Issue #21 -
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's issue you'll discover...
- GrowWeedEasy's complete rundown on the pros and cons of growing your marijuana in soil versus growing marijuana in hydroponics
.
- A new type of growing pot designed to stimulate root growth and prevent your marijuana plants from getting root-bound.
- Learn how you can give back to the marijuana growing community
- The answer to a common question from growers on the power of CFL bulbs.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Grow Weed Easy!
Happy Growing!
Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com)
"I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation."
-Phyllis Theroux
Growing Marijuana: Soil vs Hydroponics
By Nebula Haze
Today, we're going to discuss the difference between
growing marijuana with soil or growing it hydroponically.
First...
What is soil and what is hydroponics?
Soil is the mineral and organic material found on the surface of the Earth
which is a natural growing medium for plants.
Marijuana prefers high-quality soil that drains well, which is why many
growers supplement soil with perlite for added drainage. Soil growers also almost
always add nutrients or nutrient rich materials such as manure, earthworm castings, or
seabird/bat guano to make sure the marijuana plants gets everything they
need.
Organic potting soils often work well for growing marijuana when mixed with perlite. Fox Farm Ocean
Forest is a popular soil choice among marijuana growers. Regardless of the soil you start
with, most growers will need to supplement with nutrients for the best
results.
Plants naturally absorb nutrients from soil, though especially in the flowering stage, it's up to you to provide just the right
amount (not too much) of the right kind of nutrients to maximize your yields and
prevent nutrient deficiencies.
*Learn more about marijuana soil nutrients here: http://growweedeasy.com/best-marijuana-nutrients-review
Hydroponics refers to growing plants in mediums like coco coir, sand, gravel, pure
liquid(such as water), or even misted air.
When growing marijuana hydroponically, as the grower
it's up to you to provide all the nutrients your plants need throughout the entire grow. This is done by adding nutrients to their water supply.
The benefit to this is that you can accurately provide the right amount of
exactly the right kind of nutrients your marijuana plants want, to maximize your
yields.
Common growing mediums for hydroponics (often mixed together):
- Grown directly in water
- Coco coir (coconut shell husks)
- Vermiculite
- Perlite
- Hydroton
- Peat Moss
- Soilless Potting Mix
*Learn more about hydroponic marijuana nutrients here: http://growweedeasy.com/best-marijuana-nutrients-review
Growing Weed in Soil Pros & Cons
 
 
Pros:
- Many growers claim soil-grown marijuana tastes better
- Soil can be more forgiving for the inattentive grower
- Growing in soil is easier than some types of hydroponic growing
Cons:
- Marijuana tends to grow slower in soil than in hydroponics
- Soil-grown marijuana takes longer to show signs of problems and can be
slower to recover
- Soil usually returns lower yields compared to hydroponically grown marijuana (when
given the same time, lights, and environment)
- Need to add something for drainage (like perlite) to most potting soil
Growing Hydroponic Weed Pros & Cons
 
 
Pros:
- Total control over nutrient levels
- Ultimate customization and personalization to suite your needs and
style
- Faster harvest (by providing optimum growing conditions, plants grow faster
allowing you to shave up to 2 weeks off the vegetative stage)
- Less likely to suffer from weeds, soil-born diseases or pests
- Growing in a soilless growing medium like coco coir is almost exactly the
same work as growing in soil, yet you get all the benefits of hydro
- Techniques like bubbleponics and DWC give growers the ability to pretty
much automate their grow, so it takes a few minutes a week to maintain
- Can usually correct problems much more quickly in hydro
Cons:
- Some claim hydro grown weed doesn't taste as good,
though most growers now agree that taste has more to do with your nutrients and
flushing methods than purely hydro vs soil
- Plants are quicker to show signs of problems
- Some hydro methods are overly complicated and not beginner
friendly
- No natural nutrients, you have to supplement
nutrients, which can be as simple as a nutrient system like Dyna-Gro and as
complicated as brewing your own organic compost tea
Biggest Differences Between Growing Marijuana in Soil vs Hydro
Optimum pH for Nutrient Absorption
Soil: 6.0-7.0
Hydro: 5.5-6.5
Even if you're growing in a potting mix, if it
doesn't say "soil" you will need to
adjust the pH for hydro levels.
We recently received this question where a reader was growing marijuana in a mix of
vermiculite and perlite. Because this seems soil-like, he was adjusting the pH levels
as if he were growing in soil.
It's important to note that growing
hydroponically means growing in basically anything besides soil, even if it resembles
soil.
Here's the question....
Question: I'm growing 3 White Widow plants in soil with High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights using Advanced Nutrients. The soil is made up of 75% Perlite 25% Vermiculite and I'm adjusting the pH to 6.7 - 7.3. All my plants seem to be having this problem. Any idea why? Thank you in advance.
Click for closeup
Answer: It looks like Magnesium deficiency, but considering your nutrients have plenty of magnesium, and what you said about your pH. I think this is really a pH problem.
Using Perlite and Vermiculite is still technically considered hydroponic (not soil), so you'll need to use a hydroponic pH range (5.5 - 6.5). If you adjust the pH to the proper levels, this problem should clear right up. Good luck!
Hydro and Soil Grown Marijuana Usually Need Different Nutrients
As a general rule, you will need to get nutrients specifically made for soil
or hydro. This is because soil provides some nutrients, while in hydro you must
provide all the nutrients.
Dyna-Gro is a noted and well-loved exception that works great for growing
marijuana in soil or hydroponically. Just follow their instructions at half strength.
