Growing root crops in media beds - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T12:53:43Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/growing-root-crops-in-media?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A118302&xg_raw_resources=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noAllisyn I am a little embarra…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-17:4778851:Comment:3515422012-06-17T03:54:42.616ZDavid Waitehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DavidWaite
<p>Allisyn I am a little embarrassed that I forgot them. I dug them out when I read your reply and have planted them. Crap I am getting old. I completely redesigned my system and will post pics when I get my camera fixed. I will keep you posted on the progress. Take care<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Allisyn Wood said:…</cite></p>
<p>Allisyn I am a little embarrassed that I forgot them. I dug them out when I read your reply and have planted them. Crap I am getting old. I completely redesigned my system and will post pics when I get my camera fixed. I will keep you posted on the progress. Take care<br/> <br/> <cite>Allisyn Wood said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/growing-root-crops-in-media?xg_source=activity&id=4778851%3ATopic%3A115539&page=6#4778851Comment348539"><div><div class="xg_user_generated">David, how did the French carrots do? Mine never really germinated... But my system is not nearly as well managed as yours is. I'm on a constant flood and drain. Recently had to bring my pH up from 5.5. I have organic carrot seeds going and the tops look great. Accidentally pulled one out and the root was orange, but about half the size of my pinky. They've been growing since March.</div>
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</blockquote> David, how did the French car…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-11:4778851:Comment:3485392012-06-11T01:00:17.526ZAllisyn Woodhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AllisynWood
David, how did the French carrots do? Mine never really germinated... But my system is not nearly as well managed as yours is. I'm on a constant flood and drain. Recently had to bring my pH up from 5.5. I have organic carrot seeds going and the tops look great. Accidentally pulled one out and the root was orange, but about half the size of my pinky. They've been growing since March.
David, how did the French carrots do? Mine never really germinated... But my system is not nearly as well managed as yours is. I'm on a constant flood and drain. Recently had to bring my pH up from 5.5. I have organic carrot seeds going and the tops look great. Accidentally pulled one out and the root was orange, but about half the size of my pinky. They've been growing since March. Thank you David for the info.…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-25:4778851:Comment:2241182011-09-25T21:12:16.104ZSafwat Zakihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SafwatZaki
Thank you David for the info.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"></img></a> <br></br><br></br><cite>David Waite said:</cite>
<blockquote><div>Safwat I am feeding purina 4000 or aquamax 4000. I am adding Iron and seaweed extract on a monthly basis due to my ph is to high from selecting a poor gravel that has seashells fossilized to it. Nevada used to be an ocean. I am also adding epsom salt for magnesium once a month as well. Thats it so far.<br></br><br></br><cite>Safwat Zaki said:</cite><br></br><blockquote><div><p>Hi…</p>
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Thank you David for the info.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"/></a><br/><br/><cite>David Waite said:</cite>
<blockquote><div>Safwat I am feeding purina 4000 or aquamax 4000. I am adding Iron and seaweed extract on a monthly basis due to my ph is to high from selecting a poor gravel that has seashells fossilized to it. Nevada used to be an ocean. I am also adding epsom salt for magnesium once a month as well. Thats it so far.<br/><br/><cite>Safwat Zaki said:</cite><br/><blockquote><div><p>Hi David,</p>
<p>Can you tell us if you are adding any other oganic fertilizers to grow rootcrops in your aquaponics system? The other question is what kind of food you are feeding your fish? I know potatoes don't like wet feet, my suggestion is to grow it in a different GB into dry medium such as perlite or compost overlaid cocconut coir using its wick action to water the plants.</p>
<p>Thank you for any information. Safwat</p>
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</blockquote> Safwat I am feeding purina 40…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-25:4778851:Comment:2234612011-09-25T02:15:46.067ZDavid Waitehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DavidWaite
