Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Why aren't we all doing Aquaponics?

So admittedly, I just got back from Epcot where they had a "ride" that showed examples of aquaponic systems that they had created in a controlled environment.

It got me thinking...Why aren't we all plopping some floating planters into our ponds filled with some aquaponic clay/rock/whatever and some plants of our choosing? Ideally it would be cool to grow veggies out there, but after considering run-off from other properties I'm sorta thinking it would be good enough to just plant flowers or nice green plants or something along those lines.

And, as all smart pond owners do, I came onto PondBoss to look at other posts expecting to see a lot out here and I'm not really finding as much as I'd expect.

Is there something to this that's harder than it appears or is this just a trend that hasn't happened yet...or...???

Vaaccess, Aquaponics on a floating island like you suggested would be pretty cool! Aquaponics has really exploded the last few years in popularity, but, it is still very expensive to get all the equipment, and room, to grow fish and vegetables! Unless you are very handy, have a lot of things like tanks, PVC pipes, pumps, and everything else needed, you can spend some big bucks on pre-fabbed items to grow a hundred dollars worth of veggies that grow in really wet environments and another couple hundred worth of fish.

I used to plant about a one acre size garden on my old place. My mom asked me, "Why bother?"...My answer, "I like paying 10 times the price for my fresh veggies".

If I used a floating pot that had holes in it, would I really need pumps?

In a pond, I wouldn't think you'd need pumps. Might be a PITA to weed a floating island, but anything can be done with enough will and imagination on how to make it happen!

You could only grow plants that tolerate constantly saturated soils, or can live with roots in water only. Personally, I don't know what veggies would work.

I've seen pics from Floating Island International that show various veggies being grown. The plants have special soil placed in pockets for them, then send their roots to the water. Tomatoes, for sure, and likely many others are practical.

Two points: First, it ain't cheap. Second, it does clean the water of the lake, encouraging the fishery. Whether it is worthwhile in general I don't know yet...

Unless you had a bit of shade cast over your pond where your floating islands are anchored you will want to pick a vegetable that is sun happy. There often isn't too much shade in the middle of a pond.

Too much water is a big killer of house plants and gardens. I use only above ground smart pots for 90% of my crops because I can almost guarantee I will never drown anything when using these pots. You could integrate these into a floating island, compensating for the added weight of the 12" of dirt in the smart pot(s).

The biggest PITA for me would be the almost daily interaction required. Every day we weed and remove insects and review the condition of the crops. So that could be one reason why growing crops on floating islands hasn't taken off - having to get to that island on a daily basis to do the required work. Unless of course you just put them out there and hope for the best.

BTW a potential huge benefit to growing on such an island would be the possibility of having very little issues with insects or rodents.

Hey, basslover. I think there would be little or no PITA with weeds on a Biohaven Floating Island, as they are made out of recycled plastic. If it isn't planted deliberately, it doesn't have much chance to grow.

Here is my experience with a floating island. The island had about 6 inches of soil with ropes drawing water up and into the soil so it was always moist. The flowers did just great. But roots cannot just dangle in the water because they became coated with particles, become black and the plants die. The soil filters the roots.



Now you see cabbages planted with one plant fertilized, one plant planted in pond muck and the others just left to their own devices. The fertilized plant looked great for a while but all plants eventually died. I have no idea why. But the flowers as I said did great.

John, where did you get your floating island?

To the points raised, and after seeing the cabbage test, I feel like blooming flowers that could handle the environment would be ideal. I'd get the benefits of water filtering and some nice color, but wouldn't need to go out all the time to harvest.

the weakness of aquaponics using a pond is that the fish are not densely stocked and the nutrients are very low. John's experiment shows this.

People often add fertilizer to ponds just to get nutrients high enough to get algae to bloom.

brian

We've had a number of talks at the last three Pond Boss conferences about floating islands by Bruce and Ann Kania. They own a research company called Floating Islands International. I think you would find their website quite informative.

Vaaccess,

I just finished the frame for my first floating island. Hey, I've always wanted a private island! I don't plan veggies, but some water loving plants. Primarily, I want to help use up some nutrients that are currently being used by algae. And it will be neat if it works. I plan to float the island this weekend.

CMM

CMM,

Where did you get the plan for the island or did you make yer own design?

Bill D.

Bill D,

The idea came from others on the forum, I can't take credit for that. As far as the plan, I scratched this together mostly from materials on hand. I have 4 or 5 sheets of 4'X8'X7" styrofoam. I cut a sheet of that into 4'X7"X7" pieces, taped it together to hold it until I could wrap weed block fabric around it and staple it together. I filled it with mulch and tonight added some plants that like wet roots. I plan on floating it this weekend after I get the anchor attached. It won't over winter in the pond, but I am hopeful it will at least work for the season.

CMM

Sounds cool. Please post some pics if ya get a chance.

In reality, this is not true at all. I have lots of experience with floating islands from my last job....they require weeding several times per year; except you can't just pull them out unless they have just germinated because the roots end up growing through the island itself.

Cattails, willows, and cottonwoods seem especially fond of the plastic matrix and constant water supply!

There is a reason we find aquatic plants in the water, and terrestrial plants on land...those habitats provide the plant with it's requirements for growth and reproduction. As someone else mentioned, a typical fish pond does not have enough nutrients for most terrestrial plants and almost all vegetables to grow. It's not just NPK, there is also a requirement for calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and a handful of micro-nutrients/minerals....all in the correct balance (to avoid nutrient uptake competition), otherwise the plant will suffer in growth, health, and production. (and they use/need these nutrients at different rates at different growth stages)

Some plants like lettuces and herbs may do ok in a pond, but not as well as they would in the ground.

I hope that helps answer your questions.