I took some time to read Syvlia Bernstein's guide to aquaponic gardening, and learned about a neat IPM trick. In the case of a pest outbreak, she suggests submersing the infested plants in the fish tank for 15 minutes. In addition to eating the pests (I assume any pests they don't eat simply drown), the fish also clean up the roots and foliage. It's a lot of fun to watch!

I actually left town for a week. When I left there were some long term aphid issues. After learning about this trick, imagine my disappointment to discover every single aphid was gone when I returned. Luckily, we developed some spidermites over vacation (a phrase that I never thought I would say)!

This project is funded by an agreement with the State of Tennessee.