Aquaponics Food Tastes Great! GROW YOUR OWN

Aquaponics Food Tastes Great! GROW YOUR OWN
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

 

Eight Green Bean plants grown in a Portable Farm yielding
200 green beans six weeks after planting.

Isn’t it time to simplify your life and enjoy quality time and food?

Globally, self-sufficiency is becoming main stream in 2020 as individuals and communities unite to find ways to source affordable housing, create food and water safety, find access to quality health care, organize opportunities for living wages and find support for children and our aging population. These topics are as realistic today as there were 200 years ago when the world population was only a little over one billion people in 1814, compared to today’s 7.5 billion world population.

Today, natural resources are dwindling and the need for shared responsibility for self-sufficiency is a growing trend for assuring peace and prosperity in families, communities and the world.

Aquaponics is affordable and it’s ONE VIABLE SOLUTION to the issues related to food safety and added self-sufficiency because:

  • People of any age can participate – adults, children, seniors and those with disabilities
  • Aquaponics systems can be located in urban communities near the population of cities. It has been proven that urban neighborhoods with community gardens have a sharp decrease in crime because of neighborhood pride.
  • Aquaponics systems are as effective in outdoor greenhouse structures as they are in abandoned warehouses or parking lot basements.
  • Caring for food is a nurturing act that has therapeutic benefits that are good for the soul.
Broccoli grows well in Portable Farms! Large, tender, delicious and the plant offers several rounds of new blossoms after initial harvest. Broccoli grows well in Portable Farms! Large, tender, delicious and the plant offers several rounds of new blossoms after initial harvest.

Aquaponics is a simple growing system that provides an all-chemical free environment that delivers all the nutrients and water that plants need to grow to perfection. In addition, the structure (generally a greenhouse) protects the plants and fish from climate changes (rain, cold and heat), wind and predators (bugs, birds and bunnies).

If you add up all the benefits to the plants and fish, it’s paradise on earth from them as a growing environment because there is no ‘stress’ on the plants or the fish to protect themselves from predators or to source food or freshly oxygenated water. Plus, the daily maintenance for aquaponics is minimal and redundant: 1) plant and harvest plants, 2) feed the fish. REPEAT the next day. There is no watering, no weeding, no chemicals, no fuss, no muss.

  • All of the food (nutrients) for the plants arrives before the plants need it, or want it.

  • The water is always available and it is refreshed a couple of times a day

  • The light levels are always perfect in the structure

  • The air circulates in a gentle fashion to help with pollination and to help avoid dampness in the structure

    • The temperature is pleasant and varies a bit so as not to be monotonous

    • There are no bugs or weeds or poisons or harsh chemicals used to contend with, ever. 

    • The water in the Portable Farms Aquaponics Systems turns over ENTIRELY twice a day. Plus, all of the heavy fish poop has been removed and rerouted so it never flows into the Grow Tray or has contact with the plants.

Phyllis Davis harvesting Tokyo Bakana, an Asian Herb we use as a great lettuce for salads. Delicious and easy to grow in aquaponics.

Phyllis Davis harvesting Tokyo Bakana, an Asian Herb we use as a great lettuce for salads. Delicious and easy to grow in aquaponics.

As a result of an ideal environment:

  • The plants grow faster than the seed packets say they will

  • Food grown in an aquaponics system is much healthier than ‘regularly’ grown plants, and as a result, they are healthier for you, they TASTE BETTER and are higher in nutrition.

  • The food in an aquaponics system is grown without any chemicals (think about it; if chemicals were used, it would kill the fish). The growing food is more beautiful with each passing day

  • The plants mature in less time and require 90 to 95% less water than their dirt-grown friends

  • The plants stay clean and dry at all times

  • They are harvested when they are at their peak of ripeness and maturation which means their flavor and nutritional content are always at optimal levels

  • They are simply the best vegetables on the planet.

  •  

Basil is a High-Value Crop for Aquaponics

Phyllis Davis harvesting fresh delicious basil
from Portable Farms Aquaponics System

Basil – A High-Value Crop for Aquaponics
by Colle and Phyllis Davis

Basil is a high-value crop for aquaponics. It is enjoyed as a fresh-leaf herb on meats and vegetables, prepared in sauces such as pesto, or dried and used in many recipes in cultures throughout the world. Basil grows well in aquaponics systems because of the ideal growing conditions created with warm water and ample sunlight.

