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This article discusses the difference between growing with hydro vs soil when using LED grow lights. Both types of grow mediums can be used with LED if done correctly, but one does better than the other for fundamental differences.

Soil LED Setups

If your growing with the soil, then you should be adding amendments like a good grower should– they will do multiple things for you: break up salt block, balance pH levels, encourage microbial activity, and add micro-nutrients to the soil. If your not amending your soil, then your missing out on tons of yield- of which can compete with hydro if you prepare the mix just right.

Types of Soil Amendments And Their Purpose

The type of soil amendments that you choose are up to you, organic or not, it’s really depends on your grower style. If done right, those little microbes your adding will not only eat away dead roots that are decaying, but also create some needed added oxygen in the soil. Organic growers like to create their own soil amendments many times, and traditional or synthetic growers often buy them from the store to apply. Synthetic amendments include things such as bark products, plant byproducts, animal byproducts, and more.

Hydroponic LED Grow Setups

When growing with hydroponics grow light leds, things are actually less complicated overall. Yes, you do have to balance pH and keep water temps constant for your plants to be happy, but at least keeping tabs on your medium is easier to do.

Raising and lowering nutrient levels in your reservoir is particularly easy with a TDS meter, and you can walk up the nutrient levels for every stage of growth with precision.

Now for the million dollar question. What is better to use with LED?

Hydroponic LED growing is tended better for led growing with led grow lights because of the hyper targeted spectrum that the lights themselves create. You can expect explosive plant growth from plants under led’s, and especially during the plants vegetative state.

Hydroponic LED grow setups are also better for the simple fact that LED grow lights produce less heat, and therefor dry up the soil slower in a soil setup. Many new led grow light growers make the mistake of over-watering the plants when using led’s for the first time, and then suffer the consequences of their actions when their plants roots lack oxygen and halt plant growth as a result.

Flowering plants are suppose to be watered until fully saturated when using a soil medium, but since the plants dry out much slower then when using HID lights, the results usually end up sub par unless you know exactly how much to water them.

Hydroponic LED’s rock, I would recommend them to anyone. Fast plant growth, and the perfect setup for explosive growth. If you have any particular comments about grows you have done with a hydroponic LED type of setup, then please discuss them in the comments section…