[url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18aqua.html?8dpc]Aquaponic Gardening[/url] article in the NYTimes.
[quote]What feeds his winter crop of lettuce is recirculating water from the 150-gallon fish tank and the waste generated by his 20 jumbo goldfish. Wastewater is what fertilizes the 27 strawberry plants from last summer, too.... When the temperature begins to climb in the spring, he will plant the rest of the gravel containers with beans, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers....
... “We actually kept a tally of how many cherry tomatoes we grew,â€
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applestar
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That is SO cool! (I must fit the profile 
)
I had a vaguely similar idea about a backyard pond and a vertical garden. DH used to keep aquariums -- he's got 3 empty giant long tanks, as well as an octagonal one, in the shed and garage pining away. I wonder if he might be persuaded to go in on one of these with me....
) I had a vaguely similar idea about a backyard pond and a vertical garden. DH used to keep aquariums -- he's got 3 empty giant long tanks, as well as an octagonal one, in the shed and garage pining away. I wonder if he might be persuaded to go in on one of these with me....
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serial_killer
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- Location: Ohio
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serial_killer
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- Posts: 122
- Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:47 am
- Location: Ohio
Here are a few shots, the one big plant is a Ruccola lettuce from my last crop I let bolt so I can use its seeds from now on. It has been in the system now since I set it up around the first of the month, the little lettuce seedlings are Butter Crunch I started about a week and a half ago, they just went in there. Thats my hydro Dwarf Cavendish Banana in the back there, it just recently came back from the transplant shock from moving from soil to hydro, took 6 weeks to recover.
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1601.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1605.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1602.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1600.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1601.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1605.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1602.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/DSCN1600.jpg[/img]
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Ozark Lady
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- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
I saw something today... that was fascinating.
I saw aquaponics, and hydroponics... It was a small demonstration.
They were set up in a lobby, so no one to ask questions.
The aquaponic, was, a sheet of styrofoam, maybe 1/2" thick... It was floating on top of an aquarium... maybe a 30 or 40? Any how, the aquarium was simply set up the usual way with box filters etc. It was a community tank of mixed fairly peaceful tetras etc.
But, coming out of this styrofoam sheet was a tomato plant, and it had tomatoes all over it... red ripe, green tiny little grape (?) tomatoes.
It was likely 4-5' tall. they only had one grow light, it looked to be 2' with 4 tubes, and it was like 10' up! I couldn't believe it... so healthy, so little light, so high up there, and just a piece of stryrofoam...
It was in a school.
The hydroponics were not impressive, just buckets of rocks, they looked very dry, and huge tomato plants growing out of them,, with the same small tomatoes, equally productive, but the plant was alot taller, maybe 6'?
Seeing that, in person, definitely motivated me to get my system going... but a piece of styrofoam just floating on the surface of the water... I would never have considered that!
I saw aquaponics, and hydroponics... It was a small demonstration.
They were set up in a lobby, so no one to ask questions.
The aquaponic, was, a sheet of styrofoam, maybe 1/2" thick... It was floating on top of an aquarium... maybe a 30 or 40? Any how, the aquarium was simply set up the usual way with box filters etc. It was a community tank of mixed fairly peaceful tetras etc.
But, coming out of this styrofoam sheet was a tomato plant, and it had tomatoes all over it... red ripe, green tiny little grape (?) tomatoes.
It was likely 4-5' tall. they only had one grow light, it looked to be 2' with 4 tubes, and it was like 10' up! I couldn't believe it... so healthy, so little light, so high up there, and just a piece of stryrofoam...
It was in a school.
The hydroponics were not impressive, just buckets of rocks, they looked very dry, and huge tomato plants growing out of them,, with the same small tomatoes, equally productive, but the plant was alot taller, maybe 6'?
Seeing that, in person, definitely motivated me to get my system going... but a piece of styrofoam just floating on the surface of the water... I would never have considered that!
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applestar
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SK - Wow, what a transformation! that looks fantastic! And the banana looks a 200% better. 
OL - Outdoors, I think styrofoam would quickly crumble into pieces, but the concept is intriguing. They do sell floating islands for outdoor ponds to plant stuff in, but I haven't looked into it. My first pond I made last year has failed to pass the winter-worthiness test, albeit this winter has been *unusual* to say the least. So I'll have to re-work the design, possibly enlarging it in the process, this spring. I'll get *my* aquaponics going yet. 
