I'm pretty unsure of what all goes on for hydro but have been reading about doing a soil grow for a while. After seeing a few hydro journals I began wondering about it. Now I'm curious if anyone can tell me roughly how much it costs to have a small basic setup vs a small soil basic setup
the initial cost of hydro is typically more.. you can get a single plant setup such as GH waterfarm for about 50 bucks.. the average setup is about 300 to start ..going up to about 1000. the startup cost for a single bag of soil is $20 for the good stuff which is good for 3-5 plants, but over time this method will cost you more. i planted 32 in soil and spent over a litlle over $250 in soil don't forget about the nutrients though.. typically hydroplants will cost you more in nutrients as they use larger reservoirs soil is easier for beginners, but hydro is faster and higher yielding
To do hydroponics correctly you'll need some very specific hardware. First of all there's the system of choice. Recirculating DWC, NFT, or Ebb&Flow? Maybe a drain to waste drip system. Aeroponics for the win? The upfront cost for a "legally" sized system is going to be in the $300 to $500 range, depending on DIY it might be possible to save a few bucks but the headache is hardly worth $40. Inert media also offers some cheaper options and coco coir/peat is reusable which can lower long term costs. Next you need to continuously monitor EC/TDS and pH of your system. Between the meters and the calibration and cleaning solutions that's another $150 to $400, given the quality. Reverse Osmosis filtering of water is also preferable, which means you'll need a $200 system, with a $30 55 gallon reservoir barrel, and the extra water cost that goes with it. Finally there's the nutrient option. Advanced Nutrients does it right. Canna nutrients and Humboldt Nutrients are good choices along with tried and true methods like the Lucas/Head/Rez formulas on GH and Botanicare. When selecting a system it is important to check out the feeding schedule suggestions, get the entire product line, and try to dial in your nutrients based on their guidelines. Two 6 plant grows, conservatively, is going to cost $600 in nutrients. After 3 or 4 goes at hydro you'll have it dialed in, you'll have all the equipment you'll need, and that is when it will really pay off. So figure $1250 for the initial grow, with another $600 or so over the next 9 months. Harvests should be fine and will completely offset your costs. You'll get it dialed, start running about $1000 per grow with water and energy and nutrients, and your harvests can be in excess of 4 pounds of premo medical hydro with two 1000w lamps, 6 plants, and CO2. Soil is inevitably cheaper. There's the recurring cost of the soil, but water costs are less and you'll use less nutrients. Harvest weight to time ratio is less, but the organic label can increase the medicinal value. A good soil grow is maybe $400 for planters, dirt and amendments, and additional nutrients. pH meters are important too, but a $40 wand is fine.
If you are torn between hydro and soil you should consider coco. It can rival hydro in growth but is cheaper and simpler like soil. It requires a little more attention than soil because you have to feed more frequently but for a small scale grow that shouldn't be a big deal. Check out http://forum.grasscity.com/coco-coir/620656-askeds-coco-guide.html if you want more info on growing in coco. Good luck!