How to Set Up a Small, but Productive Aquaponic Garden

This article will cover the basics of hobby aquaponics, and more importantly give step by step instructions on how to build and maintain a small flood and drain aquaponics system.

What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the combination of recalculating aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). The fish waste provides the nutrients the plants need and the plants, in taking up these nutrients, help to purify the water in which the fish live. This is an organic process with the only input to the system being fish food which creates a sustainable ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive.

What Plants Can Grow In This System?
Aquaponics is particularly successful for growing leafy crops like lettuce, herbs, chives, spinach, arugula etc. because of the high nitrogen content in the water, but other food crops do well including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, peas, squash and melons, but these fruiting plants may not produce as high a yield as with hydroponics only systems where higher levels of phosphorous and potassium may be maintained.

What about the Fish?
Tilapia are generally the fish of choice for larger aquaponic systems because they are fast growing, can tolerate a wide variety of water quality conditions and have firm white meat. For small hobby systems koi or gold fish work well. It is a good idea to also include a plecostomus cat to help keep the tank clean. Start with approximately one inch of fish for each gallon of water in the tank.

Materials for the System
 Tank – Virtually any clean container that can hold ten or more gallons of water will work, but for esthetics and function, fish aquariums work best for most small systems. Fortunately these are readily available used by looking in the Bird and Fish classified adds section of any major newspaper.
 Under Gravel Filter and Pump(s) – These can be built, but it is easier to buy them and generally they come with used tanks. The filter needs a means of pulling water through the gravel to promote bio-filtration. This can either be done with an air pump and air stones, or with devices known as “Power Heads” that have an active water pump that draws water up the riser tubes of the filter. The best setup is to have the power heads for the filter and then supplement the dissolved oxygen in the tank with an air pump and air stones. Air hose tubing will be needed as well as a two way gang valve.
 Grow Bed – The grow bed can be any container that can sit on top of the tank and that can have holes easily drilled in the bottom. Dish pans, or plastic storage bins work well for this and can be found at discount stores like Wal-Mart or even Dollar stores. The objective is to find something 5-7 inches deep that covers most of the tank surface, but is wide enough to sit on top. Leave a small space for feeding the fish. For ease in maintenance, two or three smaller containers may be placed side by side on top of the tank.
 Submersible Pump A pump is needed for flooding the grow bed. For small systems up to two square feed of growing surface a small 160GPH submersible hydroponics pump should be sufficient.
 Tubing – Sufficient tubing is needed to go from the pump at the bottom of the tank to the grow bead and to cross the length of the grow bead twice.
 Aquarium Gravel – Don’t skimp on this one. By buying aquarium gravel rather than using some other type of gravel you will be sure that it will not leach into your water and impact the PH. Buy enough to cover the under gravel filter with two inches of gravel.
 Growing Medium – For this system expanded clay pebbles work well. These are sold under several brand names and can be purchased from any retail hydroponics dealer. Enough will be needed to fill the grow beads to within one inch of the top.
 pH Test Kit – This system is very easy to maintain, but starting with proper pH and maintaining it is the key to success. pH test kits are available for as low as five dollars and can be purchased at hardware and pool stores.
 Siphon Cleaner – This inexpensive tool is available at all stores that sell aquariums and is indispensable for monthly tank maintenance.
 Hydroponics Nutrient (Optional) – The nice thing about an aquaponics system is that the system will produce ample nitrogen needed for green leafy plants to thrive. It is not necessary, but to help maintain better phosphorous, potassium and micro-nutrient levels it is recommended that replacement water be supplemented by adding ¼ the recommended amount of a good hydroponics Bloom formula to the water.
 Light Source – If the tank is placed near a sunny window external light may not be needed, but lights often come with used or new tanks and the can be used by changing the bulb to one appropriate for plants. This may not be adequate if the system is relying entirely on artificial light. 20-50 watts per square foot is a good rule of thumb for grow lights if used exclusively. A small stand can easily be made of PCV pipe to hang the light fixture from.

