Hamish's System

[GaryD]

Hi Hamish,

Gary - do you think the system is not fully functioning?

Even if your system is cycling, it will continue to develop over the next six to 12 months. Aquaponics systems mature over time.

If you're using chelated iron, you won't need rusty iron.

Gary

[Hamish]

Perhaps this is a fish option for those that dont like to eat fish but want to run a seasol fed system :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO9oseiCTdk&feature=rec-fresh

[Hamish]

Here is a really nice little solar hydro setup with DIY video. Perhaps a few fish in the barrel would make this a nice starter AP setup?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hm5o5NjOs&feature=related

[Hamish]

Hey Murray - having a sailing background you might apreciate this video for rainy day viewing - is it raining out your way? Bucketing down here. Anyway - this video is a little weird - but the concept is good for people living on sailing boats....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-vvJWcEYU&feature=related

[Hamish]

How about one of these lenses to heat the water in our systems?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXjMAItCMl0&feature=user

[DaveOponic]

"I am very interested to hear more about your adding rusty iron to the system - were your plants suffering from yellow leaves before adding the rusty iron?"

Yep. I only had about 6 medium sized Koi to start with (now over 30 fish) and obviously a lack of nutrient in the water. Basil leaves were turning a patchy yellow not the usual dark green. I found some very thin very rusted iron which crumbled in your fingers. I put a few pieces under the roots in the pipe system and within a week all the basil was looking healthy and green.

Now that my system has been running over 6 weeks and many more fish and fish have grown in size, the basil is growing rapidly and leaves are green.

I still have some problem with cucumber. A fine white powdery appearance on leaves and some fine spider web like filaments around the leaf and stems. Not sure if it is a mildew or small insect at this stage. Even clay pellets are coated with white powdery substance.

Have tried vege. oil (for spider mite etc. ) and have been spraying with milk but still no improvement.


Dave

[Hamish]

Try making up a garlic spray for bugs - worked on my white fly so might work for spider mites. I also think foliar spraying of seasol helps with insects.

I have been meaning to mention this for a while - but I remembered that my Grandfather use to make his own seaweed fertiliser from seaweed he collected off the beach. THey lived near the ocean and not ever owning a car or having a licence he use to push a wheel barrow down to the beach (about 5 blocks away) to collect the seaweed that washed up after a storm. I remember the liquid fertiliser was black - like seasol with the same smell. You needed to water it down because it was so strong it would burn the roots - just like seasol. He use to brew it up or ferment it somehow in barrels from memory - then tap the juice off the bottom. I wish he was still around so I could find out his method for making it.

My Grandfather died when I was quite young - but I still have memories of the raised garden beds covering the small back yard of my grandparents small flat.

Memories of huge bowls of strawberries, new potatos, carrots, beans, peas all fresh from the garden.

My grandmother lived untill she was in her hundreds - 103 from memory - so the fresh veges did her well.

The dust from the coal mining my grandfather did most of his lives finally caught up with him when he was much younger. Sad really.

[anniefish]

Hi Dave,
you can cut off the worst affected leaves, do you have enough ventilation? if cucumbers are in a lot of humidity they will get mildew.

Hamish,
I brew tea from poultry, goat or cow manure. just submerge a hessian bag of poo into a barrel of water and leave for a week or two, stir occasionally. Water down to a tea colour and water. I seem to remember someone doing the same with green weeds or comfrey. Maybe your grandfather did the same thing?

[GreenCow]

Hamish, very nice clean compact system. Nice stands for the growbeds. How are the plants doing?

Have you cut the holes in the retrun lines for the additional plants yet? If so, are the plants restricting the return flow much?

[Hamish]

Hi GC - yes have a look at post 173 here http://www.aquaponicshq.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5189&postcount=173

I started out with 1 return pipe - which didnt cope with the volume of water and overflowed if both grow beds flushed at the same time -because the outlet was the same size as the inlet.

So I added a second return pipe - which doubled my plant capacity and increased the volume of the return pipes. It can drip a little water if both grwobeds flush at once.

So today I intend to add a third return pipe to add even more growing space!

This is the way to go when getting water back to the tank - the plants are doing great in the return pipe - 12 lettuce are leaping away and the strawberries in the rest of the pipe are full of flowers and new strawberries.

I really should just increase the diameter of the pipe back into the tank to stop the dripping - but then I couldnt put more plants in ;)

[djs-sa]

sounds like ur system is growing like mine as in the hardware!!! should finish off my GB today if the rain stops, 1st day of school holidays too

[Hamish]

Yes - it is adictive when you see the strawberries starting to fruit after just 1 week in the system - you start to think how can I get more plants in there!

