08 Mar Ask The BudBot: Are Hydroponics Good For A Beginner?

In a word, YES.  Oh? You want more info – got it!
When it comes to beginners and plants, most failures revolve around over or under watering – things that don’t come into play with a hydroponics system.  Removing the variables and simplifying the system is what hydroponics is all about.

The Dirt

Growing in dirt can seem like the easy way to go to a beginner because it involves a familiar idea – plants grow in dirt.  It’s easy to envision the items you need – a bucket, some dirt – probably have them laying around the garage. But all dirt is not the same and unless you have a high priced bag of Fox Farm’s organic soil or similar formulated just for cannabis you are likely to have a tough time of it.

Having the right soil is a matter of having the right mix of sand, clay and organic matter, it’s a matter of the right minerals and PH level, of nutrient concentrations if not organic – it’s a lot of things – but unless you have a soil analysis lab at home, its a deep brown mystery with your plant sticking out of it.

Watering is a main problem because the action is all happening below the surface.  The surface can be bone dry prompting watering, not realizing that down below the surface the roots are already drowning due to poor drainage, compacted soil, or too frequent waterings.

Bugs don’t just flock to soil, they come with it.  All too often a new bag of soil from the garden store has proven to sprout forth a flock of fungus gnats – a condition brought on by overwatering, so an experience a beginner would be sure to partake of.

So enough about dirt, and believe me, I have not said all the dirty things about it I could, but lets leave it with some self respect and return to the topic of hydroponics…

Hydroponics – Deep Water Culture

So how does hydroponics do away with the problems above, without adding complexity?  Lets take a look at the system and see…  First we have a plastic tub – surely as simple as the bucket soil would go in –  fill it with water and we are nearly done.  Measure out a few ml of this, and a few of that, toss in a few air-stones connected to a good strong air pump and you have yourself a system that puts dirt in the dust.

Now the plant doesn’t have to waste energy pushing its way through the soil, roots can grow quickly and can gather nutrients from all around them.  Nutrients move freely around the roots, so all roots can feed at top efficiency.  Air is mixed with the water by the air-stones and pump, so they never drown and have all the oxygen they need, yet they are submersed in water at all times and will never go dry – they are perfectly happy.

Making sure the nutrients are “in the zone” is a simple matter in a hydro system – unlike dirt where you test samples of water that have washed through the soil you can simply test the water the plants grow in – and should things be out of whack, draining the tank and refilling it is more effective and easier on you and the plant than flushing soil with gallons of water.

Ease & Consistency

Hydroponics are easier on the grower, and on the plant – allowing the grower to keep more hair, and the plant to grow more bud in less time.  It does what any good beginner method should do, it cuts down on potential problems – and it does what any good expert method should do, it grows plants fast, grows em big, and works the same grow after grow.

Mind you, some hydroponics methods can be complicated, expensive, prone to failure, etc – there are quite a few methods that are outdated, or geared towards experts – and some are better suited to larger scale grows, such as drip systems – but when it comes to your home closet and your personal stash, Deep Water Culture is the way for beginners and experts alike.

Our simLeaf grow simulator teaches growing in a Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System. You can experiment with the process in the app and then find out it is right for you.

You can Download the App here: http://bit.ly/simLeaf

Happy Growing!