Setting up the System!
Tank Setup - The tank will be set up just like any aquarium. Place the under-gravel filter in the tank with the riser tubes installed, add gravel and then water. Connect air stones to tubing from the air pump and insert them in to the riser tubes from the filter or insert and plug in Power Heads. Once water has been added to the tank the pH will need to be checked and adjusted as needed. If the system was just for raising fish it would be best to try to maintain the water at a pH of about 7.4. In combining fish culture with growing plants (aquaponics), the needs of both the plants and fish must be slightly compromised by maintaining a pH as of about 6.8. More often than not the pH of tap water needs to be lowered. Products for raising and lowering pH that are safe for both plants and fish are available at both hydroponics and fish stores. If fish are to be added immediately the water must be de-chlorinated, otherwise wait 48 hours before adding the fish. To start your system, add approximately one inch of fish for each gallon of water.
Grow Bed Setup –
The grow bed will need one hole in the bottom large enough to feed the pump tubing up through and 3/16th inch drain holes every two inches. As the grow bed will be slightly larger than the tank make sure not to have drain holes near the edges. Most submersible hydroponics pumps come with suction cups that can be used to install the pump on the side of the tank near the bottom. If the pump does not have them it will be necessary to lay a flat slate, or rock on the bottom to set the pump on so it will not clog with gravel. Use a small drill bit to drill holes in both sides of the feed tube in all but the section that will go from the pump up to the grow bed. Feed the tube up through the hole in the grow bed and loop the rest of the line down one side and back up the other of the grow bed. Fold the tube over twice and secure with a zip tie or strong rubber band to block the end of the tube and force the flow out the holes in either side of the tube. If more than one grow bed is used, cut a small notch or hole in the top of the beds for the tube to fit through. Fill the bed with expanded clay medium, or other suitable growing medium, to within one inch from the top and place the feed hose on top. If necessary, to avoid splashing it is helpful to place a small amount of medium on top of the feed hose.
Adding Fish and Plants – It is best to let the system become established for one month with the fish before adding plants. Plants may be started from seeds directly in the grow beds or they may be started in peat and transplanted to the grow beds.

Maintenance
The good news is that this system is very easy to maintain. Each week, check the pH. If the pH is between 6.6 and 7.0 things are going well. If the pH is outside of this range it should be adjusted by using either pH Up or Down as needed. A pH of 6.8 is ideal. Fill the tank to top off the level with de-chlorinated water that has been supplemented to make a ¼ strength hydroponics bloom solution. Each month, use a siphon cleaner to vacuum the excess waste out of the gravel. Take the tank water level down ¼ with this process. Don’t throw this water down the drain; it will do wonders for indoor and outdoor plants. Fill the tank back up to the top with de-chlorinated ¼ strength hydroponics bloom formula.

This small system can not only be an attractive conversation piece, but it can provide enough salad greens and herbs for the whole family.

Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and writer living in Paradise Valley Arizona. Chris can be reached at CKline72@Cox.net

Blogging

Today I signed up for a program called Pay-Per-post. I heard from a friend that there were some cool blogging programs out their and that you could actually make some money blogging. My friend was right! The funny thing is that I started by searching on two search terms. The first was “cash for blogging” and the second just happened to be the name of this program “pay-per-post). Check it out at PayPerPost.com. It looks like a great opportunity where you can get paid for doing something you like to do anyway like blogging about your favorite topics like gardening! I will learn more about the program soon. It’s free to register, but you need to have a blog first. You can get a free blog at lots of places online like blogger.com. I just registered so hopefully they will get back to me in a day or two and I can start blogging for bucks. It’s not often that you can find something that you enjoy doing, like blogging and actually make a few bucks doing it. I’m really looking forward to working with this program and will post more about it after I get started. Spread the love baby!

The Greenhouse Advantage for Seed Starting

With proper planning there are several advantages that greenhouse enthusiasts have for seed germinating and getting their plants off to a great start.

Jump Start the Growing Season – Just as greenhouse gardeners are able to extend the growing season they can get a head start as well. Many desirable plant varieties cannot be sowed until after the last freeze of the season and in some cases it takes even longer for the ground to warm to an appropriate temperature for optimum seed germination. In the greenhouse, seed germination can start three to four weeks before the estimated last freeze of the season giving greenhouse gardeners a head start on their open air counterparts. This is particularly important for success with long season vegetables (those that require 70 or more days to produce) e.g., melons, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, corn, carrots and parsnips among others.

Climate Control – Most seeds germinate when the soil temperature is between 68 and 86°F. In some areas the greenhouse may be warm enough for good seed germination on its own, but if not, the sheltered environment of the greenhouse is a perfect place to use inexpensive soil heating cables or electric seed warming trays for starting seeds. An added advantage of the greenhouse for your new seedlings is protection from severe weather like strong wind, rain or unexpected cold that can be devastating to new sprouts. The increased humidity of the greenhouse also helps to provide an ideal germinating environment.

