I grow organic and some in Coconut fiber, not hydro. Hydro will give you excellent yields. It also grows faster. I like the flavor of organically grown cannabis. I have grown in hydro a few times because I wanted fast growth and big yields, but the taste was not good. There was a harshness in the smoke. Soil is the most forgiving of the three methods. Hydro is the least forgiving, in the sense that if you don't have the right level of nutrients, the deficiencies in the plant will appear faster.
With soil, you can have all your nutrients in the dirt or container and only add water throughout the process. I like to transplant from a 1-gallon pot to a three or five-gallon pot and put some dry amendments at the bottom of the container. It will enable extra nutrients that the roots can utilize the food from the bottom as it pleases once they reach the bottom. You can also top dress or put dry nutrients at the top of the soil. You can buy dry amendments online or at a local hydroponics shop. They have nutrients specific for the vegetative state and flowering stage. I like to use dry amendments from the Down To Earth brand because they have everything I need. There are a lot of other great dry nutrients.
Using the all-organic dry nutes allows the bacteria in the organic soil to break down the nutrients for the roots to utilize is a more natural approach. You can also use spikes in the organic soil to allow the roots to access more nutrients.
Another thing I like to do is add mycorrhizal fungus to the roots when I transplant. This fungus attaches to the roots and helps the plant intake nutrients. It's like adding a bunch of surface area in the root zone to assist the plants' ability to get food. Having the Mychorrizal fungus also helps prevent transplant shock and increases the ability to handle drought better.
Using coconut coir is the middle of the road between soil and hydro. As its name suggests, it's from the outer fiber of a coconut. You can get it online or at any hydroponic store. It's a great medium to use. My yields are usually better with coco coir. You can get a decent smoke when using it. The downside to me is using synthetic nutes and measuring nutrient amounts and PH levels of your nutrients. Some people have been able to mix soil and coconut fiber. With adding topdressing and adding other amendments. People have been getting good yields and quality somewhere between soil and coco. I have tried and found myself having nutrient problems by using straight coco and top-dressing. Experimenting is up to each individual.
Another benefit of coco coir is you have fewer pests and bugs in the garden. The same goes for hydroponic. Organic soil tends to attract more fungal gnats and other bugs but there are ways to prevent that in soil. When growing with Coco, my environment is cleaner overall and less messy. Coco is a form of hydro called passive hydro. You will end up watering more because it will dry out faster. So you will do more work mixing nutrients, checking nutrient levels, and "ph" ing the water. The roots will get more nutrients and oxygen, leading to faster growth and bigger yields. The plants are being fed differently than by organic because the roots will just drink the nutrients provided verse having the bacteria and fungus work together helping assist the plant feed more naturally.
Hydroponic is unique in that you grow the roots directly into a bucket or container full of water and use an oxygen bubbler to enable the roots to get plenty of oxygen. You add nutrients continually as the plant uses them up and you need to regularly use a meter so you can measure the levels. You also have to measure the ph of the water. You need to keep the water at the ideal ph level. The plant can absorb the maximum nutrients and oxygen for faster growth and better yields.
Another form of hydroponics is called Aquaponics. In an aquaponic system, there is a fish in a tank, and their waste is pumped to the soil where the plants can utilize the feces from the fish. People are getting good results with that because it is a self-sustaining environment. Just keep the fish alive. The fish poop will provide the nutrients for the plant to thrive.
These are the main ways to grow cannabis. I prefer to use the organic method. There are several ways that you can grow cannabis. Many swear by using hydroponics. Enjoy growing whichever way you choose how!
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