OL - Outdoors, I think styrofoam would quickly crumble into pieces, but the concept is intriguing. They do sell floating islands for outdoor ponds to plant stuff in, but I haven't looked into it. My first pond I made last year has failed to pass the winter-worthiness test, albeit this winter has been *unusual* to say the least
. So I'll have to re-work the design, possibly enlarging it in the process, this spring. I'll get *my* aquaponics going yet. -
resolutejc
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- Location: NJ
@serial_killer: Someone's been watching Mr. Green on YouTube, eh? Heh heh. Good job. Aside from the expensive MH setup, your grow area seems pretty cost efficient. How do you like using rockwool? I think that I will make the switch soon from potting mix/perlite to rockwool cubes/potting pellets.
You'll probably enjoy experimenting with Aeroponics too. It's even faster-acting than Hydroponics.
How old is your banana plant?
You'll probably enjoy experimenting with Aeroponics too. It's even faster-acting than Hydroponics.
How old is your banana plant?
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serial_killer
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I'm not sure how old the banana plant is, its a pup off a local guys currently fruiting (yeah in the middle of winter in his greenhouse) plant. That is only a 128Watt CFL (1 big 105 watt 5000K, one standard 23 watt CFL in 2700K for a little of the red spectrum, the banana likes the red in there) both in a home made hood, no HID's for this setup, its upstairs in the living room with the house plants, otherwise I forget to feed the fish for like 2 days at a time.
I only use RW for starting the plants in, (and rooting cuttings, that is the one thing I really like it for) if I didnt need it for that I wouldnt use it. In the past I have grown in just RW blocks, I don't really like it, I don't dis-like it but if there was a better product I would switch (no sure-to-grow is not a better product).
Apple, yeah its doing great finally, it took 6 weeks to come back from the soil to hydro transplant, and it almost died before it came back, it went from 4 leaves down to only 1 and almost lost that last one before it started making new ones, now its back up to 4 (3 new) in about 2 weeks. Still have yet to give it any food, just the really bad tap water (350+PPM) must be some good stuff in there for plants, not so well for humans, we don't drink it, we only drink RO water.
I only use RW for starting the plants in, (and rooting cuttings, that is the one thing I really like it for) if I didnt need it for that I wouldnt use it. In the past I have grown in just RW blocks, I don't really like it, I don't dis-like it but if there was a better product I would switch (no sure-to-grow is not a better product).
Apple, yeah its doing great finally, it took 6 weeks to come back from the soil to hydro transplant, and it almost died before it came back, it went from 4 leaves down to only 1 and almost lost that last one before it started making new ones, now its back up to 4 (3 new) in about 2 weeks. Still have yet to give it any food, just the really bad tap water (350+PPM) must be some good stuff in there for plants, not so well for humans, we don't drink it, we only drink RO water.
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The Helpful Gardener
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[url=https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf]RO water for drinking?[/url] Are you not worried about leaching minerals out of your bod? Or acidification? We charcoal filter, but I want minerals in my water please...
The rainbarrel up front got hooked up just before all this rain so it's full; the two (110 gals.) in back will get hooked up whenever all this lets up (looks like Thursday).
Yeah we get the acids and junk from the midwest coal plants, but soil is amazingly forgiving stuff when the biology is working. Look at Sages example; what do you think cleans ALL our water? Hint; Nature doesn't do RO...
HG
The rainbarrel up front got hooked up just before all this rain so it's full; the two (110 gals.) in back will get hooked up whenever all this lets up (looks like Thursday).
Yeah we get the acids and junk from the midwest coal plants, but soil is amazingly forgiving stuff when the biology is working. Look at Sages example; what do you think cleans ALL our water? Hint; Nature doesn't do RO...
HG
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DoubleDogFarm
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Way cool.
Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach him to grow Tilapia in a aquaponics system, he will eat for a life time.
Have you seen Will Allen videos on YouTube. After watching his videos and having Tilapia for dinner tonight, I'm hooked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qZPwBPAqks&feature=related
So I will be blowing out my north wall or east wall to put in a 1000 gallon fish tank. Still in its infency planing.
Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach him to grow Tilapia in a aquaponics system, he will eat for a life time.
Have you seen Will Allen videos on YouTube. After watching his videos and having Tilapia for dinner tonight, I'm hooked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qZPwBPAqks&feature=related
So I will be blowing out my north wall or east wall to put in a 1000 gallon fish tank. Still in its infency planing.