When basil is grown in traditional in-ground growing, it is a ‘summer crop,’ but when grown year round in aquaponics systems, it is considered a ‘high value crop,’ especially when sold locally in cold climates when basil would normally be normally be considered ‘out of season.’

Basil growing in a  Portable Farms® Aquaponics System. These plants are 24″ tall and were grown in 55 days. Pesto anyone? Read on . . . 

  • The normal pH of the water in Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems ranges from 6.5 to 7.2 for ideal growing.
  • Basil enjoys a very wide pH range between 5.1 (strongly acidic) and 8.5 (alkaline) with a preferred range of 5.5 (strongly acidic) to 6.5 (mildly acidic).
  • The roots of herbs enjoy being well-drained between watering cycles.
  • Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems allow for full sun or the option of grow lights so herbs and vegetables can be grown year round which is ‘out of season’ in many areas and owners may collect top dollar for crops from local customers.
  • Basil seeds grow well in rockwool or Oasis Horticubes.
  • Basil plants may be placed on 8 inch centers and planted off-set in each row within a grow tray allowing for ample room for lush growth for each plant.
  • The root systems for basil do not spread out and are not complex root systems which makes for consistent and easy water flow throughout the grow bed during watering cycles.
  • The basil plant usually grows to a height of 18 to 24 inches and produces many offshoots for harvest per plant.

You can cut back basil two-thirds of the entire basil plant twice before replanting the basil to begin the process again. This extends the harvest of the basil leaves and provides more cash-value crops instead of a one-time ‘grow and harvest cycle’ like lettuce. Basil can also be raised in batches and sold to customers as entire plants.

  • Since one plant will produce for four months (after a two-month initial growth), you would only replant new basil plants every six months and be continually harvesting during each four-month harvest cycle.
  • Each 40′ tray will grow 450 basil plants (on 8″ centers) which allows for 900 basil plants per year grown in a single tray. These 900 plants allow two cuttings each which can be sold to local consumers at wholesale or retail prices in your area.

Bonus – Pesto Recipe We Use When We Harvest our own Fresh Basil

We cannot count times the many times we’ve invited friends to sit with us to enjoy an entire meal of fresh pesto sauce made from our own basil that was spread thick on hot homemade whole-wheat bread and served with sliced, freshly-harvested tomatoes from our own vines in our Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems. It’s a real pleasure to share healthy and simple food with friends. This is our definition of ‘the good life.’

Portable Farms® Pesto Sauce – Fresh off the Vine

This recipe makes about 2 cups. If you plan to freeze the excess pesto, avoid adding the crushed garlic to the recipe and wait to add it until you thaw and serve the pesto because the garlic can taste bitter after freezing.

Ingredients List:

  • 8 cups fresh basil leaves, torn off vine (discard the stem/vine)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese from a deli or fine store (don’t use the powdered Parmesan you shake out a canister for pasta)
  • 3 cups of pine nuts – slightly oiled and then toasted brown in an oven for 20 or 25 minutes
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (depending on how thick you like your pesto sauce). If you plan to freeze your pesto for later use, do NOT add olive oil until you defrost.
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper

Directions:

  • Place basil, ½ of oil, cheese, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse several times, until well chopped.
  • With machine running, quickly add olive oil in a steady stream, allowing pesto to mix blend and become cohesive but don’t over blend. Process until desired consistency is reached, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Again, if you plan to freeze your pesto for later use, do NOT add olive oil until you defrost.

Aquaponics is So EASY: Plant, Harvest and Feed the Fish

Aquaponics is So EASY: Plant, Harvest and Feed the Fish
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

Aquaponics is a balance of water, fish, plants and bacteria.

A balance of these four components is what makes a successful aquaponics system.

Mozambique tilapia

 

The tilapia fish in Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems are healthy. Our plants grow to maturation and ripeness because our systems work and we know how to operate them because, over time, we’ve learned our lessons from trial-and-error mistakes and we’ve learned our wisdom through experimentation, guidance from botanists, chemists, other aquaponists around the world (there are far fewer than you might imagine), and our customers.

