Floating Raft Hydroponics Update Dec 2012
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- I've started a second crop of lettuce in the floating raft setup. The non-aerated side is well underway, and looking great. I'm planting more lettuce and greens in the actual floating side. As for any algae issues, the non-aerated side was perfect, no algae at all. On the floating side, I did have a bit of algae between the rafts where I didn't have a tight fit. Pushing the rafts closer together and covering the gaps on the edges should resolve that problem.
Here's a link to the fertilizer I use : • Hydroponic Fertilizer ...
Also, I recently talked about building an Aquaponics greenhouse. But before I do that, I need to do a test run so I can work out the kinks and make sure I have a workable system. I finally found 2 good IBC containers and will be using them as my experimental setup.
You never cease to amaze me with your energy and enthusiasm. You make me want to jump up in the middle of winter and run out and plant something...lol Thanks for sharing all that you do. God bless.
Thank you. College was never an option for me, so I'm earning my degree by trial and error. I hope to graduate some day. :)
Welcome to aquaponics. My wife and I started July 4 2012. I suggested starting small, but she put all engines ahead full. We build a 12' x 24' green house and put a 1000 gallon tank in it. We did start small with goldfish and 5 small grow beds. It took a while and a number of sacrificed goldfish, but the system stabilized. We now have quite a few grow beds and about 50 Tilapia. Last night we had salad completely from our green house. We read that tomatoes don't do well in aquaponics, but we have to disagree. They went nuts. broccoli, parsley, basil, chives, lettuce, green onions all do very well. Cabbage is having trouble, but cabbage doesn't do well in our conventional garden either.
Good luck!
Personally, I don't see why people try growing some plants anyway. Sure, if you're planning for the end of the world, or have lots of outside growing space, that's one thing. But, until the end comes, it just seems like a waste to grow things like potatoes, cabbage or corn. The first two are simply dirt cheap, and corn's yield is low, compared to the space & nutrients that it takes. It just seems like a waste of greenhouse space. The real issue that I see with aquaponics is that there's an abundance of nitrogen, but a shortage of some nutrients like potassium. Depending upon ground water components, calcium & iron could be in short supply also. The big problem I have is that there are too many people acting like experts on hydroponics...but they are really just home experimenters. They spew "gospel", but it's often just their guess.
Bobby, I've been so impressed that I spent the money to buy 50# of fertilizer and pay the shipping. I have my first 8 net pots sprouting lettuce and under lights. You've inspired me to get the greenhouse ready to receive these and a bunch more buckets using this method. The B.A. Kratky papers have enough information for me to replicate his experiments, and your experiments gave me the spark to get it done. Since telling friends about it I've received numerous plastic tubs for these trials.
Thanks.... and that's quite a compliment. I've seen Joe speak a few times in videos, and he's a very smart fella.
Welcome back stranger ! One of the advantages to hydroponics is the fact that you're not using soil, so you don't have to worry about wearing those gloves. See, I didn't forget ! ;)
The Aztecs built floating seed beds on the lake that is now Mexico City. Although the rafts were filled with soil one would think the roots eventually reached the water. The beds were eventually planted in the soil but it is thought that the growing time was cut in half because of this method. Not quite what we are doing but pretty cool none the less.
Yes sir. All of the shows are archived for listening to at a later date. I'm doing my reading and video watching on the AP stuff. It sure does sound like fun. :)
50# of fertilizer will grow a LOT of vegetables. I'm glad you read up on what Mr Kratky was doing. It was hard for me to believe at first, but it really works. As they say, seeing is believing. :)
I put a link in the description box for the fertilizer that I use.
The larger panels droop a little bit, that's why I put a string across there. A support wire would be better. The plants are all that heavy. It's just a large span for 1 inch styrofoam. I wouldn't use wood in a situation where it's gonna be wet all the time. It's probably gonna warp.
I haven't decided on the setup yet, but the grow beds will only be about 12-16 inches deep. I'll cut the totes down to size. One tote will be the fish tank. I'll check out savko.
Mine have emerged from the earth about two weeks ago and are only about 1/2" tall. I planted them October 16th. I should be harvesting them, but they are no where close to that. Was too hot before, now it's too cold. Sure glad you're getting some. I may try growing them in a container, indoors, next. Great show last night, buddy. God bless.
