Aquaponics is a method of growing plants and vegetables using the waste water and organic waste matter from aquatic animals to nourish the plants. It is often said that aquaponics is one of the most efficient ways of gardening and more plants can be cultivated in the same space in half the time using 50 percent less effort.
There are several ways of growing aquaponics plants. One way is known as the raft system. This is ideal for growing plants such as lettuce. The system works by placing a Styrofoam board or other floating platform on the pool of water that contains the nutrients derived from the fish waste.
Holes are perforated in the floating boards and the plant seedlings are placed in these holes. The plant will then send its roots down into the water to absorb the nutrients. Though this method is effective, it is not suitable for many plants.
The choice of method you decide to use will depend on the plants you are growing. The flood and drain method works for almost all plants and is considered the far superior way to grow plants. This method is used by commercial aquaponics farms and avoids so many problems that the raft system creates.
In the flood and drain method, the waste water is pumped up to a level where the media bed and gravel are covered. The water is left for a few minutes and then then drained away to a separate trough or container. This water will be stored and pumped up again after a certain time period. The flood and drain method operates in a cyclic manner.
What this does is that it gives the plant roots time to dry and still absorb the nutrients from the rocks that have been coated with the nutrient rich water. Many people do not realize that plant roots take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide. When the roots are submerged in water, it’s extremely difficult for the plant to do this since it can’t breathe. Furthermore, when the plant roots are wet all the time, the carbon dioxide will build up and become acidic which in turn causes root rot. This is a common problem many aquaponics systems face. Using the flood and drain method prevents this problem from occurring.
Do not worry about the roots drying up and not being able to access nutrients. The gravel or rocks you use in your media bed will be porous and there will be many crevasses that have pockets of water and the plant roots can still access nutrients from the moist stones.
Usually the flood and drain method works on a 12 hour cycle. So, it’s not like your plants are in the Sahara desert. They will be getting water in a couple of hours. The plants will survive and flourish. You will need to setup a system with a pump that works with a timer and you should structure your aquaponics system in a way where gravity helps to drain the water into a separate trough or container.
This is one of the best methods of growing aquaponics plants. It works for both the small scale hobbyist and the commercial farms alike.
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