Do you utilize soilless
mediums with your aquaponics
projects? How is your choice of
medium related to water retention?
My primary method is deep water culture troughs
with a dissolved oxygen level at eight parts per million.
The plants are started in small (stone wool) cubes then
transplanted into two-inch net pots that float on rafts. I use
(stone wool to start) simply because it’s a good place to sprout
seeds and it holds together well. Obviously, the deep water culture
troughs have excellent water holding capacity.
You are based in California, a state with obvious
issues concerning water shortages. Looking
at horticulture from a conservationist’s stance,
would you say that soilless
cultivation practices waste
more water than traditional
soil growing?
“
AS different soilless media
retain water at different capacities,
these irregularities must be accounted
for in the development of successful
irrigation and fertigation regimes.”
In my aquaponics operation, I was using
about 10 per cent of the water it takes
to grow a head of lettuce in the field.
I think aquaponics may be the most
efficient way to grow plants, but a well-
designed hydroponic system is probably
similar. Soilless growing is a great tool
for society. Water-wise farming can be
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