Thank you so much for the information, Its only been about a month since I found your videos on You Tube and they have been wonderful to watch, especially seeing what you can accomplish with HIS help. This last weekend I was able to build a Kratky system 2' x 4', but my will be in my basement under lights, until I can move it to my greenhouse at the end of February after it warms up. Thanks again I'm looking forward to the challenge.
I know you will make the aquaponics work for you. Good luck. I will try and listen in tonight.
Thanks. We all have different growing situations. So I think it makes sense to try and test out multiple methods. I hope it goes well for you.
Hey Lazlo, it's a water soluble fertilizer. Anything granular is going to take too long to break down. Compost tea is good for plants, but I don't think it'll have enough nutrients to be a main fertilizer. It would make for an interesting experiment though. A cold frame should be fine for lettuce, just don't forget about opening the window on a warm day. Otherwise, you're gonna have some wilted lettuce. It wouldn't hurt to drop a few carrots seeds in there too.
Thanks. Supplemental lighting isn't really needed. A better option is to just make sure that I don't have the taller plants blocking the sunlight. I've pruned those tomatoes some more, to thin them out a bit. This will be my last run in this location. I'll move the raft setup to the other greenhouse once this lettuce makes.
Yes sir, I use Masterblend water soluble fertilzer, the tomato formula. For lettuce, I cut it back a bit, since they don't need as much fertilizer as tomatoes do. This formula isn't specifically for lettuce, but it's working out great.
Thanks Jason. I'm anxious to see how well the aquaponics deal really works. After seeing the growth of plants in a hydro setup, if I can get anything close to that with AP, I'll be plenty happy.
Some nice growth on the lettuce.. Doesn't look like the shade has done them much harm at all..
I'm sure you will do excellently with the aquaponics as you do with all your gardens Bobby.. Tar for the shout out too :D Think I will be watching your AP clips soon for inspiration ;)
Have a great show today/tonight..
The corn was Hastings Prolific. I don't think it's available in any catalogs. I sent seeds to a lot of folks and have maybe just enough left for me to try and grow it again. Hopefully a few of the folks will have success and be able to share some next year.
Bobby,
I built a passive raft and used the master blend fertilizer. It worked fine for my lettuce and peppers. However after a period of time my roots turned from nice and white to brown.
Thanks Rob. I've seen a lot of videos, but it's not the same as putting your hands on the pieces. I'll take it slow, and try to make sure what I'm doing is correct. Like any bit of info, I'll verify things from multiple soureces. And yes sir, even without full sun, the lettuce is coming along nicely.
Thanks for the info! I'm in Minnesota, 'the land of 10,000 lakes' with a lot of smaller swamps and potholes - had one about 1/3 of an acre on the farm growing up, was the boundary to the neighbors - mucky bottom, no one ever found solid ground or depth, but it never dried up and the cows used it for drinking. In hindsight, run-off from a couple dozen cattle would be nitrogen-rich, but not the devastation of a factory farm. Well-water was high in iron -- may need to test water starting!
Legend !!! Love how you do this home style. Not buying plastic tubes from a shop
Thanks. I put the rockwool cubes right into the net cups with nothing else. Nice and simple. :)
I was glad to see that my previous diagnosis was correct. The lettuce grows much better with its own kind. I'm not sure how many fish to put in there. I have a lot more studying to do. But my plan is to catch some bream from the pond and use them for this first test. And later on, if all goes well, I'd like to do some channel cats. Then I'd start stocking up on hushpuppie mix. :)
Sure looking good, Bobby. Never a dull moment at your house. Always something going on. Very fun.
Yes sir. From what I've seen, painting them is recommended...something like an olive green. I could wrap them in black plastic, but I think its best to go ahead and get it done right to start with. I'll go back and watch some more videos, paying closer attention this time.
Thanks. This is head lettuce, but it can be picked a few leaves at a time. My plan is to prime and paint the IBC's, then put the frames back around them. We have a company of the road that has plenty of the totes, but they have dye in them and are darn near impossible to clean. Being able to put a liner inside should save companies quite a bit of money.
LOL... it's just a little bit early for planting outside. But the way time flies, planting time will be here shortly. Thank you.
I'm hoping that AP turns out to be as simple as soil growing. Supposedly, once the beds are established, it's almost like planting in soil.
I've been doing some reading, and it's starting to make sense to me. Now it's just a matter of getting all of the parts together, and getting started.
Thanks. I'm anxious to see how it goes too. Raining today, so not much going on.
