Hydroponic vs Soil: Best Way to Grow Marijuana

As the sweet smell of warmer months approaches, I’m getting pretty excited to start growing marijuana at home. The spring and summer months are the perfect time to grow your own weed. But Hydroponic vs Soil: Which is Better for Growing Marijuana? We want to help you out here at The Seed Pharm to guide you along the way.

One of the most popular questions we get about growing cannabis at home is whether to use hydroponic or soil. Which is better for growing marijuana? Is it really going to make a difference? Does hydroponic or soil give the best yield?

While growing marijuana with hydroponics is a little pricier from the get-go, it’s much more cost-efficient in the long run with hydro technology getting cheaper and more accessible every day. But if you do want to use soil, you should also know how that works, so that you can make your own decision based on your needs and available resources.

Keep on reading to learn everything you need to know about growing weed with hydroponics vs. soil.

How Can I Grow Marijuana?

Growing your own bud can seem a little overwhelming at first, but it’s actually quite an easy process. It’s learning how to grow great quality weed that takes more time, care and patience (which is more than double when you’re a true cannabis lover like me).

Check out this summarized version of marijuana plant growth stages from Leafly to help you get a basic understanding of what to expect:

• Seed germination is the first step, and this takes anywhere from 3 to 10 days. Once the seed sprouts, it’s ready to be planted into its growing medium.
• Seedling stage takes 2 to 3 weeks. From here, it will develop larger cannabis fan leaves, and a fully grown plant will have up to 7 blades per leaf. It’s important to watch how much you water the plant at this stage as it doesn’t need a lot of water at this point.
• Vegetative state is next and it takes anywhere from 3 to 16 weeks. The plant needs up to 6 hours of sunlight per day, as well as a few hours of indirect sunlight. If you’re growing indoors, it needs 16 hours a day. This is where your plant will really flourish, and you should have transferred it over to a bigger pot. You can start watering it more and make sure to keep it healthy with plenty of nutrients.
• Flowering stage is the final phase and runs the length of 8 to 11 weeks. This is where you’ll start to see some of those sticky, resinous buds form. Buds grow the most at the finish of the flowering life cycle. This is also where you can start celebrating your achievements – your hard work has seriously paid off!

If you’re anything like me and love getting a little more in-depth, you’ll find everything you need in our Beginners Guide to Growing Marijuana.

Now that you have a basic understanding, which seeds should you get? Here are some of our most popular at The Seed Pharm as well as user reviews.

 

Jack Herer Marijuana Seeds

 

 

White Widow Marijuana Seeds

 

 

OG Kush Marijuana Seeds 

 

 

 

So Hydroponic vs Soil: Which is Better for Growing Marijuana?

Using a hydroponic system means using water as the main growing medium, rather than any type of soil. The roots grow right down into the water where there is a water reservoir. Growers often report much larger yields, more appealing-looking buds, and it’s easier to sustain.

Pros:

• Easier to control quality and quantity of nutrients
• Space-saving as you need less room for the roots
• Easily grow indoor or outdoor
• Reduced risk of diseases and pests

Cons:

• Can be more expensive upfront
• Requires more patience, care and attention

 

Soil is more of a traditional growing method and is loved by both beginners and pros growers. Rather than a water system nourishing the plants, everything comes from the nutrients in the soil which helps sustain them. Much like other plants it still needs to be watered, but water is not its only source.

Pros:

• Requires less care and maintenance than hydroponic growing
• A more forgiving growing process
• Great for outdoor growing
• More affordable

Cons:

• Slower growth period
• Bugs and other pests can attack soil

 

How to Grow Marijuana with Soil

• You can either dig a hole outside and fill it with fresh soil or fill some pots with soil. Make sure you understand the type of soil you’re using. Silty soil is the most ideal type of soil for growing cannabis, but you can also use sandy soil. Clay and loam soils are also options, but not as easy to grow with.
• Consider soaking your marijuana seeds to help them germinate. You can soak them for up to 12 hours, and afterwards put them on a towel or paper towel and store them outside of direct sunlight, but still keep them warm.
• Continue spraying these seeds to keep them moist and wait for them to germinate. They should open up within 48 hours, but this will vary depending on the type of seed and surrounding conditions.
• Once germinated, fill up some pots of containers with soil. Delicately insert the seeds into some small holes, but don’t put them too deep or too close to the surface of the soil.
• From here, spray the pots around two times per day and ensure they receive up to 16 hours of light each day.

 

How to Grow Marijuana with Hydroponics

• Start by setting up the water reservoir. This will hold the water pump and air stone, as well as a drainage line.
• The grow table is next, and this is where the plants will gain and return the leftover water to the reservoir.
• Each bucket for the grow table should be able to hold around 19L and need to have holes drained into the base to let the excess water drain out. Fill these buckets up with clay pellets after soaking them overnight.
• Use the plastic tubing from the water pump and place it across the table. Use the drip line gear to pierce holes into the buckets and attach the drip line emitters to the ends of the drip lines.
• Practice the system to make sure it’s working before putting the plants in. Water should be constantly moving from the air pump that helps it run and stay oxygenated.
• Now you can fill up the reservoir with the nutrient-rich water solution and place the germinated seeds inside the pellets.

 

 

Final Thoughts

The ultimate question here is: Hydroponic vs Soil: Which is Better for Growing Marijuana? Which growing option does it seem like you’d prefer? At the end of the day, the right way to grow marijuana depends on yourself. If possible, try experimenting with both soil and hydroponic methods to see which one suits you best. Hydroponic growing is more expensive upfront but can save space, reduce pests, and has easier quality control. Soil growing is easier and more cost-effective for beginners, requires less maintenance, and has a very forgiving growing process.