Safwat I am feeding purina 4000 or aquamax 4000. I am adding Iron and seaweed extract on a monthly basis due to my ph is to high from selecting a poor gravel that has seashells fossilized to it. Nevada used to be an ocean. I am also adding epsom salt for magnesium once a month as well. Thats it so far.<br></br>
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<cite>Safwat Zaki said:…</cite>
Safwat I am feeding purina 4000 or aquamax 4000. I am adding Iron and seaweed extract on a monthly basis due to my ph is to high from selecting a poor gravel that has seashells fossilized to it. Nevada used to be an ocean. I am also adding epsom salt for magnesium once a month as well. Thats it so far.<br/>
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<cite>Safwat Zaki said:</cite><br />
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/growing-root-crops-in-media?xg_source=msg_com_forum&id=4778851%3ATopic%3A115539&page=5#4778851Comment223510"><div><p>Hi David,</p>
<p>Can you tell us if you are adding any other oganic fertilizers to grow rootcrops in your aquaponics system? The other question is what kind of food you are feeding your fish? I know potatoes don't like wet feet, my suggestion is to grow it in a different GB into dry medium such as perlite or compost overlaid cocconut coir using its wick action to water the plants.</p>
<p>Thank you for any information. Safwat</p>
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</blockquote> Hi Kobus,
All root crops had…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-24:4778851:Comment:2235572011-09-24T16:09:38.199ZHarold Sukhbirhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/HaroldSukhbir
<p>Hi Kobus,</p>
<p>All root crops had previously failed in my constant drip sys. The garlic seems to be thriving in the F&D with 20 min cycle and this was planted only abt 1 month ago.</p>
<p>Hi Kobus,</p>
<p>All root crops had previously failed in my constant drip sys. The garlic seems to be thriving in the F&D with 20 min cycle and this was planted only abt 1 month ago.</p> Hi Kabus
From my experience I…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-24:4778851:Comment:2235452011-09-24T14:22:22.492ZSafwat Zakihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SafwatZaki
<p>Hi Kabus</p>
<p>From my experience I found that most of plants don't need wet feet, just a continous light moisture around their roots so they can breath, the best approach in this case is using a wick system thru adding perlite on the top of cocconut coir or clay pebbles in the flood and drain unit</p>
<p>This way it is easier also to plant rootcrops than planting directly into the gravels.<br></br><br></br><cite>Kobus Jooste said:</cite></p>
<blockquote><div>Hello all root crop growers. I would…</div>
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<p>Hi Kabus</p>
<p>From my experience I found that most of plants don't need wet feet, just a continous light moisture around their roots so they can breath, the best approach in this case is using a wick system thru adding perlite on the top of cocconut coir or clay pebbles in the flood and drain unit</p>
<p>This way it is easier also to plant rootcrops than planting directly into the gravels.<br/><br/><cite>Kobus Jooste said:</cite></p>
<blockquote><div>Hello all root crop growers. I would like to aske everyone if they have seen vastly different results based on the water flow patterns employed in their root crop beds? I had flood and drain in the sand bed to start off with, and the beets were really not all that happy. I started over, and added a surface distrubution grid over the unit, with a balancing valve on the outflow to ensure that the NFT does not overflow. The result is now that the bed only floods about half-way to the top at most, but the sand still gets a good wetting every hour. The plant growth change has been immediately obvious. I'm working on the assumption that a dry (relatively dry in any case) media with frequent surface trickling is much better than traditional flood and drain.</div>
</blockquote> I know most root crops need p…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-23:4778851:Comment:2236022011-09-23T23:46:50.706ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I know most root crops need potassium to grow well so if your system is short of potassium you may have trouble. I know my big system has a problem not only with the Iron lock out due to high pH but.....</p>
<p>Also because of the overabundance of calcium (shells as 40% of media=too much calcium carbonate) in that system the potassium tends to precipitate out of solution and I see lots of potassium deficiency issues too.</p>
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<p>Still searching for more plants that like the alkali…</p>
<p>I know most root crops need potassium to grow well so if your system is short of potassium you may have trouble. I know my big system has a problem not only with the Iron lock out due to high pH but.....</p>
