Hydroponics vs Soil | What’s the difference?

Hydroponics vs Soil – do you know the difference between the two? Obviously there are more than one, and in this short post we’re going to go over the differences between growing cannabis plants hydroponically or in soil indoors; how much they yield, how flavor and aroma is affected and how general plant growth differs.

Hydroponics vs Soil | Main Differences

When grown in soil or peat substrates and in flowerpots, plants grow independently – only when grown in separate flowerpots, of course. The only thing they share with the rest of the plants is the nutrient solution you use to feed them.

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This allows for strict control over your plants individually, so you can give each one its own treatment, allowing you to get rid of ill plants or problematic plants without affecting the rest.

Hydroponics, however, is a totally different story. All plants grown hydroponically get the exact same food and water. This means that if one of your plants ends up with an illness or fungi on its roots, it will most likely spread to the rest of your plants. That’s why you need to be incredibly cautious when it comes to keeping your plants’ roots clean when growing hydroponically.

In order to avoid such issues, we recommend keeping a close eye on your plants’ roots. You can use silicone and trichoderma products which keep your plants’ roots protected. Of course, while this may be almost necessary when growing hydroponically, you can also use this method when growing in soil to ensure stronger, healthy roots.

Hydroponic Agriculture | Pros and Cons

The pros of hydroponics

Like we were saying before, hydroponic growing is much more delicate than growing in soil, but it definitely has its benefits. Your plants will grow much faster in hydroponics, and they’ll also be capable of producing much larger yields. It also saves quite a lot when it comes to electricity and water bills, as your plants will be ready to harvest much earlier.

This is due to the enormous amount of oxygen that your plants’ roots receive due to being watered constantly, which means that they basically grow non-stop thanks to all the extra oxygen. This is one of the biggest differences when it comes to the hydroponics vs soil debate; the oxygen found in soil is much inferior to that which hydroponic plants have access to.

In order to grow cannabis plants properly in hydroponic set ups, you’ll need to maintain a few parameters in order as consistently as possible. For example, you’ll need to keep your water at around 22-26°C for optimal oxygen and nutrient absorption. When growing in soil this parameter isn’t as crucial, although it still needs to be adjusted.

Another advantage when it comes to growing hydroponically is the fact that you can effectively “reuse” your substrate. Clay balls are incredibly easy to clean, however peat or soil substrates can’t really be reused as they’re incredibly hard to clean; another money saver!

The cons of hydroponics

Not everything about growing cannabis hydroponically is beneficial though, and issues may arise that cause your final product to decrease in quality quite a lot. This is due to the fact that growing cannabis hydroponically produces much less terpenes than when you grow it organically in soil.

The main reason that plants grown in aquatic media don’t produce many terpenes, and therefore have less intense aromas, is the water itself. Due to having developed in a constantly humid environment, the plant doesn’t go through the natural short periods of drought that other plants do, which is what increases terpene production.

Another disadvantage to growing hydro cannabis plants is the fact that you need to constantly monitor the water and your plants to see how they react to their feed. If left to their own devices, you may end up with no plants at all. This is due to the fact that any issues are accelerated, just like growth is, in hydroponics. If you don’t have much experience, we recommend starting with soil and then try out one or two plants in hydroponics.

Hydroponics vs Soil | The Verdict

After having a look at some of the main differences when it comes to hydroponics and soil, hopefully you’ll be able to decide which method is better for you. When it comes to hydroponics vs soil, depending on the part of the world, soil is generally the winner when it comes to widespread use. However, hydroponics can produce amazing results and it’s much less widespread in some areas of the world.

Those that tend to grow for large yields use hydroponic systems for the speed and larger yields, including commercial growers that look to grow as much weed as possible in order to sell it, regardless of quality.

We highly recommend investigating different growing methods until you find the one that fits your needs and tastes; none of them are truly better than the other, but one of them may be better for you and your particular preferences when it comes to maintaining your plants and how experienced you are.