We have a 3/4 acre pond that after 10 years acquired duckweed. We had no way to harvest much but recently got a paddle boat and I can access with ease chicken and Koi feed. We have 1 sterile carp and it can't keep up once it has taken off. You are right, it grows faster than wisteria and kudsu.
tinyruin yes even in 100 degree texas i have mosquitofish in 20gal tanks with duckweed and only wind aerates the water. Never ever lost a fish and they breed like crazy
My chooks wouldn't eat duckweed, but it makes a fabulous compost. I scooped it and used it to mulch around the tops of my pot plants. We've got too many mosquito's at our new house so I haven't been game to set up a pond again. Just be careful not to let it escape your property, it's an invasive weed that will choke out dams and native waterways if it's given half a chance.
thanks for the information,i also find out some folks harvest the chicken poop,let dry an put small amount in a bucket wit h water, and add this to the pond every 2 o 4 days.
I am new to your channel, but have watched a number of the videos already. It is impressive as to how you have applied so many permaculture concepts to a small area, which is really inspiring. The vocabulary and creativity that you express causes curiosity about your background. Do you have any biographical videos that lead to why you have chosen the this awesome path?
Very cool! I plan on growing duckweed in some IBC rainwater tanks I have besides my barn, from my research you will want to add some manure to fertilize and keep the duckweed productive, it should double within 24-48 hrs. I also have some large window screens from a porch and plan on using those as drying racks to dehydrate the duckweed so I can put up more livestock fodder
Needed this reminder. We don’t have poultry right now, but I bet our rabbits would like it. And of course the more food we can grow ourselves, the less we have to buy.
i think if you're using unfiltered rainwater you'll probably get a lot of minerals and fertilizer from debri, bird and squirrel poop that has accumulated on the roof and washed into your rain barrel during a storm.
The duckweed will grow better if you add ammonia, as in a little bit of chicken poop or other ammonia rich substance. If you have an aquarium or grow fish, the ammonia from the fish poop makes the duckweed grow crazy fast. It's the premise of Aquaponics essentially
i'd recommend also growing azolla! it grows at a very rapid rate, but due to its mutualistic relationship with a cyanobacteria is able to produce omega fatty acids, which will improve the quality of your eggs! p.s. duckweed and azolla are such fast growers and heavy feeders that they have been used to purify contaminated water, especially in waste water treatment operations. i've had success using it as a symbiotic component to aquaculture systems; serving both the purpose of sequestering water-soluable nitrogen (aka fish waste) and bio-converting it readily into a food source for the fish. pretty rad!
Any special requirement for azolla? I have been growing duckweed for my chickens supplement after seeing this video. Only see your comment now re: omega fatty acids.
I have a small wildlife pond in my equally small front garden. When I remember to scoop out the weed, I just dump it on the ground around the pond - slosh and drop 😄 (I don't have poultry)
where would the the mineral/protein content come from? as far as I know duckweed isn't nitrogen fixing so I think this might be limited by the nutrient content of the water, which if it's rain water might be limited depending on how it's collected. azolla is nitrogen fixing, i have no clue if it can be used as chicken feed but I do know it's used as green manure. I also know duck weed is used in aquaponics (e.g. in a small container not accessible to the fish) as a way to quickly absorb excess excess nitrogen, which can then be saved (can't remember if dry or frozen, maybe both?) and then fed back to the fish at a later point, so it can be used to add stability even if the crops are not taking up nitrates fast enough.
I'm looking forward to seeing a video about the air prune bed. I just built one myself that I'm pretty satisfied with. I've been thinking of protections ideas just like what you're coming up with but so far I don't think I've had any thefts. I had my seeds indoors (fridge) all winter long though. Will squirrels harm seedlings after they're sprouted and have some leaves?
Squirrels will absolutely damage young seedlings, even after they sprout. Really have to watch CLOSELY for this and good luck! We'll be making that video soon enough...
Very possible, although the duckweed covers the water so thoroughly that it really keeps the temps down. Something for us to observe and think through...
stopped working in the later fall and we just didn't the time or space to do it again. . Fine enough project and decent proof of concept but not something we'll do again mainly because of space
Love all your videos. A few questions---first, are mosquitoes a problem? I would love to create little ponds all over but it seems mosquitoes breed in every puddle or flower pot. I used to routinely walk our property overturning anything that holds water (but now we are on the edge of a drought). I would try goldfish, but nothing i have is deep enough to not dry out periodically--I don't have a rainwater harvesting system to refill a small area like your set up and don't want to use my well water since that could run dry in a drought. My arthritis is pretty bad--cannot dig ponds by hand (tho I would love the exercise if i could!) Wondering if you have any ideas for simple rainwater harvesting for folks with health issues and very limited funds. Thank you in advance!!!
