Is hydro faster to turn over crop? or is it the same as soil? Which can you do more cycles of in a year?
Hydro > Soil in terms of turnover Hydro < Soil in terms of ease of use Hydro is generally more expensive to run and maintain. Depending on your system it can be demanding and expensive. Also if you don't know what you're doing you can potentially fuck up pretty easily. Soil works great and it's easy to use. If you're just learning the ropes you might want to consider healthy plants always yield more. I use a ebb and flow hydro system but don't get me wrong, I've played in the dirt... That sounded dirty.
Spot on there. Although i would add that soil also provides a better flavor and improved potency IMHO. This has long time been considered conventional wisdom. But as the hydro revolution has gained alot of steam, i'm sure you'll hear arguments on both sides of that debate. Soil is the best medium for most because of its ease of use. Get a few crops under your belt, and if you're feeling adventurous, try a small hydro along side your soil grow to get the hang of it. Just my $.02
Hydro usually grows faster and you have much more control meaning you can always measure exactly whats going into your plants. BUT.. its harder to learn at first and requires more fancy equipment.