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Comment by Kent Biswanger on August 16, 2012 at 11:38am

I had a barrel system that I used plastic totes with lids that I drilles holes in to hold the net pots. Using pea gravel to fill 3/4 of the net pot and coir to hold the seeds on top I was able to sprout and grow lettuce with about 1/2" of the pot in the water. Once it got going the lettuce grew incredibly fast. One issue was at harvest time I would get ammonia spikes because of removing so much of the bacteria on the rocks with the net pots, Had to rotate crops so I could keep the filter going. BTW the root mass was awesome on these plants and I never got any root rot.

Comment by Jim Troyer on August 16, 2012 at 11:05am

Larry --  Follow Sheri's advice on the bugs, she knows...

I am toying with the same "raft stand"  Idea at this time.  It seems as though about 1" is a good distance above the water.  My plan is to set up a system of split rings to put under the net pots to adjust the root level independently for each plant until I know what works.   However this system will allow for deeper depths for germination and higher depths for root rot issues.  BTW: the 1/8 FRP sheets at bLowes and Home Despot are not strong enough, I'm going to layup some of my own thicker sheets

Get some sleep tonight Larry (my condolences to the wife) 

Comment by Bob Campbell on August 16, 2012 at 10:59am

And if the pots don't touch the water and there isn't much humidity, how will the seeds sprout?

So, does one have two levels--one for sprouts and one for plants? IDK...

Air stones could keep a fine mist of bubbles going and assure that the net pots are kept moist.

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on August 16, 2012 at 9:43am

I think you have a workable idea, Larry. If the water is a static height, the raft can be a static height.

I can only guess about the height above the water. From what I understand, the design relies on humidity to water the plant until the roots reach the water, so unless you seal the sides to keep moisture in, our dry air might be a problem. And if the pots don't touch the water and there isn't much humidity, how will the seeds sprout?

So, does one have two levels--one for sprouts and one for plants? IDK...

Comment by Larry in Casa Grande on August 16, 2012 at 8:59am

Here are a couple of better pictures.

I have discovered a small issue with this idea though. I will really need to know the correct height for the bottom of the net pots to the water before I put all the plants in. Because as the plants get bigger and heavier, I think it would be hard to lift the assy out to change the tube.

 

Can anyone give me an idea of a suggested distance? Or should I let the pot bottom touch the water? I plan to do spinach and lettuce. from seed to finished product in the 2" netpots.

 

Comment by Larry in Casa Grande on August 16, 2012 at 8:11am

As long as I am awake.

I have seen some really neat postings about raft solutions. One of the neatest being a fellow that built a PVC pontoon raft, that floated the right height above the water to allow 2" net pots to be placed in it. The idea being that the PVC is food safe, does not waterlog, and will not need replacing. The only downside was that as the plants got larger, he said the raft did tend to sink and change the distance from the net pots to the water.

As I pondered the idea, I got the idea for this setup. Maybe someone already does this. But here is what I came up with.

I decided that I could just build the raft without the pontoons, but put legs on it instead. I then cut a piece of fiberglass sheeting to just fit over the opening of the grow bed, with 2” holes for the net pots.

My thinking is, “Why do I need to float a raft?”  It seems to me that if I fix the height of the net pots with the raft stand, I can then very accurately control the water height with my overflow tube right?

Please let me know if I have any holes in my raft logic idea ok guys. (Pun intended)

Here is a picture of the non-raft frame, and then one with the fiberglass sheet placed halfway on the assy:

 

Comment by Larry in Casa Grande on August 16, 2012 at 7:54am

I am going back to bed                        

I just went out to feed the fish, They are still attacking the food like Piranha.

While I was there, I glanced at the sprayer I used for the Neem oil mix.

I used 1 1/2 teaspoon in a quart of water. I then used less than half a pint of this mixture to spray leaves. Some overspray certainly touched my growled media, and wafted into the tank. But hey? Looking at the system as a whole. I have decided that the amount of Neem oil reaching the fish will be so miniscual that it is not a concern. I tend to obsess sometimes. Darn I really could have used that sleep!

.

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on August 16, 2012 at 7:42am

Last night the Square Foot Gardening class went really well! Thank you, Chris and Dr. George for joining in on the class!

On the 29th I'll be facilitating a class on raising compost worms (red wigglers) and we'll be building an easy compost bin in class. If anyone is interested, click here to go to the Valley Permaculture website.

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on August 16, 2012 at 7:37am

@Bob, I'm glad you found a local you can connect with!

@Janet, how does the bed emptying turn off the pump?  I'm curious because I have CHOP2, too.  

I think a mix of Blue and Hornorum are legal in California because they produce mostly male offspring. At least that's what I read somewhere. That doesn't help you legalize your current blues, but it can make your breeding acceptable. :)

@Scott, congratulations! You're on your way!

@Juanita, Premium is the product that another member, Dave Story really likes. I talked to them a while back about getting a supply here. Maybe I should look into that again…Thanks for the information and all the research!

@Larry, your description sounds like white flies, possibly. Neem oil is used a lot in organic gardening because it's non-toxic. But because it's an oil, it can gum up your media which will keep bacteria from developing and reduce water absorption, and if you use enough of it, it can gum up your pipes and siphons. I doubt you sprayed that much.  If you think you did, you could pull the top layer of your media off and clean it.

Next time you see the pests (and you will see them again) try diluted milk. If that doesn't work, try a tea of garlic, cayenne, and/or cinnamon. These are all common pest repellents in organic gardening. Most recipes mix them with vegetable oil so they cling to the plant surfaces, but in AP you want to avoid the oil. If you use cayenne or cinnamon, strain it well or it will clog the sprayer head. Hope this helps!

Comment by Keith Rowan on August 16, 2012 at 7:00am

Delete Comment

any oils or soaps in the fishtank water can be bad for the fish.. generally in ap systems, people try to stick to BT, DE (bacillus thuringiensis and diatomaceous earth) or natural predators - i use ladybugs in my basement system to control aphids..

try to make sure that the top of your growbeds/media does not get wet for a while - hopefully any overspray is just on the surface..

keep an eye on the fish, and avoid oils/soaps in ap systems!

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