<p>Also because of the overabundance of calcium (shells as 40% of media=too much calcium carbonate) in that system the potassium tends to precipitate out of solution and I see lots of potassium deficiency issues too.</p>
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<p>Still searching for more plants that like the alkali water. Watercress is great in winter here but the heat just decimates it so need more greedy plants for summer (other than bananas.)</p>
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<p>Uh, I suppose you could sort of think of water chestnuts as root crops and they seem to be doing well for me in the wet alkali conditions but they don't seem quite as greedy as the cress.</p> Hi David,
Can you tell us if…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-23:4778851:Comment:2235102011-09-23T23:41:06.774ZSafwat Zakihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SafwatZaki
<p>Hi David,</p>
<p>Can you tell us if you are adding any other oganic fertilizers to grow rootcrops in your aquaponics system? The other question is what kind of food you are feeding your fish? I know potatoes don't like wet feet, my suggestion is to grow it in a different GB into dry medium such as perlite or compost overlaid cocconut coir using its wick action to water the plants.</p>
<p>Thank you for any information. Safwat</p>
<p>Hi David,</p>
<p>Can you tell us if you are adding any other oganic fertilizers to grow rootcrops in your aquaponics system? The other question is what kind of food you are feeding your fish? I know potatoes don't like wet feet, my suggestion is to grow it in a different GB into dry medium such as perlite or compost overlaid cocconut coir using its wick action to water the plants.</p>
<p>Thank you for any information. Safwat</p> I've seen some carrots rottin…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-20:4778851:Comment:2209752011-09-20T13:15:08.779ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I've seen some carrots rotting in my gravel beds lately. I think this is probably more to do with the heat and perhaps pests because I have gotten carrots to grow fine in flood and drain gravel and even constant flood gravel in the past.</p>
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<p>I have noticed that the taste of the carrots from my big system isn't as sweet as the ones grown in good compost.</p>
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<p>Beets did well where the ants didn't do damage.</p>
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<p>Most of my flood and drain gets flooded once an…</p>
<p>I've seen some carrots rotting in my gravel beds lately. I think this is probably more to do with the heat and perhaps pests because I have gotten carrots to grow fine in flood and drain gravel and even constant flood gravel in the past.</p>
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<p>I have noticed that the taste of the carrots from my big system isn't as sweet as the ones grown in good compost.</p>
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<p>Beets did well where the ants didn't do damage.</p>
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<p>Most of my flood and drain gets flooded once an hour but I have a few that get flooded every ten minutes.</p> Kobus definitely keep going.…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-09-20:4778851:Comment:2208842011-09-20T12:03:18.759ZDavid Waitehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DavidWaite
Kobus definitely keep going. I am following your experiment and think you are on to something. I saw your potato and was excited. Mine didnt even germinate. It just rotted and became worm food.<br></br>
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<cite>Kobus Jooste said:</cite><br />
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/growing-root-crops-in-media?id=4778851%3ATopic%3A115539&page=5#4778851Comment220883"><div>Well then David, it looks like my approach is a bit different and worth keeping it going to see what the…</div>
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Kobus definitely keep going. I am following your experiment and think you are on to something. I saw your potato and was excited. Mine didnt even germinate. It just rotted and became worm food.<br/>
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<cite>Kobus Jooste said:</cite><br />
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/growing-root-crops-in-media?id=4778851%3ATopic%3A115539&page=5#4778851Comment220883"><div>Well then David, it looks like my approach is a bit different and worth keeping it going to see what the different flow patterns result in. There could also be obvious sand / gravel differences in how the plants respond. I wet once an hour over the surface of the sandwith filtered water. I will keep going like this - p.s. the potato is also in this bed getting the same treatment.</div>
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