You may want to find someone local to you who has some experience with this or interest in learning to see if they can be of assistance... I am planning on a video soon that shows how we set up our rain water collectors, and there are good examples out there that you could hire someone and show them how you want it set up perhaps?
I would love to see a vid of your rainwater set-up--look forward to that. I use deep mulch wherever possible which helps a lot with water conservation--but yes, i may have to pay someone. Frustrating because i'm usually the only worker i can afford. I want to figure out how to not overuse my joints while digging. I've used fighters tape to wrap all my finger joints--i might try wearing knee braces too .....I'm sure i'm not the only gardener with osteoarthritis--will have to search the internet for more ideas. I really want swales here--live on a slope and every rain watch the water pour away downhill...will try just laying logs down on contour--better than nothing. Handicap gardening will be the next step in my adventure--how to DIY and not have to pay someone else. most hired workers get a lot more money than i can afford--might be cheaper to rent an excavator for a weekend.
Good stuff as always. In a previous pond related video you were adamant on not using any man made liner. This struck me as a bit of a contradiction - you are using plastic as a liner here and you utilize plastic for rain water collection and storage so why would you be against a rubber pond liner? Thanks again for your explanations!
Good question/point. I think with the pond it seems there is a possibility to be able to retain the water without plastic if I get the clay/organic matter ratios right and apply right, so I'd like to see if I can. The rainwater, I have no idea how I coudl do that with clay so I just go with the containers! On the driveway, I couldn't think of a more natural way, so I'm using what I have already. No formal reasoning as you can tell, just trying different ways and skipping plastic if it feels it can be skipped...
How did you create your "pond" in the chicken yard? Do you have a video of when you put it together? My main question is how you prepared the water. Did you add dung, molasses, blood meal...all things I've seen people suggest.
I will try this.. My only concern is the Mosquitoes, which a couple people have questioned below. Maybe add one of those Mosquito donuts to the water? I will also try this over a spot where I get weeds.
I am thinking of growing duckweed or Azolla in my pond using a floating frame with screen on the bottom. The Tilapia wouldn't let it get started otherwise. I wonder if it would keep ahead of them once established.
Quick update is that I needed the space for other projects, so it was taken offline. Seems the duckweed does MUCH better in a living pond than in a plastic lined pool, so this works well for a temporary solution or if it needs to be portable/seasonal, but it isn't better than an actual pond in the earth.
Thats really exciting. I'd love to see photos if you have the time. Maybe you can share some photos with a link you post in the comments here so other folks can get inspired by what you are trying...
@@edibleacres I came across this video which has been getting a lot of views. ruclips.net/video/DS4PFbxfGoc/видео.html This guy thinks chickens don't take to it that well..
The chickens get so much more pleasure from it than we do. Then, through their enjoyment of this nutrient rich green along with thorough and diverse exercise, fresh water, careful protection from predators and our careful observation to help reduce stresses and provide a healthy life for them, they can magically transform all that into eggs, which is just about the perfect food for us to thrive on and have the energy to help protect and work with our chicken friends...
@@edibleacres first eggs are not perfect food but will cost a fortune in ill health that they will slowly but surely cause. Secondly what happens to the males or the females once they stop laying; nothing kind I presume!
Of all the farming vid channels I watch, you are the kindest, most mindful and loving creators. Really like the life you give your chickens!
Thanks so much.
Little hard plastic kid and dog pools work great as well
Great idea, free chicken food, and it doesn't take up a lot of space.
We'll see how it goes. I looked out this morning and it's almost completely covered already!
We have a 3/4 acre pond that after 10 years acquired duckweed. We had no way to harvest much but recently got a paddle boat and I can access with ease chicken and Koi feed. We have 1 sterile carp and it can't keep up once it has taken off. You are right, it grows faster than wisteria and kudsu.
Great idea! Might want to put a few minnows in there to control the mosquito larva that eventually show up in a stagnant pool.
