Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T13:43:29ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyerhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2797022371?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topic/listForContributor?groupUrl=wicking-bed-growers&user=08eouh4y1nqcc&feed=yes&xn_auth=noDoes water need to stay at full depth for wicking action to work?tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2016-02-03:4778851:Topic:6231662016-02-03T17:05:00.403ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I am looking to build a wicking bed this year. (Once I get it going successfully I plan to tie it into an aquaponic system.) I have seen many different designs on the web - some put net pots or down into the reservoir, some don't. I am wondering if anyone has experience with whether the water will wick up when it is not actually touching the plant medium. In other words, does the reservoir need to be full at all times? This would be difficult if it is being filled…</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I am looking to build a wicking bed this year. (Once I get it going successfully I plan to tie it into an aquaponic system.) I have seen many different designs on the web - some put net pots or down into the reservoir, some don't. I am wondering if anyone has experience with whether the water will wick up when it is not actually touching the plant medium. In other words, does the reservoir need to be full at all times? This would be difficult if it is being filled manually.</p>
<p>Thank you,</p>
<p>Lida</p> Wicking bed for seedling and cuttingstag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-04-23:4778851:Topic:6036882015-04-23T15:46:45.766ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>What would be a suitable media mix to ensure adequate capillarity and soil quality for seedling and cuttings?</p>
<p>Since the WB will be in a aquaponics system it will be of the Earthan type, if there is no inconvenient..</p>
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<p>Any help much appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>What would be a suitable media mix to ensure adequate capillarity and soil quality for seedling and cuttings?</p>
<p>Since the WB will be in a aquaponics system it will be of the Earthan type, if there is no inconvenient..</p>
<p></p>
<p>Any help much appreciated.</p> Thoughts on recirculating wicking / sub-irrigated grow towertag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-11-16:4778851:Topic:5865442014-11-16T20:11:12.638ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hey folks,<br></br><br></br>I'm new to aquaponics, only having dabbled in it briefly before, and am considering my system options. After much research and brainstorming, I've come up with an idea that I am not entirely sure will work. The primary inspiration for this idea was the following video:<br></br><br></br><a href="http://youtu.be/FBh1fjMqjmI" rel="nofollow">http://youtu.be/FBh1fjMqjmI</a><br></br><br></br>As you could probably…</p>
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<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hey folks,<br/><br/>I'm new to aquaponics, only having dabbled in it briefly before, and am considering my system options. After much research and brainstorming, I've come up with an idea that I am not entirely sure will work. The primary inspiration for this idea was the following video:<br/><br/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://youtu.be/FBh1fjMqjmI">http://youtu.be/FBh1fjMqjmI</a><br/><br/>As you could probably guess, my idea is to hook this system up to an aquaponics system, with continuous flow. Two modifications I would make from the video is decreasing the size and increasing the number of holes on the bucket, down to 1", spaced 1" between each hole, offset between rows, for a total of 70 holes per bucket. I could also vary the hole size and spacing depending on the crop, but small holes closely spaced would allow intensive production of various high value crops like baby greens, baby spinach, etc. I would also have the overflow hole in the bottom side of the upper grow bucket, which would attach it securely to the bottom reservoir, and allow the bottom few inches of soil to really get soaked, allowing greater wicking throughout the bucket. This may even enable me to eliminate the need for a cloth wick, as the video calls for. Obviously this means the need for some sort of screen material to prevent soil from being washed into the system, for which I was considering using 5 gallon paint strainers, which are also readily available and fit perfectly into the bucket, and also double to hold the soil and seedlings in the holes a bit better. Here's a diagram I made, very roughly done:</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656377964?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656377964?profile=original" width="469"/></a>The idea here would be to plant each of these with seedlings of baby lettuce mix, mesclun mix, baby spinach, radishes, scallions, and various herbs, and then stack them up to 4 high, each with it's own reservoir, thus maximizing growing space. The great part about this idea is that 5 gallon buckets are readily available for free from local bakeries and delis, and the actual parts are probably less than $1/bucket, making it a very economical option. <br/><br/>I guess the only concern I have is whether it will actually function properly, whether the plants will grow well in this set up, and whether they would filter the water enough. I'd like to have other types of grow beds as well, so if it isn't sufficient filtering, that's not such a problem, and only a bonus in my opinion. At the very least I would imagine it would help to filter out the solids to an extent. Even if it doesn't work out with aquaponics, it would be cool to have sub-irrigated towers made from readily available materials. <br/><br/>So anyone have any thoughts on this? Would it work, or totally fail? Any suggestions for modifications to make it function better overall? I'd love to hear any ideas anyone has!</p>
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</div> Winter wickingtag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-11-16:4778851:Topic:5302132013-11-16T01:16:05.808ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Any body attempt to grow in winter using hoop covers in zone 5 ,if so changes required</p>
<p>Any body attempt to grow in winter using hoop covers in zone 5 ,if so changes required</p> Worms in wicking bedstag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-09-12:4778851:Topic:5159742013-09-12T13:54:49.265ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
Looking for feedback on how well worms are sustained in wicking beds. Thanks.