I use the same Masterblend fertilzer that I use for tomatoes. I've mentioned it a few times in videos. It's some good stuff, very easy to work with. You could set this up in your hoophouse and make plenty of lettuce.
Thats a good idea. Blocking the light is important.
Hi Bobby my name is Jason. I love your videos and look forward to them every weekend. I've been looking forward to you taking on aquaponics and I have no doubt you will make it a big success. Thanks for all your hard work!
im trying this with tomatoes right now.
it seems to be working very well if it actualy works out ill be making a video out of the vids i keep taking.
so far so good
You can do it...I know you can. And probably with better results too. I wouldn't be at all surprised. :)
looking forward to see how the aquaphonics experiment. Robert and Yvonne hardy that host the Countryside reunion in Indiana have started one and man are they trilled with it.
Nothing better than the School of Hard Knocks!
Great vid Bobby. Ohhhh and as always another great show Friday. Thanks for being you
Yes sir, I remember you. As expected, those fine misters clog easily. It takes a very good filter to run an aero setup.
Will do, I'll keep you in mind. Thanks.
To start out, I'll catch some bream out of the pond. Next year, I'd like to get some channel cat fingerlings. Raising shiners and minnows sounds like a decent idea.
when you use the stationary raft, when the plants get heavy, does the styrofoam start to droop? If so, can you use plywood for the stationary raft ?
Ambition...not enough ambition? You're running a commercial bakery in the house. Now that's what I call ambition. ;)
Thanks Lois. Indeed, I'm always getting into something around here. :)
I change after each crop is complete in this type of box. For the Dutch buckets, I try to change out the reservoir at least every 30 days. Thanks.
very nice setup. i will be building a 10x30 greenhouse this winter for aquaponics and hydroponics.
I did post a video several months ago about building the boxes. It's called "Building New Boxes for Hydroponic Growing". Thanks.
I would start more seeds. And as soon as you see a seed start to sprout, get them under some lights. I use regular 4ft fluorescent shop lights. Leave them under the lights 24/7 for about a week. That should resolve the spindly stem problems. Then you'll be in good shape.
I get a lot of comments about AP, so I tknow here is plenty of interest in it. I've seen some of the larger commercial setups and they are just way out of my league. I think going small and working my way up is the best route. Reservoir temps during July are still a concern, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I just watched one of Josh's videos, trying to watch another. He was doing good.
You have convinced me to convert my heavy soil deck planters into these. Maybe even in a greenhouse.
I think I mentioned it in the Off Grid Hydroponics video. I know it was shown in the hydro lettuce videos a couple of times. It's just Masterblend 4-18-38, with Calcium Nitrate and Epsom salt....at a ratio of 10-10-5.... measured in grams. Thank you.
No sir, the only testing I do is when I eat. From what little I've seen on the subject, plastics are safe at normal temperatures. It is heat that brings out the bad stuff. I don't know for sure.
For sure, gotta have fish for the nitrates. There are lots of videos on IBC's, so I just need to iron out the specifics and round up the parts. I think it's gonna be pretty cool.
But I'll take it slow, plenty of time to work on it this winter.
Interesting that you're the only one doing Kratky on RUclips. You're a pioneer, my friend.
Dang Bobby, The more I watch those hydro videos, the more likely I am gunna try it next year! I hope I can afford a hoop house and be able to grow in it. Nice job, once again!
It depends on what size and what you're growing I guess. For most things, I'm using the 2 inch pots with rockwool cubes.
I read that After a worm ingests organic matter, the material undergoes a change that is nothing short of a miracle. As Thomas J. Barrett once put it, "they (the worms) literally serve as colloid mills to produce the intimate chemical and mechanical mixture of fine organic and inorganic matter which forms their castings (excretions).
Yes...I'm using 2 inch net pots.
Thank you mam. I was pretty well talked out after the show. I'm gonna have to find some guests pretty soon. :)
I use a small utility pump. But you can dip it out, or even use a shop vac.
Also I would like to see a few episodes where you talk about the economics of what your producing. Not so much the initial investment in equipment but rather the continual cost, both in time and money. Namely how much for fertalizer, electricity, heating costs, and the amount of water your using.
On a large body of water, probably not too good. The nitrate levels would be too low. But if you had a small koi pond, your idea has potential. Assuming the fish didn't eat all of the roots. :)
I don't recall ever seeing cyprus plywood for sale around here. If it's priced like oak, it'll break the bank. The styrofoam works great, but it would be nice to have something with a bit more weight.