Can you put minnows in there if the water is not being moved/air added with a pump?
We find frogs show up with anything like this and it seems they eat a lot of mosquito larvae for us.
tinyruin yes even in 100 degree texas i have mosquitofish in 20gal tanks with duckweed and only wind aerates the water. Never ever lost a fish and they breed like crazy
I'm growing giant duckweed for my stock. It stayed green all winter in tennessee outdoors. Itnfroze solid then thawed and kept growing lol.
ShotgunAndAShovel Where does one get giant duck weed? I’ve never heard of that before
@@michaelripperger5674 i got mine on eBay. I was selling it for a while.
Hello. May i ask if you grow it as cattle feed? If so do cows like to consume it? How much you give daily per cow? Thanks. :)
Try throwing in a handful of your mineral dust from your potting mix. It might just fortify the duckweed with trace elements & minerals as well.
Good thinking!
My chooks wouldn't eat duckweed, but it makes a fabulous compost. I scooped it and used it to mulch around the tops of my pot plants. We've got too many mosquito's at our new house so I haven't been game to set up a pond again. Just be careful not to let it escape your property, it's an invasive weed that will choke out dams and native waterways if it's given half a chance.
thanks for the information,i also find out some folks harvest the chicken poop,let dry an put small amount in a bucket wit
h water, and add this to the pond every 2 o 4 days.
It also makes great fertilizer
I am new to your channel, but have watched a number of the videos already. It is impressive as to how you have applied so many permaculture concepts to a small area, which is really inspiring. The vocabulary and creativity that you express causes curiosity about your background. Do you have any biographical videos that lead to why you have chosen the this awesome path?
I don't have any videos explaining how I got into it, but perhaps thats a topic for a future video!
Great idea making more free food for the chickens.
Pretty cool! You just have a limitless supply of ideas!
Very cool! I plan on growing duckweed in some IBC rainwater tanks I have besides my barn, from my research you will want to add some manure to fertilize and keep the duckweed productive, it should double within 24-48 hrs. I also have some large window screens from a porch and plan on using those as drying racks to dehydrate the duckweed so I can put up more livestock fodder
Ohh and another thought, tilapia in one pond and duckweed in one next to it.
You can freeze too!
its been a couple years, how did the pond do? did you ch ange anything?
We retired this idea, took up too much space and got too hot on the driveway.
Needed this reminder. We don’t have poultry right now, but I bet our rabbits would like it. And of course the more food we can grow ourselves, the less we have to buy.
Glad this landed as useful!
I love how I see something titles 0 dollars like cinder blocks and plastic bags and whatever else you used is free.
I hope you do some duckweed stuff again this summer. Just not enough people talk about it.
Great idea. You will need to add fertility to the water with compost tea or even some small amount of compost to feed your duckweed.
i think if you're using unfiltered rainwater you'll probably get a lot of minerals and fertilizer from debri, bird and squirrel poop that has accumulated on the roof and washed into your rain barrel during a storm.
i also use it for compost
The duckweed will grow better if you add ammonia, as in a little bit of chicken poop or other ammonia rich substance. If you have an aquarium or grow fish, the ammonia from the fish poop makes the duckweed grow crazy fast. It's the premise of Aquaponics essentially
Great note here, thank you!
It actually does better in shade you can put a shade cloth over half of it and test it out if you want
Another nice idea... with no cost... $0!! But zero is not a number... technically... I think... Happy gardening blazing into summer!
Great ideas! Thank you!!
Nice! I just love your ideas
i'd recommend also growing azolla! it grows at a very rapid rate, but due to its mutualistic relationship with a cyanobacteria is able to produce omega fatty acids, which will improve the quality of your eggs! p.s. duckweed and azolla are such fast growers and heavy feeders that they have been used to purify contaminated water, especially in waste water treatment operations. i've had success using it as a symbiotic component to aquaculture systems; serving both the purpose of sequestering water-soluable nitrogen (aka fish waste) and bio-converting it readily into a food source for the fish. pretty rad!
Any special requirement for azolla? I have been growing duckweed for my chickens supplement after seeing this video. Only see your comment now re: omega fatty acids.
You guys are amazing! I watch and look forward to all your videos. Thank you. Greetings from Ireland!