Looking for feedback on how well worms are sustained in wicking beds. Thanks. Wicking methods in the earthtag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-05-18:4778851:Topic:4769062013-05-18T17:33:56.462ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Has anyone been successful putting a water reservoir deep in the ground? I would think this method would eliminate all evaporation. </p>
<p>Has anyone been successful putting a water reservoir deep in the ground? I would think this method would eliminate all evaporation. </p> Perlite as wicking mediatag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-09-26:4778851:Topic:3956742012-09-26T02:24:47.198ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>I have been using straight perlite in plastic totes as a wicking media for about a year now, and have had some success with root crops, such as beets, radishes, carrots, and we even grew celery, all from seed. I use them now for propagation of seed and cuttings. The cuttings I put in generally have roots within a week. I then transplant some of them into containers with my organic quasi-soil mix, consisting of peat moss, perlite, and organic compost. I recently have put some of the new…</p>
<p>I have been using straight perlite in plastic totes as a wicking media for about a year now, and have had some success with root crops, such as beets, radishes, carrots, and we even grew celery, all from seed. I use them now for propagation of seed and cuttings. The cuttings I put in generally have roots within a week. I then transplant some of them into containers with my organic quasi-soil mix, consisting of peat moss, perlite, and organic compost. I recently have put some of the new seedlings into my AP gravel bed. I have bak choy, arugula, swiss chard, tomato clones, tomatillos, chocolate habaneros, garlic, ginger, and lemon cukes on the way. </p>
<p>Has anyone else tried straight perlite? It works.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656371935?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656371935?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p>This is ginger from the grocery store that had sprouted.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656374659?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656374659?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p>Garlic at 1 week.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656375431?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656375431?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p>Squash.</p> Lotus Plants in Wicking Beds?tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-08-23:4778851:Topic:3857712012-08-23T18:04:59.914ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Just had an idea and wondered if anyone else had already tried this - I'm cycling up my first AP system now, and do not yet have wicking beds; however, I got some American Water Lotus seeds (<i><b>Nelumbo lutea</b></i>) and am trying to sprout them. I wondered if lotus plants would do better in a wicking bed than in a usual media grow bed. These are not lilies (i.e. do not grow only in water), and lotus plants have tubers which seem to like to grow in muddy areas with brackish water (at…</p>
<p>Just had an idea and wondered if anyone else had already tried this - I'm cycling up my first AP system now, and do not yet have wicking beds; however, I got some American Water Lotus seeds (<i><b>Nelumbo lutea</b></i>) and am trying to sprout them. I wondered if lotus plants would do better in a wicking bed than in a usual media grow bed. These are not lilies (i.e. do not grow only in water), and lotus plants have tubers which seem to like to grow in muddy areas with brackish water (at least the large stand of lotus plants I harvested seeds from was a shallow muddy pond...). If my lotus seeds sprout I'll first try planting them in my media beds, but due to the tuber type roots I'm wondering if I would do better to setup a wicking bed for them.</p>
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<p>Any thoughts or anyone already been there done that?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p> Contemplating Wicking Bedstag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-07-11:4778851:Topic:3605952012-07-11T09:13:14.858ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<p>Hello All,</p>
<p><br></br> I realize now that though I just posted a comment, it doesn't do justice to all the hard work I put into Google Sketchup drawings. So, here I go again. I've included the bit about my system, in general, as I'll do anything at this point to get feedback. I mean, I'm building it right now, and if something looks screwed up, I'd love to know.</p>
<h3>System Overview…</h3>
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<p>Hello All,</p>
<p><br/> I realize now that though I just posted a comment, it doesn't do justice to all the hard work I put into Google Sketchup drawings. So, here I go again. I've included the bit about my system, in general, as I'll do anything at this point to get feedback. I mean, I'm building it right now, and if something looks screwed up, I'd love to know.</p>
<h3>System Overview</h3>
<div id="attachment_517" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px;"><a title="System Overview 7-4-12" rel="fancybox" class="fancybox" href="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/System-Overview-7-4-12.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-517" title="System Overview 7-4-12" src="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/System-Overview-7-4-12-300x133.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="133"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">At last, a system that I'm satisfied with-- and just in time, too.</p>