Bobby, I have skimmed through some of your videos and everything I have seen thus far, I have enjoyed and learned from. We are growing herbs in a similar setup except it is indoors. Our foam board is actually floating on the water itself, but I would rather do it as it is shown here. If your raft isnt floating at all, how does the roots grow until they reach the nutrients? This has me puzzled. I just cant figure out how you are starting your crop without them touching the water at all. Thanks so much!
When I was living in Florida and did something similar, cypress is the wood of choice to be submerge. It won't warp or break down. So, if you can get a little, that would work under the rafts.
Thanks. I've seen some people using the water from the fish tank in NFT setups. Kinda like a combination of HP and AP.
Amen brother. Thank you for the teaching.
Thanks. I'm not familiar with the wool/cotton deal. But for seed starting, it sounds like it might work as long as the seeds aren't submersed in water.
Looking good, looking good. Can't wait for you aquaponic experiments.
Looks great bobby! You inspire many. Your the next Joe Saladin
Thank you very much.
Pt2. These ceramic discs wear out very quickly in the high salinity of hydroponic solutions which often exceed 1000ppm in some cases (for heavy fruiting plants such as tomatoes). So the beauty of using ultrasonic foggers with Aquaponics is that the nutrients in Aquaponics are living enzymes and microbes and thus the salt content of the system is very low (I've had mine as low as 40ppm) which greatly extends the life of the ceramic discs used in the fogging application. Lots of possibilities...
Hi, do you have to change out the water? How many times do you water ?
I am 100% certain that you can do Kratky's method indoors with artificial light. The key will be getting the right fertilizer. I'm confident that the Masterblend will work. Everything seems to do well with it. But there are plenty of other fertilizers on the market that could be used. I just don't have any experience with them.
I have heard that throwing a silver coin will help with algee growth. Silver is used in water purification systems to prevent bacteria growing, so this may help.
It's a cool way to grow. And for lazy people, it doesn't get any easier. There is no worked involved. Just set it, and forget it. You might want to inspect for aphids once in awhile, just in case.
A little at a time Ray, that's what it's all about. I've killed plenty of plants. Dealing with fish is gonna be a bit different. They don't exactly sprout like seeds, LOL
dumb question, but how do you think tomatoes would do on the kratky meathod?
cause from what I know, the taller the plant the farther the roots need to extend to anchor it?
Rude? LOL...not at all. I got them for $100 each. I've seen them go for 125-150, so I thought it was fair price. I already had 2 of them, but they had other chemicals and I wasn't comfortable with using them for fish. The food grade are getting hard to find. I'd like to have a few more myself to hook up to the gutters.
Great video. I can't wait to see how you new project goes. Lots of luck!!!
Bobby, How do you get the roots to grow in the katky method when the roots are short when the plants are small? Do you transfer them from the floating raft to the elevated raft? Thanks.
awesome.......do you dilute fertilizer in the water?
It was 2 grams per gallon of water for the main fertilizer and calcium nitrate.
If you're trying to save money, check Craigslist for used frames. I see them all the time. Thanks.
Your food production is already at a high level. If you add an aquaponics greenhouse, you'll have an abundant surplus of fish and veggies.
I've priced some of the stock tanks, and they don't come cheap. That might have something to do with the popularity of IBC's. Long term, I'd like to have 4 x 8 beds from 2x12 lumber and pond liners. But that won't be cheap either.
I am using an old blender to mix the dry nutrient crystals. It is a lot better than trying to get everything dissolved by hand.
I spent my childhood summers in Tower, Minnesota. :) Boy was the water full of iron! I'm surprised my liver still works!
Is styrofoam safe for hydroponics or will it leach chemicals into the water...?
For me, different methods do better for different plants. For lettuce, the raft setups work great. But I wouldn't want to do tomatoes in them. I think the Dutch Buckets are much better for tomatoes. Thanks.
How important is the size of the air stone? I've seen 2 in round ones, and 4 in round one, cylinder ones, ect
What is your thought on chemicals from Styrofoam leeching into the food? I don't believe the foam is food grade? I have used the same foam but decided to stop until I could find evidence they were safe for human consumption? Your thoughts?
Thank you sir, I have a lot to learn.
I'm not sure, still deciding. But the CHOP setup seems simplest, uses just one pump.
Hi, Mike: What size net pot do you use for the greens? For growing material, do you think coco coir will work? For the plant food, do you use your own mix? Thanks. Tim