Large containers?

[Daniel E Murphy]

Any advice on growing large plants in an aquaponic system?  My fig tree is outgrowing its 5 gallon bucket.

[Nate Storey]

Ha! I imagine it is. . . I think you need a nice big growbed. . . I think TCLynx is probably the most qualified person I know to anser this question.

[Daniel E Murphy]

I WILL figure this out and post the results ;)

[Two Jay]

I have a similar question: Does anyone know how to build or buy an affordable container that is approximately 4' wide x 4' high x 36' long? I have come up with several options but none that I have fallen in love with.... help. ( :

[TCLynx]

Building beds is easy, problem is it involves lumber and liner and I can't recommend that anymore after having to replace all my lumber/liner beds.

Rubbermade stock tanks are great deep grow bed containers. The 100 gallon and 300 gallon are the best value per gallon. The 300 gallon are kinda big for being able to reach all parts of the bed without having to climb on if you are not built long. The 100 gallon stock tank make really nice grow beds in my opinion. Ya can get them at Tractor Supply as cheap as anywhere else I know.

I've currently got a papaya that is heavy with fruit in a 100 gallon stock tank. And in another constantly flooded 100 gallon stock tank bed, I have what is supposedly a dwarf banana that is growing up over the roof and is currently flowering/fruiting (this was a pup planted into this bed only this past spring!)

I do also have some meyer lemon cuttings in AP but they are all rather small still.

[Daniel E Murphy]

U rock tclinx. I found them at the local tractor supply store.
Ty :) I can see now I will be litering the yard with those.
TCLynx said:

Building beds is easy, problem is it involves lumber and liner and I can't recommend that anymore after having to replace all my lumber/liner beds.
Rubbermade stock tanks are great deep grow bed containers. The 100 gallon and 300 gallon are the best value per gallon. The 300 gallon are kinda big for being able to reach all parts of the bed without having to climb on if you are not built long. The 100 gallon stock tank make really nice grow beds in my opinion. Ya can get them at Tractor Supply as cheap as anywhere else I know.
I've currently got a papaya that is heavy with fruit in a 100 gallon stock tank. And in another constantly flooded 100 gallon stock tank bed, I have what is supposedly a dwarf banana that is growing up over the roof and is currently flowering/fruiting (this was a pup planted into this bed only this past spring!)

I do also have some meyer lemon cuttings in AP but they are all rather small still.

[TCLynx]

That is where I've been getting mine! Oh and the cattle panels make great trellis and arches so if you have a truck or trailer for getting them home (16 foot long) the can make a great arch tunnel for growing vines and being able to support frost blanket in the winter. Or take cutter to cut them in half for shorter trellis pieces. Aprox $20 for a 16 foot long by 4 foot wide wire panel with wide spacing to be able to stick your hand through and still pick a big tomato is great.

Daniel E Murphy said:

U rock tclinx. I found them at the local tractor supply store.
Ty :)

[Sahib Punjabi]

Not exactly you dimensions...4ftx4ftx4ft...see if this works http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=2059

Two Jay said:

I have a similar question: Does anyone know how to build or buy an affordable container that is approximately 4' wide x 4' high x 36' long? I have come up with several options but none that I have fallen in love with.... help. ( :

[TCLynx]

Another large container option is an IBC but those need protection from the sun and you have to make sure if you get a used one that it wasn't used for any dangerous chemicals.

[Daniel E Murphy]

Thanks for these great answers. now to hit the lotto so i can afford enough hydroton to fill it... they raised their prices :(

[TCLynx]

Brown river rock in the 1/2" size range is much cheaper. And if growing big tree type things, you want something a bit heavier than hydroton to help hold it up. But I have thought about filling my beds mostly with the rock and then topping them with the hydroton for something easy to transplant small plants into, say doing the top 4 inches or so in it. But, I'm cheap and so far have not splurged on bagged media.

Down here in central Florida the 1/2" brown river rock is under $60 a ton plus delivery charges. 6 tons will take care of more than 600 gallons of gravel. It takes aprox 1.25 tons to make a cubic yard of this kind of gravel. It is the cheapest not pH affecting gravel in an appropriate size range I've been able to find. A little larger might be nice like perhaps between 1/2" and 3/4" size gravel but I haven't found that in a non limestone form.