Satellite Pots

[GaryD]

Hi,

Here's a couple of photos of two of my ten satellite pots.

Satellite pots comprise a pot within a pot. The inner pot has large drain holes in the base. We use shadecloth to prevent the media from dropping through the holes. We use hydroton expanded clay as the media.

The outer pot is fitted with a drain. We have five pots connected to each drain line.

The pots are fed by a small submersible pump which is controlled by a cheap electric timer on a 15 minutes ON/45 minutes OFF cycle. A 12mm valve is used to regulate the flow to each pot.

They are good for growing large plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums and zucchini.....which might otherwise dominate a grow bed.



Gary

[Aquatic Oasis]

Hi Gary,
Do you ever encounter problems with roots trying to follow the water back thru the drainage lines. It is a common problem we have in our Hydro systems. Try raising the top pot higher and leaving some water in the bottom pot. This way the roots have a constant supply of water and wont search for it. It also helps on hot days and when there is equipment failure. The trick is for the top pot to be above the water level. Airation in the bottom pot also helps.

[GaryD]

Hi AO,

We have had that problem.....particularly with tomatoes....where I've had to dismantle the drain lines to remove a solid mass of roots.

I'm tending toward the use of different growing systems for specific crops. ie......NFT for lettuce and small soft herbs.....flood and drain grow beds for larger plants.....square foot beds for onions, beetroot, etc....... and raised sheet mulch beds for other things.

At this stage, I'm not sure where the satellite pots will fit in with all of that. I have even considered making them flood and drain to ensure that they are watered evenly and thoroughly.

My general feeling about hydroponic growing systems (in an aquaponic context) is that we expect too much of them and that much of what is said about them tends toward folklore rather than being based on sound principles and practice.

GaryD

[Aquatic Oasis]

Hi,

Mate you hit the nail on the head. Choosing the right style of system for each plants is the right way to go. By the looks of things you are heading down the right path. The satellite system is one of my favorite, simple to use with good results. If you are using Expanded Clay as your media you will need to set up a feed ring to evenly distribute the water thru the pots. The biggest problem with searching the net for Hydroponic systems is that most of the information is flawed. The biggest problems are that most of the information comes from overseas, or from manufacturers who think there product is the next big thing, or written by or for people that grow the wacky tabacky. I have owned and run my own hydroponic store for nearly 9 years. Over this time i have been able to sift thru all the **** and come up with some simple solutions that work.

[GaryD]

Hi AO,

If you are using Expanded Clay as your media you will need to set up a feed ring to evenly distribute the water thru the pots.

While your background in hydroponics will serve you well when it comes to aquaponics, one of the big differences is the presence of bio-film......the build up of solid fish waste on the inside surfaces of pipes and fittings.

It will block the holes on the feed rings to which you refer to the point where nothing will come out of the holes. When I expanded the holes to the point where they wouldn't block they filled the pot faster than it would drain....so I removed them.

The probability of bio-film will usually require any hydroponic system to be modified in some way to adapt it for use in aquaponics.

GaryD