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<p>The aquaponic component is pretty simple, and I’ve gone on at length about how it works before, but here is a reminder. The fish in the tank are fed. Initially, I’ll use commercial, high-quality fish feed, but eventually I’ll transition this to a combination of worms and other sources produced on site. The water is recirculated. In fact, the fish tank water should be cycled about 18 times a day. The water from the fish tank, along with the fish poo, uneaten feed, and other waste products such as ammonia pass first through the the larger blue barrels. These are known as swirl filters. The heavier solids swirl down to the bottom of the barrels where they are removed, probably a few times a day. What’s left is water with the finer solids still suspended. This stuff passes through the first of the smaller barrels. After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to use a mixture of coir (coconut husk fiber) and rice husks in a 70:30 ratio. This mixture will be wrapped in mosquito netting like a giant teabag. Two things happen here: first, the suspended solids are trapped in coir fibers, and second, the immense surface area is home to the bacteria that convert the otherwise noxious stuff to plant food. The bacteria have other homes, too; in fact, every surface, including the underside of the Styrofoam rafts. It’s this suspended solids media that I’m particularly satisfied with (if it works). First of all, the rice husks are free, and if I can’t get coir for free, it won’t be expensive. But the great thing is that it’s all organic. Coir is rapidly replacing peat moss as the main ingredient in soiless potting mixtures. So, instead of using orchard netting as the filter media, which would have to be rinsed periodically, I can just replace it with more coir and rice husks. And what do I do with the gooey stuff? It goes to the wicking beds, of course. Let me just say that wicking beds are tremendously sexy. More about them later. The final barrels are just a “degassing” zone. Significant aeration removes methane and other nasty stuff from the water. They will also serve as a vehicle for tweaking the PH of the system water when necessary by adding hydrated lime, etc.</p>
<h3>Aquaponic Component</h3>
<p>While wicking worm and potato beds are a new component in the overall system, the aquaponic component has gone through some nice evolution. The greenhouse length is now more than 2 meters shorter yet maintains roughly the same level of production. There are 3 longer hydroponic troughs instead of the 4 shorter ones, allowing me to eliminate one set of filtering/degassing contraptions. The system details are as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fish tank water volume: 8,000 liters</li>
<li>Annual fish production: 1 to 1.25 tons</li>
<li>Hydroponic trough water volume: 16,200 liters</li>
<li>Annual lettuce production @ 3 weeks on rafts: 15,600 heads</li>
<li>Freshwater prawn production in the hydroponic troughs: not sure</li>
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<h3> Wicking Beds</h3>
<p>Lateral drift is my best friend. The world is, luckily, full of lots of clever people. I’m not going to bore you with the science behind wicking beds; if you want more information, try reading <a href="http://http//www.waterright.com.au/wicking_bed_technology.pdf">this</a>. From the same source, “The wicking bed system is a way of growing plants in which water wicks up from an underground water reservoir. The major advantage is a significant increase in production while water use has been shown to be reduced by up to 50% of conventional practice.”</p>
<div id="attachment_521" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px;"><a title="Wicking Bed - 1" rel="fancybox" class="fancybox" href="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-521" title="Wicking Bed - 1" src="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-1-300x205.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="205"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Step 1: Wrong Way Wicking Bed</p>
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<p>Here is how I’m intending to make my wicking beds for potato production. I will discuss potatoes at length in a later article. First, dig the reservoir pit. This is about 20cm deep. The reservoir should not be deeper than the capacity for water to wick, which depends on the wicking media, but coir can do about 30cm. Next, line it with leftover greenhouse plastic. Then put down the perforated wicking pipes. These are just fairly large diameter PVC pipes with lots of holes drilled into the sides. They are about 20cm long, too. Then lay the irrigation pipe. This can be perforated or just slotted along the bottom. The inspection/refill bit allows you to check the level of the water in the reservoir. A normal wicking bed would just use boards or something for sides, but I’m going to use old tires because I hope to get them free and worms cannot escape easily (I dare them to try!).</p>
<div id="attachment_524" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px;"><a title="Wicking Bed - 2" rel="fancybox" class="fancybox" href="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-524" title="Wicking Bed - 2" src="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-2-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="206"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Step 2: Wrong Way Wicking Bed</p>