Use Grow for the first part of the plant's life and then switch to
Bloom after you see the first flowers growing.
Learn more about marijuana nutrients here: http://growweedeasy.com/best-marijuana-nutrients-review
There Are So Many Different Hydroponic Methods, It's Hard to Generalize
Each hydroponic grow method has its own pros and cons, and
they're so different from each other it's hard to
truly compare "hydro vs soil."
Some hydro growers use bubbleponics of Deep Water Culture (DWC) which means
they're growing with their plant roots directly in water.
Other hydroponic growers grow in soilless potting mixes or coco coir, which in
practice is extremely similar to growing in soil besides the nutrients and optimum
pH.
An anonymous note from one of our readers who grows marijuana in soil:
Here's the simplest way to grow weed in soil. Get Fox Farm
Ocean Forest soil and plant your seeds. Water whenever top inch or so of soil seems
dry. Start adding a tiny bit of Dyna-Gro Bloom fertilizer to your water after plants
start budding and you're good to go!
Growing marijuana hydroponically in bubbleponics tutorial: http://growweedeasy.com/high-yield-bubbleponics-technique
Growing marijuana hydroponically in coco coir (with CFLs) tutorial: http://growweedeasy.com/easiest-grow-method-cfl-coco-coir
Conclusion
You should grow in soil if...
- You really like the idea of growing weed as "close-to-the-wild" as possible
- You have access to good soil
- You are willing to supplement with organic compost teas or nutrients as
needed
- You feel that soil-grown marijuana tastes the best
- You want something that's more "set
it and forget it" and don't care as much about yields
or fast harvests
You should grow hydroponically if...
- You want a faster harvest
- Getting the highest yields possible is most important to you
- You desire the convenience of soil without the pests (hand-water grow in
soilless potting mix)
- You'd like the convenience of a close-to-fully automated system
(DWC, bubbleponics, etc)
- You are willing to become the sole provider of nutrients throughout the
grow
- You love experimenting with different methods and want to tune into the
perfect grow method
I hope you enjoyed today's issue. As you may have gleaned
from this article, I (Nebula Haze) personally love growing marijuana hydroponically. I
believe proper flushing and overall lower nutrient levels give you marijuana buds that
taste even better than soil-grown (though my opinion is obviously biased).
At GrowWeedEasy.com, we are dedicated to teaching people how to grow the
way they want. We'd love to
hear from some soil growers and get your side of the story.
If you love growing
marijuana in soil, don't hesitate to submit an article or pictures
so we can share with the rest of the growing community!
Submit your growing article: http://growweedeasy.com/newsletter-article-submission
Submit your marijuana pictures: http://growweedeasy.com/submit-trophy-pics
About the Author: Nebula Haze
In response to the need for more tutorials aimed at new growers, Nebula co-founded GrowWeedEasy.com in 2008 with fellow grower Sirius Fourside.
Nebula prefers to grow hydroponically in coco coir (she's been loving
this organic soilless potting mix from Roots lately!)
Since
then, Nebula has published dozens of growing articles in print and
online, stars in several online video lessons, and continues to dedicate
herself to serving the needs of the medical marijuana growing
community.
"My
mission is to show other medical marijuana patients how easy and fun it
can be to grow pounds of killer weed out of your closet."
Join Nebula Haze on Twitter
Join GrowWeedEasy.com on Facebook
Check It Out!
Air-pots were recently recommended by a fellow grower for those growing in soil or a soilless mix like coco coir or vermiculite.
Their unique shape makes them so that plants grown in them are less prone to being root bound.
After conducting some research, I'm incredibly impressed with their performance.
My next grow will be a side-by-side comparison of a Regular Pot vs an Air Pot.
May the best pot win!
Check out what makes these air pots so special...
We Need Your Help!
Ever wondered how you could help overgrow the world?
Interested in getting exposure while showing off your growing skills
and helping other growers around the world produce bigger, more
potent buds?
Do you have experiences, pictures, or lessons learned that you believe will be helpful for other growers?
If so, we want to hear from you!
Nebula
Haze and Sirius Fourside, founders of GrowWeedEasy.com, have dedicated
their lives to building the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow marijuana
growing resource in the world.
We
know that the best way to get medicine into the hands of those in
needs is to provide people with information that makes it easy for
anyone to grow it themselves....
From a fellow grower who frequents GrowWeedEasy.com:
"Dear Nebula,
You were right! My pH was much too high, so I have adjusted accordingly. My plants are doing great now and growth has massively increased! Thank you very much for your help!"
Yaaaay! That's awesome! pH problems are generally one of the most common issues people experience when growing cannabis.
Nebula
Question: Hey GrowWeedEasy!
Your tutorial recommends 40W CFLs. Is that 40W as listed on the
box or equivalent to 40W incandescent. These boxes usually have numbers foe each one and I was wondering if it really mattered.
Answer: The tutorial is referring to the actual wattage(not equivalent), but it's also a minimum. When it comes to CFL bulbs, higher wattage is better since their light doesn't travel far; it's most effective at about 4 inches away from the plant. Get as much light on them as you can if you're going to use small bulbs!
Remember, sharing is caring!
Forward this email to a friend in need!
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in this e-mail should be considered personalized Financial, Legal, or
any other kind of Advice. The contributors to this magazine grow legally
under their local laws. If you cannot legally grow where you live, we
DO NOT recommend that you start growing marijuana, as you can be
arrested, put in prison, or worse!
Any decision to grow marijuana should only be made after consulting with an experienced lawyer or other legal adviser. Although
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