SOIL vs HYDROPONIC MICROGREENS

Please like and subscribe if you found this helpful! I'd love to chat in the comments!

In today's video, I wanted to share my opinion on the pros and cons of soil vs hydroponic microgreens. My primary medium is soil (actually peat mix) but I have done extensive experiments with hydroponic grow pads and one clear winner (for my context) has emerged...

I will soon be sharing a video showing some of my side by side trials of soil vs hydroponically grown microgreens.

~
~
~

Intro Music by Ukiyo

Outro Music:

[louismagee]

I did a side by side comparison with peat moss and organic local potting soil. The soil grew way faster, bigger, and tasted better. The comparison was obvious. Now I only grow with the potting soil.

[SapioiT]

For hydroponics, instead of using coconut fibers, you can use paper towels, paper napkins, tissue paper and/or toilet paper. For example, you can have paper towels (which are harder) on the bottom and tissue paper on top (for the sprouts to pierce through it), You can also use paper towels to more easily dispose of the soil in the trays if you use soil, so you don't have to wash them, and if you have paper towels below, soil in the middle and tissue paper on top, you might still be able to do live-produce deliveries to the customers who want it, and not worry about the dirt getting everywhere. Might also help with harvesting, to make sure there's no dirt when you harvest.

[mosherfarms]

I am experimenting with coco coir "peat", it is technically still hydroponic since it is "soilless". I can get sunshine mix for $40/bail ($1.17/tray) here in CT and the equivalent in coir is $10 (2 of the square bricks)(.22 cents per tray). I also decided to add some nutrients to the water and even with that cost added in, I am below .75 cents per tray. The micros have jumped off of the coir and I am thinking may be harvested a day or two sooner than in soil. I am still experimenting but I have been impressed so far.

[roncote]

WOW, thanks for your take on this commonly asked question.I find that the juice bars will always take the soil grown Pea shoots in my 1" trays.They have the BONUS of showcasing their living ingredients.

[PepeFassos]

Soil based 👍... 100% .
Yeilds, flavour, shelf life etc .. your right.
Never has a kitchen questioned my trays and punnets turning up in soil ?? (Australia) .. use less soil and grow a great root mass and not a particle falls out.
All 'bigger' businesses here sell in living pots etc loaded with excess soil -. E.g Pocketherbs
Maybe american law is different.
Would love to see your 5x5 livings ?
Thanks Buddy 👍

[leonardo]

found your channel so far it's great. Your very informative and honest.

[juchinchou]

thanks for the information. its good to hear from someone that isn't pushing a particular product. What you said about the benefits of soil makes a lot of sense. I'll bypass exploring hydroponics if I start growing my own microgreens. even though i live in a more urban environment, making disposing of soil more difficult, i already had my reservations about hydroponics with having to buy bottles of nutrients for plants that come in plastic.

[trueleeyoursever]

“BURP...ok that’s it for the pros and cons” 🤣
Thanks! This video was very helpful in making my decision!

[justinlankes]

You will get better yields with hydro if you create space under the mats to make more room for the roots to grow. If you put a thin mat directly on a flat tray you're stunting the plants ability to grow. If the mat is a few mm thin vs. 2-3" of soil of course you'll get better yields with the soil. It is also beneficial to add nutrients to your water that the plant would otherwise get from the soil. This will solve the taste and shelf life issues.

[bubbliee-cocktailislandby-]

Thanks Nate....I too get tons of calls about this subject too.  Can't wait to see the video showing your side by side trials.

[ahouseinthedesert]

I assumed restaurants would like a live sell but it makes sense that they wouldn't want to waste time harvesting..soil is a clear winner for me!

[myPeaceLoveLight]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Much appreciated!

[TikkiOOO]

Great breakdown of pros and cons! I totally agree with you, I've done side by side comparisons growing lettuce using Kratky hydroponic vs soil and also compared broccoli microgreens on paper towels vs. soil....in both experiments the soil was the winner. I wanted the hydroponic to win, but you are correct, the plants like the soil...I guess that is what nature intended. Still, the plants grow nicely on the paper towels, coconut coir, or kratky, just not as robust as soil and the yield is a bit lower. Thanks for a great video!

[vincentalaimo]

I grow mine in aquaponics
I grow tray direct
For the first three days I water with diluted peroxide
After that they gets set into dwc bins that are configured to come up right to the bottom of the tray.... it’s watered perpetually

When complete I strip clean the roots from the bottom of the tray and then pull up the entire root mat from inside the tray...
I then cut them to size and can place them in hard packs with water which means they’re still alive and no refrigeration... no soil, no medium to contend with plants are resting alive so they retain more nutrients and flavor...

Right now this is for personal use and experimental
But I’d be forced to disagree with your pro and con list

For sunflower seeds I merely pull the tray once a day after that third day hang them upside in a rack I made from pvc to rinse from underneath to remove the shells

By end growth the majority of those shells have been removed

I believe with my method I can take them to a farmers market, direct to home or a restaurant and will have no wilting or dying as long as they are watered

[ReppiksIM]

Hey there, been following you videos for a while now and I love them! Very inspirational. I have a question, with your test of hydro vs soil were you using a hydroponic solution with the test or just straight water? Yes seeds have nutrients to get plants started but I don't believe it is enough to reach the time for harvest by itself.
Your results were a bit shocking to me because In my experience and research in hydroponics the results are usually better with hydroponics. This is with full grown plants so that may be a factor.

[joantaylor]

You know what cleans things up a bit with soil a layer of organic paper towels on top of the soil plants grow right through it keeps things nice and clean) cheers

[koontzman]

I'd like to know the parameters of your tests. Were you using h2o2 to spray? Did you adjust your watering to stop dampening off and mold? Was your temperature and humidity measured and dealt with? Did you use just plain water or nutrient water to feed crops which may affect taste?

[alvarohernandez]

you can create self watering hydroponics using capilarity

[kathleenlogan]

People are using diapers in their gardens. That gel holds the water. What do you think about getting those hospital pads, or puppy pads, cutting to fit and growing on that ?

[rhyssheridan]

Thanks for the video, thought provoking to say the least. I was however wondering about the tests you were conducting with the different methods. I've heard alternative opinions on what is financially viable and the quality, certainly dependant on nutrients etc. I would like to elaborate but I do not think this is the Ideal platform. To summarize in one question. What tests did you perform to arrive at your conclusions?
Thanks Again