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<p>The pit then gets filled in. I’ll probably use river gravel because it is roundish and facilitates a large volume of water. The whole reservoir then gets a layer of shade cloth. This is to keep the grow media in the tires separated from the reservoir. It has to be pushed into the wicking pipes to allow the coir-based media to get down to the bottom of the reservoir. I think this is fairly clever, but I welcome any suggestions. Other wicking beds that I’ve seen just have a corner or two of the reservoir devoid of gravel so the wicking material can be fully immersed in the reservoir’s water.</p>
<div id="attachment_528" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px;"><a title="Wicking Bed - 3" rel="fancybox" class="fancybox" href="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-528" title="Wicking Bed - 3" src="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wicking-Bed-3-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Step 3: Wrong Way Wicking Bed</p>
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<p>The tires can now be placed on the wicking bed with the wicking pipes at their centers. As the potato plants grow, more tires are placed on top and grow media added. Potatoes are cool; the right ones will just keep producing potatoes at higher and higher levels, to a certain degree. When the stack reaches about 3 layers and the plant decides that things are going tits up, just kick over the lot and separate the potatoes from the worms and grow media and start again. I could use water from the aquaponic system, but I probably won’t have to. With worms continuously feeding on the fish poo and producing castings, there will probably be enough nutrients in the media to support a crop to maturity. Carrots, radishes, and other such things can be grown this way, of course.</p>
<h3>Upside Down Tomatoes</h3>
<div id="attachment_530" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px;"><a title="Upside Down Tomatoes" rel="fancybox" class="fancybox" href="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Upside-Down-Tomatoes.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-530" title="Upside Down Tomatoes" src="http://www.wrongwayhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Upside-Down-Tomatoes-300x205.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="205"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">I've just got to do this. Wrong Way tomatoes!</p>
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<p>This is a subject that caught my attention some time ago and was put into one of those dusty compartments in my brain. I was looking for information about growing things in micro-climates similar to the Bolaven Plateau. The Olympic Peninsula in Washington is one such place. Cool with lots of rain and little sunshine. There is a lot of debate about whether tomatoes (or bell peppers, for that matter) grow better this way. But there are certainly advantages. These include better air circulation, inaccessibility to creepy crawly things, and the use of vertical “dead space.” This photo is from an article about a guy named Dick Schneider. It makes for <a href="http://chimacumcorner.com/farming/dick-schneiders-greenhouse-laboratory">very interesting reading</a>. I’ve emailed the publisher of this article as I’d love to get in touch with this fellow. Notice how he uses black pails. This heats up the media a bit which is good for tomatoes. A disadvantage is that the growing media dries out quickly. It’s also heavy, if ordinary soil is used, but I think my soiless grow media will be okay. I look forward to experimenting.</p> Soil medium suggestions for Wicking bed, aquaponics or soil?tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-17:4778851:Topic:3370242012-05-17T20:31:07.250ZRobert Jack Meyerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobertJackMeyer
<div class="tb"><div>I am finishing up a 10x3 wicking bed, I used sand in the reservoir and now need to decide on a soil medium, I am deciding if I should A. use 100% compost or a mix of soil and compost and not use fish water from my pond or B. go the aquaponic route and use a product like coir or peat moss? with the water form my pond. Coir is pretty expensive so peat moss might work better for me in DC but it will probably hold to much water. the pros and cons of an aquaponics system vs a…</div>
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<div class="tb"><div>I am finishing up a 10x3 wicking bed, I used sand in the reservoir and now need to decide on a soil medium, I am deciding if I should A. use 100% compost or a mix of soil and compost and not use fish water from my pond or B. go the aquaponic route and use a product like coir or peat moss? with the water form my pond. Coir is pretty expensive so peat moss might work better for me in DC but it will probably hold to much water. the pros and cons of an aquaponics system vs a soil system or any other words of wisdom would be helpful. it is obviously a big deal for me since once I fill the box it is not easily removed. Thanks </div>
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<div><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656366177?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656366177?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></div>