Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello Aquaponics Forum!

My name is Colin Owens and I am from the U.S. I am a college student and I have found some interest in aquaponics. Next Year, I am planning on doing a research project to find out what needs to be done to create an efficient aquaponics system for plant growth. I decided to join this forum because I read the IBC manual and fell in love with it. I hope to record and report my findings.

I can't wait to continue to learn about aquaponics and I hope I will be able to contribute to its success!

Also, I wanted to know if there were any aquaponics systems that have used vermiculture as a natural fertilizer for plants?

Hey welcome Colin, yes there are a few systems that do use vermiculture as fertilizer. I was trying to find all of them that do earlier but wasn't finding it. I know of a commercial farm in CA that is spraying compost tea on the bases of the plants and having success. I am planning on using it in my system as well.

There are a lot of us Yanks on here and the ozzies have noticed where abouts are you from?

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My First System!

I seriously need more time in the day!!

I'm curious as to why a "commercial farm"... would be spraying anything... "on the bases of the plants"....

I've certainly heard of foliar feeding... even with compost teas... but spray the base of the plants....

Sure way to get collar rot... and/or pythium IMO...

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Fresh By Nature - Distributor of Aquaponic Systems and Products in NSW
http://www.freshbynature.com.au

Ok I can't find the video shot of them doing it, but i did find a picture of them and it looked like he was just spraying the whole plant with a compost tea and sea weed mix. Ouroboros Farms. TCLynx might know more I know she was out there with them, or helped train them.

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My First System!

I seriously need more time in the day!!

Yep.. I've seen the photo of Ouroboros spraying their plants with the compost tea....

That's why they had such good looking plants... before they actually had any fish in the system....

P.S... they announced their commercial training course... a week after they stocked their first fish....

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Fresh By Nature - Distributor of Aquaponic Systems and Products in NSW
http://www.freshbynature.com.au

LOL oh I know!! But as we have all said thats how you make your money. I haven't even finished my system and I am already a Semi-pro

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My First System!

I seriously need more time in the day!!

Welcome Colin

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~2010/2011~
~2012/2013~
~My Yabbie Hunting Adventures~

Yeah Welcome Colin!

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DD's Landing Page

Very interesting about the compost tea idea CityRootsFarm. I will have to try and look it up myself. I live in Minnesota. One of the major aquaponics farms in our area is Garden Fresh Farms http://gardenfreshfarms.com/. I hope to get a potential intership there this coming summer. I have also learned about one of our Wastewater facilities in stillwater are creating fertilizer for local farmers by drying the finer solids in wastewater and packing it into tiny pellets. here's the link on that: http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2897708.shtml. Let me know what you guys think about that.

Thanks!