We seldom, if ever, lose fish. We have lost a few, but very few over the years and it was due to unique reasons and not disease. Because of our technology and the ‘human factor,’ which we teach our customers, we are happy to report our fish are extremely healthy and here are some tips you can use in your own aquaponics systems to create a productive system:


  • Always provide your fish with proper aeration, good food, insulation from cold or excessive heat
  • Keep your fish from being stressed. When fish become stressed, it lowers their immune system and they can become susceptible to disease.
    • Experiment with plants and seed selections and determine what works best in your aquaponics system in your climate.
    • Since space is at a premium in any aquaponics Grow Tray, maximum production is achieved by careful attention to size, quality and grow time for seeds.
    • Implement stalking and support systems to encourage vertical growth of plants that bear heavy fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, etc.)
    • Protect plants at all times of their growth and maturation. Protection from wind, humidity, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), insects, disease or predators.
    • Pay close attention to water flow with appropriate levels of nutrient from fish waste.
    • Take care of plants that require pruning unneeded branches.
    • Don’t allow plants with large root systems to remain in grow trays too long. For example, the root system on a tomato plants grows very wide and very deep like a 4 inch thick carpet under the gravel and will alter water flow for the rest of the Grow Tray.
    • Study indoor pollinating techniques designed for non-pollinating and self-pollinating plants.
    • Apply effective and safe oportable-farms-greens-swiss-chard-kalerganic methods for treating plants IF they need support (seldom needed, but occasionally, you might have a problem) for any type of bugs including ants, aphids, red spiders, etc.
    • Learn effective harvest and planting cycles that are crucial to maximize yield in all aquaponics systems.
    • Use grow lights from 4:00PM to 8:00PM from Mid-November to March 1 if living in the Northern Hemisphere so you can grow various crops year round that require a longer grow day.
    • Tilapia are friendly (even clown like) and they enjoy human interaction. Talk to your fish when you feed them and treat them with respect and they will respond by being healthy and growing to maturation.
    • Never overfeed your fish. It’s tempting to overfeed them because they ‘frenzy’ when you feed them and it’s entertaining to watch them jumping around, but the fish are healthier if you’ll feed them only what they can eat in 15 seconds.
    • Don’t overcrowd the fish tanks and make sure the tanks are always clear and clean.
    • Empty the Clarifier/Settling tank regularly so their water does not foul with ammonia buildups.
    • Never, ever, use chemicals that could harm the fish, plants or the system.
    • Add make-up water during times of hot weather by placing the hose in the grow trays before it circulates back into their fish tank.
    • Feed your fish nutritious a high-protein fish food and even duckweed if you have it available.
    • Give your fish occasional treats of organic chopped greens grown in the farm.

Cheap Aquaponics “Startup Fish”

Cheap Aquaponics “Startup Fish”
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

“Can we use goldfish or crayfish or something besides tilapia in our backyard aquaponics system?”

gowithflowThis is a frequently asked question and prompted a conversation with a new ‘aquaponist’ at my local Home Depot store which has prompted me to make a list of the fish that can be used in aquaponics for new aquaponics farmers to get started with because of choice or local regulations or restrictions.

The gentleman in the plumbing section of Home Depot had to help me find a component we use to manufacture the PFAS Kits and he asked me what I was using so many, I told him they were used in our manufacturing process. He said, (you will not believe this), ‘Oh, are you doing aquaponics?’

I nearly fell down from surprise. He explained that he had a small aquaponics system in his backyard and was using goldfish poop to raise the most amazing basil and peppers he had ever seen. It’s a small world to meet someone with an aquaponics system that actually guessed what I was building. His explanation was that another fellow builds hydroponic systems for people and uses the same item in a very different way. But back on topic. . .

The list of aquatic animals below includes enough species so you can get started today with a tiny aquaponics system to learn and grow with to see how amazing the technology really is at growing vegetables and fish. My original setup was a dishpan with aquarium gravel laid across an aquarium. The fish happened to be tilapia because it was my job at UC Davis (back in the early 1970’s) to clean the fish tanks, a nasty smelly job.

Each species has different requirements and are more or less hardy and easy to maintain. The list below is not all-inclusive, but is meant to be a basis for an inexpensive beginner aquaponics setup so you can get your hands wet.

By providing these fish with a clean water supply, aeration and food, you are ensuring a constant supply of the finest poop your system can handle.

Two caveats here:

  1. You will lose fish – this means some of them will die. Get used to it, its farming.
  2. Unless you are using the PFAS, you will have problems with sediment in the gravel so you will have to clean the gravel occasionally. Get used to it, its farming.

With the PFAS the #2 above is not true. Oh, and to use the PFAS you will need to complete the Aquaponics University Portable Farms Aquaponics Systems Course.

