In this article we will compare growing in soil vs hydroponics.
Let’s start with soil. Growing with soil is pretty straightforward. Soil is a growing medium that can be used when growing cannabis indoors or outdoors. Growing medium (often called growing media or growth medium) are materials that plants grow in. Growing with hydroponics usually means growing plants indoors with anything other than soil being the medium. With hydroponics, some of the mediums you can have are: aeroponics, deep water culture, coco coir, rockwool, hydroton, or even air. When growers pick their growing medium they make an important decision; they determine how fast and large their plants grow and how much maintenance they’re going to need. Generally speaking, soil is the old school method of growing and hydroponics is a newer method.
With soil, the dirt acts as a buffer between the roots and nutrients. The soil keeps the plant from sucking up nutrients too quickly. That means a slower growing plant with a lower harvest. With hydroponics, cannabis roots are very much exposed to water and nutrients which makes plants explode in fast growth. This usually results in bigger yields. The trade-off is that plants are more vulnerable to deficiencies and nutrient burn when growing in hydroponics. Small mistakes can have big consequences. Hydroponic systems also require daily maintenance and adjustments. For example, you need to check your pH and PPM daily. This results in you spending more time in your garden caring for your plants.
Is there a difference in smoke between plants growing in soil vs hydroponics? There certainly can be. It really depends on if the plant was flushed well enough. Both methods can produce the same potency and a great high. As for taste, I personally prefer buds that were grown in soil. Plants grown in soil are usually flushed better and usually less mistakes are made during the grow. If you are a beginner and want to learn how to grow indoors using soil as your growing medium, check out my book 7 Steps To Grow Cannabis by clicking here. What growing method do you prefer? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