Pest Control – Seeds and young plants are particularly vulnerable to garden pests and predators. Birds in particular love seeds and often times they will dig them up from the ground before your plants even get a chance to sprout. This even happens when using sprouting trays or containers outside. Once seeds are sprouted, young plants are still quite vulnerable to small rodents and insects until they are 8-10 inches tall. The greenhouse gives plants protection from pests until they are strong enough to have a good chance of survival in the open air garden. An added benefit of the greenhouse is that it provides a wonderful environment for using biological pest control by releasing lady bugs into the greenhouse. Lady bugs will consume up to 1,000 aphids in their lifetimes in both their larvae and adult stages and work well in greenhouse settings.

Now is the Time! - If you have a greenhouse and have not considered starting your plants from seeds you now have all the information and reasons you need to start using this low cost alternative to starting your gardens. Good luck and happy propagation!

Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and sunflower specialist living in Paradise Valley Arizona. He is also an editor for http://www.sunflowerocity.com/ The Ultimate Sunflower Site has everything imaginable about sunflowers including great information, links to the best products, sites and discussion boards. You can reach Chris at Chris.Kline@sunflowerOcity.com.

Seed Starting Choices

Starting from Seed – How to do it Right

With all of the advantages from starting beautiful gardens from seed it is no wonder that more gardeners are using seeds to start plants. There is something inherently satisfying about facilitating the miracle of nature that occurs when a plant is born from seed. This article contains all the information necessary to select the right location and supplies for this fun and exciting gardening task.

Selecting a Seed Starting Location

The first consideration is to select a good location for seed propagation. The following factors should be considered:

• Amount and Intensity of Exposure to Light – Once the seeds have germinated, the sprouts of most plant varieties need medium to high light in order to develop properly. If the light is too low the sprouts will become lanky which produces weak plants. Some gardeners prefer to start their seeds in a garage, greenhouse or other inside area with an artificial light source. The best alternative is to start your seeds in a greenhouse. Most greenhouses can provide ample, but slightly filtered light that is ideal for seed starting. In hot climates direct sunlight may be too intense for some seed starts to handle until the plants get their second set of leaves.
• Exposure to the Elements – Seeds and young plants are particularly susceptible to damage from the environment. This includes damage caused by rodents, birds and pests as well as inclement weather. Because of this it is generally best to find a sheltered area, or start the seeds indoors. Greenhouse enthusiasts have an advantage here as well.
• Temperature and Humidity – Most seeds germinate when the soil temperature is between 68 and 86°F. Depending on the soil temperature where seeds are germinated it may be advantageous to use an inexpensive soil heating cable or electric seed warming trays for starting seeds. Seeds need moist soil to germinate and the young seedlings benefit from humid conditions. Many seed starting trays come with a plastic lid that works as a mini greenhouse for seed starts.

Methods to Consider for Starting From Seed

Direct seed method – Many seeds can be sowed directly in the garden or containers, and in some instances this may be a viable choice. One problem is that seeds and small plants are much more susceptible to falling victim to pests and predators than even two or three week old transplants. In many areas the birds or rodents will dig up seeds and have a feast before the seeds even get a chance to sprout. It may be more difficult to care for and propagate young plants in your garden because seeds and sprouts must be kept moist and not be allowed to dry out. Another disadvantage is that there will always be some seeds that don’t make it to becoming viable plants. For uniform plant spacing in the garden it may be easier to use transplants that have already been selected as strong prospects. For these reasons and others, a general recommendation is to germinate seeds before transplanting into the garden or containers.

Using Professional Seed Starting Trays – Some gardeners prefer to start many seeds at a time in professional seed starting trays which are a plastic tray with separate compartments for each plant and a drip pan. With this method as many as three dozen seeds can be started in one try and then the weak ones can be weeded out while getting the sprouts off to a great start before planting them in the garden where they will face harsher elements and predators. With this method it is important to use a potting mix that is specifically designed for starting seeds. These mixes are finer than even premium potting mixes and contain all the nutrition that seedlings will need to make it through their first two or three weeks. This method is certainly acceptable, but it too has some draw backs. There is a chance, even with careful transplanting, that the plants will sustain damage to the root system which will stress the young transplant. It is for this reason that the following method may just be the best one available.