Duckweed also makes a great food for goldfish
I have a small wildlife pond in my equally small front garden. When I remember to scoop out the weed, I just dump it on the ground around the pond - slosh and drop 😄 (I don't have poultry)
It's supposed to be a great fertilizer
where would the the mineral/protein content come from? as far as I know duckweed isn't nitrogen fixing so I think this might be limited by the nutrient content of the water, which if it's rain water might be limited depending on how it's collected. azolla is nitrogen fixing, i have no clue if it can be used as chicken feed but I do know it's used as green manure. I also know duck weed is used in aquaponics (e.g. in a small container not accessible to the fish) as a way to quickly absorb excess excess nitrogen, which can then be saved (can't remember if dry or frozen, maybe both?) and then fed back to the fish at a later point, so it can be used to add stability even if the crops are not taking up nitrates fast enough.
Duckweed likes heavy nutrients so when you harvest duckweed, put in some manure
Easy to add some compost and stir it in as necessary, we'll see...
Duckweed as far as I understand is a nitrogen fixer so an excellent way for the chickens to get protein.
We have a small pond and we somehow ended up with duckweed in it and have been using it to feed our ducks and chickens too!!!
Nice. Your growing b12
SOULJAH
I found a place in Florida called Live Aquaponics, and they will ship it to you
That is a great idea. Did you ever try that?
How do you keep the mosquitos out of your standing water?
We let the frogs show up who seem to really take care of this.
I like the idea. What about nutrients? The pond get some from the water going thru the compost.
Easy to add nutrients with all the compost around.
I did the same thing with my aquaponics system to feed my fish.
A 10$ kiddy pool works well too if you want something more durable. It's a little more than 0 though
Great note :)
Interesting idea for flat ground, though l'd be raising mosquitoes in along with the duckweed!
I find when frogs show up mosquitoes seem to go away. That and a thick layer of duckweed seems to be a tough place for mosquitoes to grow maybe...
you can also use it to make compost
I'm looking forward to seeing a video about the air prune bed. I just built one myself that I'm pretty satisfied with. I've been thinking of protections ideas just like what you're coming up with but so far I don't think I've had any thefts. I had my seeds indoors (fridge) all winter long though. Will squirrels harm seedlings after they're sprouted and have some leaves?
Squirrels will absolutely damage young seedlings, even after they sprout. Really have to watch CLOSELY for this and good luck! We'll be making that video soon enough...
I'm curious to see how heat tolerant the system is. Presumably at some point the water could get too hot to support the duckweed growth yes?
Very possible, although the duckweed covers the water so thoroughly that it really keeps the temps down. Something for us to observe and think through...
How did this turn out over time? Any follow up videos?
stopped working in the later fall and we just didn't the time or space to do it again. . Fine enough project and decent proof of concept but not something we'll do again mainly because of space
Love all your videos. A few questions---first, are mosquitoes a problem? I would love to create little ponds all over but it seems mosquitoes breed in every puddle or flower pot. I used to routinely walk our property overturning anything that holds water (but now we are on the edge of a drought). I would try goldfish, but nothing i have is deep enough to not dry out periodically--I don't have a rainwater harvesting system to refill a small area like your set up and don't want to use my well water since that could run dry in a drought. My arthritis is pretty bad--cannot dig ponds by hand (tho I would love the exercise if i could!) Wondering if you have any ideas for simple rainwater harvesting for folks with health issues and very limited funds. Thank you in advance!!!
You may want to find someone local to you who has some experience with this or interest in learning to see if they can be of assistance... I am planning on a video soon that shows how we set up our rain water collectors, and there are good examples out there that you could hire someone and show them how you want it set up perhaps?
I would love to see a vid of your rainwater set-up--look forward to that. I use deep mulch wherever possible which helps a lot with water conservation--but yes, i may have to pay someone. Frustrating because i'm usually the only worker i can afford. I want to figure out how to not overuse my joints while digging. I've used fighters tape to wrap all my finger joints--i might try wearing knee braces too .....I'm sure i'm not the only gardener with osteoarthritis--will have to search the internet for more ideas. I really want swales here--live on a slope and every rain watch the water pour away downhill...will try just laying logs down on contour--better than nothing. Handicap gardening will be the next step in my adventure--how to DIY and not have to pay someone else. most hired workers get a lot more money than i can afford--might be cheaper to rent an excavator for a weekend.
You can't solarize under wet plastic. The water prevents heat from building up.
Emerson What is solarising, please?