SpeciesPositiveCostNegative
GoldfishHardy, readily available, poop a lotCheapTough to find a constant market – not for eating
KoiHardy, readily salable as ornamentals, can be fed cheap dog food, do not have to replace very oftenRelatively cheapNo one eats them, limited market
CatfishHardy, grow fast, seasonally available, chow is commercially availableRelatively cheapSeasonal availability of fry and depressed markets
CarpReally hardy, fast growing, will eat almost anythingMay be tricky to obtain fryNo food market in US
Crayfish/PrawnsCan be raised in conjunction with any other fin fish or by themselves.Relatively inexpensive to obtainMost are cannibalistic and must be provided housing (short sections of PVC pipe) to keep any number to harvest size.
PerchNew candidate – Feed just becoming availableNot cheapRegional markets only
BassNot recommended because you have to feed them live baitRelatively inexpensiveFish and Wildlife regulations on sale for food

 

Vertical Growing in Aquaponics

Vertical Growing in Aquaponics
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

TRELLIS ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS  IN THIS POST.

Every inch of space in an aquaponics tray is high-value ‘real estate’ for growing food. Unlike ‘dirt gardens,’ there’s no room for plants to spread their luscious leaves, vines and blossoms across a large area as they mature to produce food.

The rule of thumb (make that a GREEN thumb) is for food to grow as quickly as possible. In other words: Plant it, grow it, harvest it and then repeat the process immediately by planting a new plant that was grown from seed (over a few days) on the SAME DAY the previous plant was harvested, so there is always a continuous cycle of production, and there are always plants in various stages of growth within the farm.

The two years PFAS LLC spent in our Research Center in the Tropics highlighted the problems created from the constant heat and high humidity which forced us to find solutions to this ongoing problems for creating ample air flow, suspension of the plants for vertical growing and allowing for adequate sunshine within the greenhouse. By continual experimentation with locally available materials, we invented a simple trellis system using chicken wire (made of wire or plastic) with 2″ openings and clothes-line rope which solved all our problems. It was very inexpensive and easy to install. THE PLANTS LOVED IT. Their blossoms stayed dry. The new system took the pressure of the stems and vines and allowed for sunshine to reach all parts of the plant and happily, our production soared. When the plants were small, they did require a minimal amount of tying (to the clothes line rope) and then they did the rest on their own! Some of the larger stems require us to delicately thread them through the chicken wire so they would grow naturally.

After 30 days of plant growth (green beans) with the Portable Farms Trellis’ System

After 45 days of plant growth (green beans) with a Portable Farms Trellis.

Two frames containing plastic chicken wire suspeded above grow trays to support growing blooming plants.

Tie soft clothes line rope on top wire from top tray to support growing plants for vertical growing.

The Portable Farms tropical trellis system is yours to copy, modify and use in your own backyard ‘dirt farm,’ your backyard aquaponics system or your commercial aquaponics installation. It’s our gift to you. Now go grow food and send us pictures.

 

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 3

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 3

By Colle and Phyllis Davis 

Read our Three-Part Series on Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 1

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 2

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 3

 

We devote our final article in this three-part series focused on growing medicinal herbs in aquaponics for maximizing the growth of marijuana. This article excludes all other aquaponics’ crops and focuses solely on giving the herbs the most significant advantages they require to produce the best plant, bud, and quality.

 

Marijuana growing in both hydroponics and aquaponics has been a mainstay in both industries for years.

We have offered a state-by-state list of US states that allow and those
that do not allow growing marijuana in Part 1 of this series.

  • Growing marijuana with hydroponics has been popular for decades. Growers simply put a few seeds in a half-dozen pots filled with soil and placed the pots in the bottom of their closet with artificial lighting and enjoyed the results.
  • In addition, growing marijuana in aquaponics has been a popular way to raise the plants in grow tables installed in private garages and basements with the addition of artificial lighting.

Mustard Greens growing in a Portable Farms Aquaponics System Grow Table.

Maximizing your production requires more time, effort, and money in the planning, building, and growing phases of your operation.

    • Start by creating a completely controlled environment for your crop. Each facet added to increased production and better product.
    • Monitor the air temperature, air mix, airflow, and humidity. each facet added to increased production and better product.
    • Establish 16 to 18 hours of red/blue LED lighting for the highest bud growth and healthy fish. (the fish also need full-spectrum lighting)

Interesting side note: Today’s herb is of such high quality, a user rarely sees any seeds. A few years back, they were added to increase the weight. Now, the seeds are removed so the consumer cannot grow their own plants. With the growing state legality of marijuana in states, people are raising a few plants for personal use. Seeds are now for sale online.