[djs-sa]

did i read somewhere u get ur seeds or seedlings from bunnings? i have not had the best quality fruit or vegie seedlings from them in the past. soil garden of course

[Hamish]

Yes I have - they seem to be ok - a few people here use them - I guess if they look ok when you get them they should be ok. I have seen a few ugly looking seedlings at bunnings that have been on the shelf too long. I think Saturday morning is the time to buy seedlings as they would have new stock for all the weekend gardeners.

[djs-sa]

the problem is that the plants come off the truck from sunny somewhere and when they end up in rainy adelaide they seem to not cope with our climate . so i seem to think locally souced seedlings or raising a hardy stain from seed in my own germination kit which i already have

[Hamish]

the problem is that the plants come off the truck from sunny somewhere and when they end up in rainy adelaide they seem to not cope with our climate . so i seem to think locally souced seedlings or raising a hardy stain from seed in my own germination kit which i already have
Ahhh - good point.

[Hamish]

Today I finished off the 2 x cocopeat grow beds that I will water with any excess water from my tank. The rain over the last few days has filled my tank almost to the top - so it will be good to reduce this water level by watering the 2 cocopeat beds rather than wasting the water by emptying it down the drain.

I have burried a grid of 19mm poly pipe about 4cm under the surface of the cocopeat. The 19mm poly has a small hole ever 10cm on each side of the poly so that it spreads the water through the grow bed. This poly is plumbed to a through tank fitting in the same way as the inlet on the flood and drain grow beds - so if I ever want to use these growbeds for flood and drain I can without changing any fittings.

The grid of 19mm poly is fed directly off the same line that feeds the flood and drain grow beds. Currently there is a tap that you can turn on every few days to water the beds. I will be adding a timer (which I already have) and a control valve to each of these grow beds so this watering process can be automated.

There is a drain in the bottom of each grow bed that I can place a container under to collect any water that runs out - so it can be put back into the grow beds rather than waste it. This drain is in the same place as an autosiphon - so again this grow bed can be easily converted to flood and drain if I want to in the future. The drain has an autosiphon surround around it to hold the cocopeat away from the drain so it does not clog the drain.

In these grow beds I have planted 6 tomato plants (Pot Romas), 10 honey snap pea seedlings, 2 rows of baby carrots, 1 row of radish and 1 row of beatroot. The carrots, radish and beatroot have all been planted using seed tape - never used that before but seems like a good product. It will be interesting to see how they all go.

Here are a few photos of the grow beds and plumbing. Notice the inline filter in the last picture - to make sure the holes in the poly distribution grid dont block up.

[Hamish]

Growth in the grow tubes - lettuce is going realy well in here - so are the strawberries. Although I cant work out why some of the strawberry leaves are going brown and crispy on the ends? They seem happy and are flowering and friting like crazy. Some of the strawberries also seem to die before they get fully grown - might hve been transplant damage I guess? Any hints? Time to set up a third pipe in the middle for more grow space!

[Hamish]

More strawberry pics. The Strawberries and lettuce in the grow tubes have only been in since 29th June - just 10 days! The largest strawberry shown in the 4th and 5th pictures below was just a flower when I planted them 10 days ago!

[Hamish]

The first pic below shows some small seedling silverbeat I planted by just sprinkling the seed on the clay balls and then brusing the surface with my hand so the seeds fell into the gaps. This was 10 days ago - seems like they will do well. I have had similar sucess with lettuce seedlings. Not having to transplant is better for the plant in my opinion.

The 4th pic shows the 2 bean plants which seem to be going well - no sign of any beans yet. I have never grown beans - do they flower first?

Check out all the chillis in the last pic! The chilli plant is just going crackers - as are the capsicums.

[GreenCow]

Great photos...and vegies. Interesting concept for the cocopeat. Really interested in how that turns out.

[Hamish]

I cant wait to get some land to build on - I really want to expand my system and also want to play with a few other projects like building my house with shipping containers, solar and wind power, composting toilet, Methane Biogas digester to make gas to cook with - the list of projects goes on and on - just need the land! Hurry up and sell yacht - i need the cash!

http://www.ruralcostarica.com/biogas.html

[Hamish]

Great photos...and vegies. Interesting concept for the cocopeat. Really interested in how that turns out.
Thanks GreenCow. I would prefer to use these 2 grow beds as flood and drain with clay balls like the others - but I am out of space in my little back yard and cant install a sump - so for now these cocopeat watered beds will have to do.

[Hamish]

I have been thinking of ways to make imple, cheap but strong green houses. Not much use to me yet but will be once I get some land.

Seems to me that a pyramid shape would be easiest to construct - just 4 poles joined at the top.

A number of them could be set in a row to make a tunnel as in my drawing below.

[GreenCow]

If you use a hoop tunnel on legs, you will get more head room next to the sides. The hoops can be made of PVC, Metal, etc. with 3 perlins to and a couple of strap x's to keep square. Might be less expensive.