It's basically cooking the soil. The intent is usually to render all weed seeds non-viable.
This is such a GREAT idea!! Thanks for sharing!
Are you still doing it?
Good stuff as always. In a previous pond related video you were adamant on not using any man made liner. This struck me as a bit of a contradiction - you are using plastic as a liner here and you utilize plastic for rain water collection and storage so why would you be against a rubber pond liner? Thanks again for your explanations!
Good question/point. I think with the pond it seems there is a possibility to be able to retain the water without plastic if I get the clay/organic matter ratios right and apply right, so I'd like to see if I can. The rainwater, I have no idea how I coudl do that with clay so I just go with the containers!
On the driveway, I couldn't think of a more natural way, so I'm using what I have already.
No formal reasoning as you can tell, just trying different ways and skipping plastic if it feels it can be skipped...
Nioce bro
How did you create your "pond" in the chicken yard? Do you have a video of when you put it together? My main question is how you prepared the water. Did you add dung, molasses, blood meal...all things I've seen people suggest.
Brilliant
Any alternatives to keeping ants off of fruit trees other tanglefoot ?
Any other plants that can be grown this way?
Don't use plastic for your pond idea, use screen, and a wood frame, attach pool noodles to float, and harvest by simply lifting out those frames!
I will try this.. My only concern is the Mosquitoes, which a couple people have questioned below. Maybe add one of those Mosquito donuts to the water? I will also try this over a spot where I get weeds.
I wouldn't add any poison to this no matter what... I think frogs will tackle the mosquitoes, or the tiny birds we have around.
you can grow duckweed in just rainwater?... u don't need pond water with animal waste or something else?
I am thinking of growing duckweed or Azolla in my pond using a floating frame with screen on the bottom. The Tilapia wouldn't let it get started otherwise. I wonder if it would keep ahead of them once established.
It is worth a try. This time of year in our summer climate it replicates incredibly quickly, so once it gets going it takes off.
update?
Quick update is that I needed the space for other projects, so it was taken offline. Seems the duckweed does MUCH better in a living pond than in a plastic lined pool, so this works well for a temporary solution or if it needs to be portable/seasonal, but it isn't better than an actual pond in the earth.
What will happen if you get a down pour? Might end up with duckweed all over the driveway.
Could be! We'll have to see!
What about mossies?
What water do you use, does the water need aeration ?
Rain water we collect. I think fresh and cool water is a nice place to start.
Stagnant water. Mosquitoes? Love the idea though, I've put it into my notes.
And if you put the duck or chicken poop in the pond it will help me grow better
Do you ever consume duckweed yourselves or only grow it as a feed crop for the chickens?
We haven't tried eating it, but could be open to it.
They recently came out with independent research confirming it as the first plant with biologically active b12. It’s also really tasty.
What do you mean by "solarization" of the garden? Thanks
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_solarization - Not sure if I believe in it yet, but thats what it is!
I thought I would let you know that I built myself a duckweed bed and am hoping to be able to attract frogs and dragonflies to it as well.
Thats really exciting. I'd love to see photos if you have the time. Maybe you can share some photos with a link you post in the comments here so other folks can get inspired by what you are trying...
hi. wondering why do you want frogs there?
Are u still doing this?
We haven't in a while...
@@edibleacres I came across this video which has been getting a lot of views.
ruclips.net/video/DS4PFbxfGoc/видео.html
This guy thinks chickens don't take to it that well..
Can l feed Duckwheat to rabbits?
I truly don't know, sorry
why dont folks jusrt use a plastic kiddie pool?
Do you still do this in 2021?
We haven't.
How much mineral is in rainwater?
yeah... I'm also wondering where the minerals come from in this system.
id do it if it wasnt for the mosquitos
Do you dry it?
We aren't doing that, as of now it goes directly to them.
Eat the duckweed and leave the chickens alone!
The chickens get so much more pleasure from it than we do. Then, through their enjoyment of this nutrient rich green along with thorough and diverse exercise, fresh water, careful protection from predators and our careful observation to help reduce stresses and provide a healthy life for them, they can magically transform all that into eggs, which is just about the perfect food for us to thrive on and have the energy to help protect and work with our chicken friends...
@@edibleacres first eggs are not perfect food but will cost a fortune in ill health that they will slowly but surely cause.
Secondly what happens to the males or the females once they stop laying; nothing kind I presume!
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