  • You can buy five marijuana seeds in the price range from $35 to $100. These seeds are generally ‘femininized’ and produce only female plants which produce the buds with THC for smoking. Buy your seeds from reputable seed sellers who will only sell you feminized seeds. Search online for your seeds and find a seller you trust. 
  • Indoor growing is best because it allows the control of all the growth factors and reduces the public view of your operation. Marijuana has been grown this way for decades, and the art and science of indoor growing are well established. The major difference is that aquaponics uses fish affluent and Fish-Friendly Mineral Rock Dust as the nutrient source instead of using hydroponic’ s chemicals or soil.
  • A light-tight space where the lighting is controlled by timers is the most effective. The red/blue LED light fixtures are available from many sources and yes, they are expensive. When growing a single crop consistently in the same space, it will always be costly, and it needs more care and attention. Plus, you will have a slight cost-uptick in your electrical costs.
  • We are starting with the growing medium and the Grow Tables. The best depth for growing marijuana appears to be 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30cm). The medium is less critical and the use of clay pellets (expensive) or ¾ inch (1.9cm) gravel are both equally effective.

Important note: Medium, especially gravel, is HEAVY. A Grow Table 10 inches (25cm) deep by 6 ft x 32 ft (1.8 x 9.75) will weigh several tons. Build the Grow Tables to support that weight. Wherever the Grow Table is resting, needs to be very sturdy and preferably installed on concrete..

The flood and drain method of watering the crop (filling the Grow Table and draining the Grow Table) produces the best conditions for healthy root-systems, top growth, and full maturation of the plant.

In nature, marijuana prefers a sandy soil that receives water regularly and then drains quickly. The medium (gravel or clay pellets) used in the aquaponics’ Grow Table retains the moisture for a full day, plus, the large gravel or clay pellets stay moist. Cycling the available water once a day is adequate. This timing allows the roots to be exposed to air most of the time. The plants grow faster and healthier using this once a day watering.

Providing water for an hour or two (two full cycles of flood and drain) early in the morning provides all the water and nutrients the plants can use for the day. Set the Grow Table to drain fully twice and make sure the fill water stops just as the second draining begins. This timing allows most of the water to drain out, so the roots are not sitting in water all day.

Growing Medium for seedlings to be moved into a Grow Table.

The only additional nutrient you may want to include is the FF-Mineral Rock Dust that provides the micro-nutrients necessary and does not add aluminum (retards root growth) or nitrogen (fish effluent provides ample nitrogen) to the water.

Fish Friendly (FF) Mineral Rock Dust provides aquaponics’ growers the perfect balance of four major trace elements not consistently available from your fish poop. Growing flowering herbs that blossom in aquaponics flourishes with the addition of FF Mineral Rock Dust. For example, it is widely used for growing tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, etc. Your marijuana plants will receive the nitrogen from your fish poop. The calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium are available from the FF Mineral Rock Dust and 57 other trace elements that promote plant growth. FF Mineral Rock Dust is best applied to the seedlings during their sprouting stage prior to installing in the Grow Table.

The fish effluent is an ideal nitrogen and trace element and fertilizer source, so you can use any warm water, freshwater species of fish you want, including catfish, tilapia, perch, crayfish, prawns, and others. Make sure you can buy the feed for them before choosing your fertilizer source.

One more suggestion that may be the hardest for you to pull off. Raise two crops of lettuce in the Grow Table before you plant and grow your marijuana plants. The Grow Table bacteria needs to cure, and the lettuce is a quick easy crop that will help the medium cure to prepare it to produce a great crop of herb. Lettuce only take 28 to 35 days to mature, and the wait is worth the effort. Besides, you can eat the lettuce while you wait for the system to cure.

Good luck, and if you have specific questions on any of the information in this series or want to start your own Portable Farm, please send us an email so we can respond.

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 2 

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 2

By Colle and Phyllis Davis 

Read our Three-Part Series on Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 1

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 2

Marijuana Growing in Aquaponics – Part 3

 

Marijuana flowering buds  (cannabis), hemp plant.

This article will show you the modifications from a vegetable-focused growing to an ‘herb’ favored one. The third and final installation will discuss the method for growing only marijuana in medium-based aquaponics.

Most herbs, primarily basil and mint, prefer a dryer medium to maximize their growth and potency. Creating the right conditions for marijuana requires modifications to the aquaponics grow table, the lighting, and the cycling of the nutrient-laden water.

