Comment

Comment by Jim Troyer on November 25, 2013 at 10:46am

Hey Chris!  Nice work!

Read your blog but it doesn't mention the square footage...

Much luck in the future

Comment by Robert Rowe on November 25, 2013 at 8:22am

@ Kris Nice job so far. What are going to cover it with? I,m in Phoenix and I covered my Geodesic dome wit green frost cloth for the winter,  but I need to find the best solution. I am working on a solar collector, which will sit on top of the dome and be formed based on the dome shape. The present plan is for the the collector tubes to total 1000 ft of 1/2 inch black tubing. 

Comment by Kris Pauly on November 24, 2013 at 5:39pm

Good Evening Everyone! Well, we have been busy up here at the ranch.  We almost finished the outside of our aquaponic greenhouse.  Here is a peak at the finished product.  You can see the progression at my blog herehttp://aquaponicgreenhouse.com/building-aquaponics-greenhouse/

I will be working on the troughs next week, hopefully it will be a little drier, 5 inches of rain up here in prescott.

Comment by Kim Romen on November 24, 2013 at 4:48pm

@ John & @Matt,

thx for the info.  I have lava rock, too.  Was wondering if I wanted to go with the same or see what other successful APers in AZ are using.  Rob Nash in TX has some amazing pics of kale and mentioned 4 ft tall kale using 70% 3/4" granite gravel, to 30% 3/4" river rock. 

@Jim/others, have u heard of this mixture, before?  any ideas if this mixture is superior to straight lava rock?

thx!

Comment by Chad Olberding on November 23, 2013 at 5:22pm

So my system is indoor. I tried a 14in solar tube in the middle of the room with 2 south facing arcadia doors. It wasn't enough light. I now have a bed with LED lights on one grow bed and the other is covered with T5 florescent bulbs. The media is river rock. There is a 125g sump tank under the beds and the fish tank stay at 250g. Just got my lights can't wait to see things start to grow.

Comment by Chad Olberding on November 23, 2013 at 5:16pm

Comment by Jim Troyer on November 23, 2013 at 4:01pm

Best wishes to you Kent!  Let me know if you need a hand, I'll be happy to help!

Jim

Comment by Matt Miskinnis on November 23, 2013 at 1:46pm

Hey Kim, to be honest, I haven't checked my water in months.  I look at my system daily and as long as plants are growing and fish aren't dead, I really feel no need to monitor the water that closely.  When I cycled my system I checked my water twice a day.

Comment by John Malone on November 23, 2013 at 12:20pm

@Kim.   I use red lava rock as the media in my grow beds.  It's cheap, lighter than most other rock, and very porous.   The only down side is that it's a bit sharp and hard on the hands, but I haven't found that to be a significant problem. 

I grow most of my plants from seed, which I usually just scatter over the top and water in, or use a hand trowel to manage the gravel for the occasional transplant.

Lava rock works for me, but I recognize that it's not for everyone.  I'd LOVE to have a full hydroton (expanded clay pebble) system, but it's just too expensive for the size of system that I have.

Comment by John Malone on November 23, 2013 at 12:15pm

@Kim.  I monitor and adjust pH regularly but not often, probably every couple of weeks.  I aim for 6.8 but it'll be between 6.5 and 8 depending on how vigilant I've been.   I use muriatic (pool) acid and add it to the top up water over a week or so until the system pH is sub-7, then stop and forget about it for a while.

I certainly don't chase the pH, but recognize that it should be monitored and adjusted occasionally.

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