Soil vs Hydro vs Coco...Which is the best?

Trying to pick a growing method? Sorry folks, there’s no quick answer here. It all comes down to what suits you and your growing space.

Here are the pros of each growing method.

Coco

aka. coir

Great For

Beginners and intermediate growers

Pros

Light & airy for good root growth

No nutritional content (more control)Easy to use

Can be hand-watered or used with drip systems

Coco is your half-way house.

The light, airy nature of coco promotes root growth.

Overall, you get bigger and faster growing plants than you do in soil. But there’s a bit more room to make mistakes.

Like in soil, roots are insulated to offset temperature changes.

Unlike soil, coco has very little nutritional content. You have complete control over what goes into your plants – get it right and growth is amazing! You will need to monitor your nutrient pH though.

If you want better results than you get in soil but aren’t ready to move onto hydro yet, this is the media for you.

Tip

Coco tends to absorb calcium and nitrogen while releasing potassium. Use a good CalMag to counter this.

Coco holds onto nutrients, making some less available to plants. To make sure plants get enough to feed on, start feeding with nutrients from day 1 and only use just water every 1-2 weeks.

Soil

Soil/compost

Great For

Beginners

Organic growers

Pros

Easiest method

Buffers pH

Contains beneficial microbes

Retains nutrients well

Can be hand-watered or used with drip systems

Soil’s a very forgiving media – it already contains nutrients and beneficial microbes to help maintain plant health and ward off diseases.

Since roots are insulated by the soil, air temperature variation has less of an impact on the root zone.

You don’t even have to adjust the pH of your nutrient solution. Why? Soil microbes and organic matter have the ability to modify the pH range to allow for nutrient uptake. However, if you regularly apply a nutrient solution with a pH below 5 or above 8, you will see benefit from adjusting the pH to between 5.5 and 6.5. Just don’t overdo it.

If you’re growing organically, this is the method for you. Most organic nutrients work with the beneficial microbes already in your soil – like Ecothrive Charge & Biosys.

Tip:

If growing with soil, consider using Ecothrive Coco with Charge. It's coco mixed with Charge at the ideal 2%.

Hydro

little or no media (exposed roots)

Great For:

Optimum control

Serious growers

Pros:

Fastest rooting & growth

Bigger plants

Bigger yields

To get the biggest, fastest growing plants, go hydro. Exposed roots grow straight into your nutrient solution.

There’s very little media to get in the way of root growth. And plants have instant access to nutrients.

It’s a little harder to grow in hydro – with very little media to protect roots, you really need to watch your temperature and oxygen levels.There are lots of tools to help you stay inside the safe zone. A Hailea Nutrient Chiller in summer will be your best friend. In winter, you'll want a Hydor Nutrient Heater.

Don’t even try this method if you’re an organic grower – organic nutrients contain biologically active ingredients that ferment and foam in hydro systems. Stick with a good mineral nutrient in hydro.