It's all about trial and error and sticking to what works.those who use soil just buy organic soil from your hydro stores from companies like foxhill... its pretty much gonna be all you need from start to finish...
currently (my first grow)... dual 400 mh/hps running in a closet thats 4' wide 2' deep and 8' tall... i will only grow ONE plant... the cutting was taken about 3 days ago from a mother plant i started from seed about a month and a half ago (grown under florescent lamp 24hr light)... i allowed the mother plant to kick into flowering cycle the day after i took the cutting and on the second day it had the tell tale hairs... i currently have her sitting under the same florescent lamp as the clone, i need to wait about another 3-5 days as thats how long my clones usually take to pop roots out of the media.
system:
bubble bucket (copied rumpleforeskin from gc forums, instructables etc)
dual 6" cool tube one running mh one running hps
inline fan through carbon scrubber which vents through the roof of the closet (hot air rises make it flow where it wanna go)
nute: cns17 for veg/ripe and bushmaster
coco
silica rocks (holds moisture pretty good)
i chose this system cause of my location and whats available... i tested my nutes on soil plants (used regular potting soil that was flushed after a eggplant had died) to see how well they would react to the nutes... i was surprised... (i'll post pictures when my girl brings her laptop back)...
anyhow... anyone who is looking to grow... do it in soil the first time... thats what i suggest... get used to the strain you are growing... find its veg time, ripe time, harvest time and above all... dont rush a good thing... cure your weed well! a good harvest can be lame if you skimp on curing it well... i started by learning how to germinate the seeds, i germinated about 40 seeds and took the best 10, put them in 4" pots, waited 3 weeks, gave away the 6 worst, waited 3 more weeks and started their flower cycle, waited 1 week checked for hairs gave away all but 2 best plants... and from there i ended up where i am now... trial and error and about 1 year of LEARNING before i even started my first hydro grow or real grow for the fact of the matter. my uncle tried to put a few of my seeds in a bucket with miracle grow... the plant died in a matter of weeks... i extended just some of the things i learned from guys just like you and now he has a really nice set up of; grape god, and 2 white widows under an hps lamp. hes 3 months in with plants about 6' tall top colas just as big as soda cans, but im still not even getting started... note: hes in another state all the info i gave him has been via text or email...
side note:
my first soil grow was done in an upside down garden planter from wal-mart... i was curious... its a TERRIBLE way to grow... the plant stays in veg WAY TO LONG and takes forever to finish... also the container is very small and the roots will run out of room to grow which will affect your plant... i got about 3 dry oz out of it and had to wait about 9 months (i grew it outside) i can post pics of this set up also... a friend growing the same strain was done in about 6 i believe growing it in the same sunlight just in a bucket on the ground. his buds were much more dense and each plant had easily 2x to 3x more weight dry than mines. if you have time and wanna mess around its a good science experiment and costs about $30 for the container and soil, for me the sunlight was free.
hightimes master growers guide 2010 is a great addition to my coffee table... not a plug for the mag but a definite help to get me started and make my final decisions.
for the member whos worried about ph levels and such... NOT ONCE did i ever take a ph test on that upside down plant... what i did was watch HOW THE PLANT reacted day to day and adjusted from there... leaves dry/crispy; add water, leaves curl down; back off the nutes, leaves turn color; add mag or what ever to compensate... dont ask people to hand feed you step by step... they are YOUR plants, and you should take the initiative to make it work... im not trying to pick on you... the information you need is readily available all over the internet and in books/mags, or like me trial and error.
carry on...
If your plants are nice and green with no obvious signs of deficiency then keep doing what your doing and dont change a thing.
I agree with the post's about testing EC's and pH. Ive always grown in soil and have never tested pH or EC before. You respond to how your plant's respond. I find even following recommended nutrient charts arnt needed. Your plants will let you know if they are hungry/sick whateva.