Starting with Peat Pots or Pellets – Peat pots are small pots that are made of pressed peat moss. They can be filled with seed starting mix and planted in the garden when transplants are ready. There is however, an even easier alternative. Peat pellets are an ingenious innovation that consists of a compressed peat wafer inside a biodegradable mesh case. When the pellet is soaked in water it swells to five times its size and makes the ideal seed starting medium. A seed or two is simply pushed into the top of each soaked pellet and they are placed in the selected germinating location and kept moist until germination has occurred. The pellets can even be bought with plastic trays that have clear lids and act as mini greenhouses for sprouting seeds. With these lids generally it is not even necessary to add additional water to the pellets until after the seeds sprout. Once the seeds sprout the lid is removed and sprouts are watered and grown in the trays until they form their second set of real leaves, generally two to three weeks. Then the biodegradable bags with healthy young plants can be planted in the desired garden location.

Choose a good location, select from among the alternative starting mediums and have fun starting your garden from seed this season. You will be glad you did!

About the Author:
Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and sunflower specialist living in Paradise Valley Arizona. He is also an editor for http://www.SunflowerOcity.com. You can reach Chris at Chris.Kline@sunflowerOcity.com.

Overwintering in the Greenhouse

Many gardeners seem to shut down operations in the winter entirely and start completely anew each season. With proper overwintering techniques, which are made much easier with the use of a greenhouse, many plants can be preserved only to be more vigorous beautiful producers the next season. In addition to perennial flowers and ornamentals most berries including Black, Blue and Raspberries can be grown for more than one season as can most herbs including Basil, Chives and Parsley. Several vegetables are also perennials including Asparagus, Garlic, Shallots, Sweet Beets, Sweet Potato and many Peppers.

There are some distinct advantages to using a greenhouse for overwintering. In many areas rodents can be a significant source of damage to plants during the winter months when other food is scarce. Another major cause of damage and loss of plants during winter is caused by freezing and fluctuations in soil temperature, and this is an even bigger problem for plants in containers. Plants out in the open also often sustain tissue burn from the moisture loss caused by cold dry air. Proper overwintering in a greenhouse makes it much easier to protect against these and other winter hazards to plants.

It is possible to keep many plants from one year to the next. They will not continue to bloom profusely and grow over winter as they did during the summer, but in many cases they will have better production than they did in year one and will give the gardener a great head start on the next season.

Depending upon the climate, late August (Hardness zones 3-6) to late September (Hardness zones 7-8) is generally the window for beginning the overwintering process. In most areas it is practically impossible to keep plants thriving and producing outside past October. The low sun and shorter days tend to induce 'semi-dormancy', a period of reduced functioning in the plants. For this reason the beginning of the overwintering program will start by gradually tapering off watering and fertilization in October. In the winter the soil should not become bone dry or dusty, but should be watered only occasionally during the plant's dormancy.
It is best to hold off on moving plants into the greenhouse until just before the first freeze of winter sets in. Moving the plants inside too early will slow down the hardening off process and may result in undesirable out of season growth.

Once plants are in the greenhouse temperature control is very important to overwintering success. Temperatures of 45°-55°F are ideal. The higher the temperatures above this range, the more likely the plants will produce weak growth out of season which can make them susceptible to various infestations. Greenhouse temperatures can generally be controlled using ventilation during the day to keep the greenhouse from overheating. In very cold climates a heat source may be necessary to keep the temperature close to the ideal range, particularly at night.

Most plants will benefit from some pruning back in mid-March in preparation for the vigorous growth during the new season. This is also a good time to consider transplanting plants that grew a lot during the past summer into the garden or larger containers. Plants adjust best to gradual change. At this time, the greenhouse can be allowed to reach slightly warmer temperatures (65°F days, 55°F nights). Resume fertilizing with balanced blend mixed ½-strength. When all danger of frost is past, the plants can be moved outside again for the summer, and the greenhouse temperatures can be raised for plants that will remain in the greenhouse or for germination of new plants for the growing season.
For successful overwintering in the greenhouse keep these tips in mind:

• Begin overwintering by reducing water and fertilizer in late August to late October, depending on Hardness Zone.
• Take care not to allow soil or air to become overly dry.
• Wait until just before the first freezing weather of the season to move plants into the greenhouse.
• During the winter dormant period maintain greenhouse temperatures as close to 45°-55°F as possible.
• Prune plants back in mid-March in preparation for the new growing season.
• After pruning, increase greenhouse temperature to 65°F days, 55°F nights and resume fertilizing with balanced blend mixed ½-strength.
• Move plants to desired outdoor locations when all danger of frost has passed.

About the Author:
Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and sunflower specialist living in Paradise Valley Arizona. He is also an editor for http://www.SunflowerOcity.com The Ultimate Sunflower Site has everything imaginable about sunflowers including great information, links to the best products, sites and discussion boards. You can reach Chris at Chris.Kline@sunflowerOcity.com.