Comparison Hydroponic vs. Soil

The tomato plants in the above photo were started from seed on the same day, and on April 17, 2008, the plant on the left was placed into the AutoPot, and the plant on the right was planted into a commercial soil mix with slow release fertilizer. Both plants have been almost side by side in the greenhouse, and the plant in the hydroponic environment is growing much faster than the plant in the soil mix. The more I use the AutoPot, the more impressed I am. And, I am not intentionally making a pitch for AutoPots. A hydroponic dealer, who does not sell AutoPots, told me that constant bottom feeding would cause a nutrient buildup. My response was that I thought that could be overcome by periodically turning off the nutrients, removing the container, and pouring dilute nutrient solution through the pot to prevent build up. That is one of the reasons I installed the airline gang valve.