Grown hydro for 4 years....Flo, gro and DWC...Had it dialed. I did 1 run with soil and never turned back - Good quality is much easier to achieve with soil. I had to flush for 15+ days in hydro to get the appropriate smell/taste and I flush for 4-6 days now, in soil. Coco is also an option but their is a bit of a learning curve. Usually get water all over the floor atleast once or twice in hydro, constant ph/ppm testing, sterilizing everything.... man its a headache
For those who are not willing to spend an average of an hour with their plants each day, go soil. If you are one who can be consistent day in and day out with your plants, and don't mind learning a little hydro is well worth it I say. Sure, there is more work involved. Like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it.
I did a side by side on my "WIFI done right" thread almost 2 years ago. Both were grown under their own 1000k in an environmentally controlled room. Hydo more than doubled the yield I got in soil. Everything was healthy as could be in soil, but it just looked anorexic next to the coco tray. The quality of the hydro greatly surpassed the soil bud as far as bag appeal and overall aroma.
You're defining hard in a strange way.
It's harder in the sense that it requires more actions to yield the same amount. There are more measurements to be made, more environmental factors to control, more, more, more.
It's a complexity issue. In soil, you can essentially put the stuff in dirt and water it and you'll get some bud (even if its not the best). There is no such analog to that experience in hydro cultivation.
It's much easier to burn plants in hydro, you literally introduce several families of pest species (slime/ types of mold/types of bacteria) which do not thrive in soil environments. Just by complexity alone its harder--now realize that nutrient scheduling and feeding is waaaay more nuanced in hydro than elsewhere. It's a recipe for increased difficulty from soil, it just IS that way.
It's not a value judgment on either style--its more a caution for new growers. If we had to rank these things in ease of use I think RDWC and UC are somewhere on the far end near difficult--and soil is essentially the starting point.
I have been a hydro guy for over 3 years and can honestly say I have never burned my plants. As far as the molds/ bacteria you speak of, never came across them either. I had PM and thrips on my first grow only because I accepted cuts from a dirty source. Since then its been in house only as far as genetics are conserned and been pest and PM free since.
No disrespect squiggly. In fact I respect you a great deal and enjoy reading your posts. I have to disagree though with your statement that it requires many more actions to yield the same amount. Properly done hydro compared to soil is like a turbo Porche against a Nissan Sentra. I like my cars fast, because I can.