Please remember, the information in this three-part series on Marijuana Growing discusses growing this herb in a medium based aquaponics system. Any other type of aquaponics system is out of our purview, and you will have to go elsewhere for information specific to your different setup.

We have offered a state-by-state list of US states that allow and those that do not allow growing marijuana in Part 1 of this series.

We recommend the use of our Fish-Friendly Mineral Rock Dust to aid in the blossoming of the herb which requires adequate levels of calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. The nutrients in fish waste provides ample levels of nitrogen, but it does not have the trace elements that encourage bountiful blossom growth.

 

Building the Grow Table/tray deeper improves the production of herbs. This deeper tray is the biggest single item to increase yield, but it requires planning ahead before you start building. Most medium-based grow tables are between 4.5 inches and 6 inches (11.4cm x 15.2cm) deep.

 

Making the Grow Tables an inch or two deeper gives the gravel a chance to dry out more between watering cycles. The gravel stays moist, and the bacteria on it are happy, healthy, and willing to give up nutrients to the plants.

    • Using 2 x 8-inch (5 x 20cm) sideboards increase the water capacity by 50 to 70%.
    • Be careful when sizing your fish tank, so it neither runs over nor gets too low at full cycle capacity.
    • A Grow Table that is 7.5 inches deep by 6 feet wide and 16 feet long will contain several tons of gravel and water and requires a solid base or footing to ensure it stays level.

Improved lighting to ensure 10 to 14 hours of growing time increases the yield of all crops. Adding blue and red LED lights will add to the production of your plants, especially the ones that fruit, such as tomatoes. Too much sun or too long of duration each day will slow the growth because the plants need to rest, just like people. If you want to experiment with longer lighting times, please do so until there is no increase in production.

One module of a Portable Farms Aquaponics System.

Flood-and-drain medium-based aquaponics is often misunderstood as to what is best for the plants. Filling the Grow Table to where the water is near the top of the gravel but not noticeable prevents algae from growing. It is better to have the water level too low than ever having the nutrient-laden water exposed to the light.

    • The filling and draining are one aspect of this system.
    • The other is duration or cycling.
    • Many people run their pumps continuously, so the system is always being filled and drained. This method works okay with greens, but not with flowering plants; the medium is too wet.
    • The roots of flowering plants need more air on their roots than greens. Medicinal herbs prefer ‘dry’ soil and are prone to mildew and other problems if their roots are too wet.
    • We have had the best results by using a single cycle at mid-morning where the Grow Table fills and drains twice, and then the pump shuts off. This single cycle gives the plants plenty of water, and the roots plenty of air.

Fun side note: After about five months of use, the medium (gravel) has a growth of bacteria out of the light that looks like light brown yogurt. It is very moist, soft, and the roots grow all through it.

The next installation will cover pure marijuana growing at its finest — the how and way of a straight medicinal herb production facility.

Good luck, and if you have specific questions on any of the information in this series or want to start your own Portable Farm, please send us an email so we can respond.

FISH POOP IS NOT ENOUGH!

FISH POOP IS NOT ENOUGH!
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

For more information and to  order FF Mineral Rock Dust: CLICK HERE. (Ships from San Diego, California)

Kale and Bok Choy grown with FF Mineral Rock Dust by Phyllis Davis, co-inventor, Portable Farms.

Our Fish Friendly Mineral Rock Dust gives your aquaponics system a HEALTHY KICK for growing health plants and fish without the use of chemicals:
– Iron
– Magnesium
– Calcium
– Potassium (vital for blooming plants, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.)
– It also includes other trace elements for successful growing in your aquaponics or hydroponic system and it is FISH SAFE. 

One head of tokyo bekana (a mild Asian green) and one head of Swiss Chard grown with FF Mineral Rock Dust by Colle Davis, lead inventor, Portable Farms.

Just sprinkle FF MINERAL ROCK DUST ROCK on your growing medium, water the medium and then plant your seeds. It’s as easy as that.

PFAS LLC is making available our FF (Fish Friendly) Mineral Rock Dust that enhances the health of your plants and your fish and adds the trace elements vital to your system for encouraging healthy green plants and prompts your blooming plants to continually blossom in your aquaponics system!

Below is the ordering information for FF Mineral Rock Dust.

For more information and to  order FF Mineral Rock Dust: CLICK HERE. (Ships from San Diego, California)

  • Please note, minimal order size for shipping outside the US is 2200 lb./1000kg tote (more information below).
  • All orders ship from San Diego, California. 
Code Product Name Size Price
FF – MRD 105 FF Mineral Rock Dust for Aquaponics 5 lbs. $29.95 plus $19.99 shipping and handling

TOTAL:  $49.94
FF – MRD 110 FF Mineral Rock Dust for Aquaponics 10 lbs. $39.95 plus $19.99 shipping and handling

TOTAL:  $59.94
FF – MRD 150 FF Mineral Rock Dust for Aquaponics 44 lbs. $109.95  – Please email us your zip code to determine shipping charges to your location from Southern California
FF – MRD 2200 FF Mineral Rock Dust for Aquaponics Export Minimum Order outside US is 2200 lb./1000kg   tote Call for more information about price and shipping   costs

The Commercial Aquaponics Farmer

The Commercial Aquaponics Farmer

by Colle and Phyllis Davis

To read more about Commercial Aquaponics: CLICK HERE.

We encourage you to install one single 5 x 40 or 6 x 32 or 200 sq ft aquaponics module that feeds eight people. This will give you a chance to experiment with growing food and caring for the fish. You’ll see for yourself what foods grow well and how prolific the systems are for producing food. We call this ‘getting your hands wet’ and it’s a feasible way to launch your commercial aquaponics dreams.

Becoming a commercial aquaponics farmer requires the technology information, plans, the permits, site preparation, the inspections, the ordering of the greenhouse and the thousands of small and large steps all of which are necessary. But once started on the site development and the assembling of the greenhouse everything becomes REAL and moves all the plans into actions. This is always a very exciting time for our new customers and brings a sense of ‘this is real’ for everyone involved.

All construction projects (large and small) require planning and careful execution to build that dream to completion. Every new building is surrounded with a glow and an energy that is very difficult to describe and yet everyone knows the feeling of accomplishment and the energy that result when carefully executive plans come together and begin to materialize.

 

  • Commercial Aquaponics Gold, EBOOK. For more information and to purchase, CLICK HERE.
  • This comprehensive information about commercial aquaponics provides you will all the facts you’ll need to make an informed business decision about commercial aquaponics growing in controlled environment agricultural (CEA).
  • We’re also offering TWO FREE BONUSES with the purchase of Commercial Aquaponics GOLD: 1) A formal ten-step strategy business plan template designed specifically for commercial aquaponics growing to present to funders and, 2) PFAS LLC’s Executive Summary showing production and operating costs, profits and best-produce choices to achieve the shortest Return on Investment.

These steps will result in being almost there in the project’s completion:

• Design the climatically adapted greenhouse which, by the way, is THE MOST EXPENSIVE component of any new Portable Farms® Aquaponics System’s installation. You will be required to have your installers build the greenhouse to PFAS LLC’s specifications to assure the protection and health of the plants that will be growing inside. We strongly suggest you consider leasing/renting an empty greenhouse in their area to start with, if at all possible, instead of paying for land and a new greenhouse to be installed on their site. Leasing an empty greenhouse is a far more affordable option.

• Schedule the time with PFAS LLC for the Portable Farms® Kits to be delivered to the construction site and to have the Portable Farm’s® onsite construction foreman there to train your assembly crews.

Upon completion of the greenhouse(s), assure the materials for the assembly of the Modules (lumber and fish tanks, etc.) will be delivered on time to the site for the assembly crews who are being trained by the PFAS LLC’s foreman.

Ordering your fish and arrange for the baby fish (fingerlings) to be delivered upon completion of the first set of Modules. 

The greenhouse will be a climatically adapted structure design and built to house the plants and fish in an environment where the temperature is maintained between 45° and 104° F (6 and 40° C). All air intakes, or anywhere air comes in, will have screens installed to keep out the bugs, dirt, dust and rain. Idea growing temperatures are in the mid-80’s F.

  • There should also be shade cloth installed on the ceiling and/or sides of the greenhouse to insure the plants do NOT have direct sunlight on them or on the gravel.
  • There will be exhaust fans and circulating fans to insure the air is fresh and circulated at all times. Provisions for cooling must be made for very hot weather. In some very cold climates some heating will be required.  These requirements are part of the normal greenhouse design and building.
  • The construction team on the ground (who will build the climatically adapted greenhouse structure) can begin as soon as the design is approved and funded. This will speed up the entire process.
  • You have agreements with new customers ready to accept your produce when the plants and fish are ready for harvest and delivery.
    Insure your complete support group is in place: assembly personnel, operators, sales people, packers, delivery people, etc
  • The availability of vehicles and other items need to be in place because the harvest of vegetables can begin is as little as five weeks after the Portable Farms® Aquaponics System is turned on and running water with plants and fish in place.

Lane McClelland Trusted Advisors, Certified Installation Instructors for Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems, Southern California

To ensure your projects stays on schedule, we require a defined lead time for your order to insure your Portable Farms® Kits will be available for delivery to your site on time. Production runs are scheduled to coincide with construction projects spread throughout the world, and because of this, PFAS LLC has the flexibly, if your project is ahead of schedule, to shorten the shipping time to meet your needs.

Part of the documentation provided to our customers is a complete list of materials needed to build all the Modules.

Once the greenhouse near completion, the materials need to be delivered to the job site and ready for the Assembly Crew to begin construction the moment the PFAS LLC construction foreman arrives. A crew of experienced builders can assemble 32 or more Portable Farms® Aquaponics System Modules in five or six days. These modules are not hard to build if all the materials are onsite and easily available. The main criteria for constructing the modules is that the Grow Tables are built to be VERY Strong and absolutely level. A single Commercial Portable Farms® Aquaponics System Grow Table (40ft in length) weighs over four tons (9,000 lbs).

Careful planning and ordering supplies of seeds, growing medium and fingerlings (fish) begins the moment the funding is in place. Finding a source of fingerlings is critical because the fish poop is needed as soon as the Modules have water running through them. The plants in the Grow Tables can grow and survive for a week or so without fish in the system, but any longer and the lack of nutrients will stunt their growth. At PFAS LLC we like to say, “If a plant has a happy childhood, they will grow to be a healthy plant.” So, please be ready to install your fish as soon as possible after the water is running in your modules. Besides, the fish are tiny while the first planting of vegetable are tiny. They start off together and grow quickly. The small fish provide the perfect amount of nutrients for the small plants. Everybody’s happy.

Now is the time to start your commercial aquaponic’s project. Send us an email detailing the size and your funding time frame and see how quickly you can be in the business of supplying locally grown, pesticide free food to the local high end markets in your area.

When your funding is in place contact Colle Davis, EMAIL, to discuss your project and time frames.

BUZZ Pollination with an Electric Toothbrush!

Buzz Pollination with an Electric Toothbrush? WOW!
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis

Buzz pollination works extremely well for blossoms for indoor growing.

After all, there are no bees, bugs or insects inside a greenhouse (hopefully) to aid in pollination.

And it’s also important to install small fans to move the air to help move for several hours during daylight hours, inside the greenhouse, to improve pollination.

Just another of life’s little mysteries solved by PFAS LLC. 

 

USDA Logo United States Department of Agriculture

U.S. FOREST SERVICE

Bees are the champion pollinators!

 

In the United States, there are over 4,000 species of native bees. Familiar bees visiting garden flowers are the colorful, fuzzy, yellow-and-black striped bumblebees, metallic-green sweat bees, squash bees, and imported honeybee. These flower-seeking pollen magnets purposefully visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar for food for themselves and their young.

Energy Needs

All bees have very high-energy needs that must be met for their survival. Bees need key resources such as pollen and nectar from a variety of flowers. Bees need these resources for themselves and their progeny. Many bees need water in addition to nectar.

Nesting Habitat

Bee nesting habits vary greatly. For example:

    • Mason bees construct nests from mud.
    • Leafcutter bees use a “wrapper” of leaves, resin and sand.
    • Carder bees harvest plant fibers.

Most bees excavate their nest tunnels in sunny patches of bare ground, while others seek out abandoned beetle burrows in dead tree trunks or branches. The majority of bees are solitary, but a few, like sweat bees, bumblebees, and honeybees, are social, living in colonies that consist of a queen, her worker bee daughters and a few males, the drones.

Bee Flowers

The flowers that are visited by bees are typically:

    • Full of nectar
    • Brightly colored with petals that are usually blue or yellow or a mixture of these (bees cannot see red)
    • Sweetly aromatic or have a minty fragrance
    • Open in daytime
    • Provide landing platforms
    • Often bilaterally symmetrical (one side of the flower is a mirror image of the other)
    • Flowers are often tubular with nectar at base of tube

An example of a bee-pollinated flower is a snapdragon or Penstemon (pictured right). Snapdragon flowers have sturdy, irregular shaped flowers with landing platform. Only bees of the right size and weight can trigger the flower to open. Other bee species or other insects that are too small or too large are excluded.