hydro/aquaponic gardening

[JungleBiker]

On 02/10/2017 at 10:58 AM, laochef said:

Anyone know of a good hydro- and aquaponics shop in Chiang Mai ? Both for equipment, organic liquid nutrients and seeds...

2

Perhaps these Dutch guys in CM can help you... http://datt.asia 

[flowman]

Please someone tell me the location of the retail hydroponics store, where I can buy primary nutrients (packed in 1 kg) such as: Calcium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Sulphate, Magnesium Sulphate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Iron Chelate, Microelements, etc ..
I live in Laos, so I cannot buy online. I can go from Vientiane to Udon Thani or Knon-Kaen (ok, Bangkok, but undesirable, because it's far-far away).
I want to come for 1 day better in one store and buy everything. Please write the exact location for tuk-tuk or google map location or what need to google. Thanks!

[green thumb]

You can try this place  http://www.higreenshop.com  but they are located Bangkok about 20km from Suvarnabhumi airport. they have a map and GPS location on their site. The gps location is acurate. 

Maybe if you had a contact in Thailand that you can send too could work out.

[rice555]

16 hours ago, flowman said:

Please someone tell me the location of the retail hydroponics store, where I can buy primary nutrients (packed in 1 kg) such as: Calcium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Sulphate, Magnesium Sulphate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Iron Chelate, Microelements, etc ..
I live in Laos, so I cannot buy online. I can go from Vientiane to Udon Thani or Knon-Kaen (ok, Bangkok, but undesirable, because it's far-far away).
I want to come for 1 day better in one store and buy everything. Please write the exact location for tuk-tuk or google map location or what need to google. Thanks!

Hello All, I can get the Fe and all the major salts at an Ag Store in Korat.

They don't have the other micros, only the Fe. and it comes in a 1 Kg. box.

All the major salts come in 25Kg. bags, and the Moly I get in BKK comes

in 100g. bottle, the solubor in 500g p. bottle. The Cu, Mn and Zn come in

1Kg.

You do have a  .001 and or a .01 scale to weigh?

If your just wanting to try hydro, you could get a 10L kit of dry premixed

(A &  for greens, toms/chili or melons, just add water. Accent, Fresh

Gardens and ACK. If you read through TV, there are several threads on who

sales what and where. WESCO in BKK is the only place that I know of that

has ALL the chems in one place. for the micros they have the Cu sulphate

and Chelated Cu, same with the Mn & Zn.

You might ask who ever you buy from if they can send by bus or train and 

you pick up from the NK station. They usually ship  10L dry kit by EMS here in LOS to your door. Do you have an address you can use in LOS?

Don't @ a store, call! Most places don't have people that can reply in Eng.

Accent TH has a site as does WESCO.  JB has had problems with getting

prices from WESCO I just have the wife call and do the talking.

If you have a question, PM me, I don't come to TV that much anymore.

rice555

[rice555]

On 10/30/2017 at 4:17 PM, JungleBiker said:

Perhaps these Dutch guys in CM can help you... http://datt.asia 

Hello JB, did you ever get your note problem solved? Or are you going to do aqua?

rice555

[dasboot]

Happy New Year.

I haven’t posted here for a while so I decided to catch up so to speak, iam outside of Chiang Rai city not  far from the main highway on the way to Measai and they  say a picture paints a thousand words so here’s quite a few, millions in fact. This is my Aquaponics system as the 1st of Jan,the greenhouse is 12 x 6 meters,fish house has 4 tanks plus filtration etc etc.

 I have over 4 years AP experience in Thailand under my belt, plus I finished the Chattersons Farm training course last year so if there is any help I can share here with the members I am very happy to do so,visits are no problem and iam happy to help and train those just starting out.

Best Regards.

Andy,

Andreas Garden.

[carlyai]

Happy New Year.
I haven’t posted here for a while so I decided to catch up so to speak, iam outside of Chiang Rai city not  far from the main highway on the way to Measai and they  say a picture paints a thousand words so here’s quite a few, millions in fact. This is my Aquaponics system as the 1st of Jan,the greenhouse is 12 x 6 meters,fish house has 4 tanks plus filtration etc etc.
 I have over 4 years AP experience in Thailand under my belt, plus I finished the Chattersons Farm training course last year so if there is any help I can share here with the members I am very happy to do so,visits are no problem and iam happy to help and train those just starting out.
Best Regards.
Andy,
Andreas Garden.

Hi Andy. That's super impressive mate. I've got some of my aquaponics gear (2 x 1000 L fish tanks, 4x growth beds and hydroseal rocks), been waiting for me to start for nearly a year now.
Just finished my swimming pool installation and plan to get into the aquaponics when i get back in late January.
I was thinking of building a similar green house to you, but with openable windows on the top small vertical sections. I'm in Isaan near Mukdahan and think I will need some convection currents when it gets really hot.
I think I have room for 6 x 1000 L fish tanks in my fish room.
I'm going to visit Robert at Aquaponics Thailand when I get back then I think I would love to make a trip up from Isaan to look at your great set up and learn a bit.
Thanks very much for the post.
Carl

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[dasboot]

You are more than welcome to come over and visit, we can go through AP and I can show you what works for me, in the mean time if you want to know anything just give me a shout.

[carlyai]

You are more than welcome to come over and visit, we can go through AP and I can show you what works for me, in the mean time if you want to know anything just give me a shout.

Great, thanks. Still in Aus ...catching up on my huge meals intake...no wonder everyone is so fat.


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[drtreelove]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30336919

 

Sorry Hydoponics growers: grow for appearance and sellability, but don't expect food quality.  

[billd766]

36 minutes ago, drtreelove said:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30336919

 

Sorry Hydoponics growers: grow for appearance and sellability, but don't expect food quality.  

 

So they tested 30 samples from hydroponics growers and 63% of those tested were tested.

 

Do you or they have any idea how many hydroponics growers there are in business across Thailand? I certainly have no idea but I am certain that there are far more than 30.

 

There is one just across the klong for me and they cannot grow enough to satisfy their customers now and AFAIK they have been tested and passed.

 

If you look in TVF under small farmers etc you will find plenty there let alone the two mentioned in the thread above.

 

Just because it is in the Nation doesn't mean it is 100% correct.

[carlyai]

Hi@dasboot

I've been thinking a bit about my greenhouse design, and think I'll go for polycarbonate roof sheeting if I can find some that blocks much of the UV rays. I've only started to read up on this, but it seems if I can block the UV rays, I won't burn the plants.

I don't think I can use the white insect screen construction as we get high winds and torrential rain which would probably damage the structure. I thought the polycarbonate would be stronger and waterproof, but worried about the heat inside the greenhouse.

What do you think?

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[webmark]

Hi, i would like to start to do a hydroponic system to grow some lettuce. Is it a obligation to install a greenhouse ? Why do we need to use it ? 

 

Thanks :)

[carlyai]

Hi, i would like to start to do a hydroponic system to grow some lettuce. Is it a obligation to install a greenhouse ? Why do we need to use it ? 
 
Thanks :)

For me, it would be to have more control on the plant environment.

You can stop the torrential rain destroying everything, and control the UV filled sunlight and stop insects.



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[noopin2014]

1 hour ago, carlyai said:

For me, it would be to have more control on the plant environment.

You can stop the torrential rain destroying everything, and control the UV filled sunlight and stop insects.



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THanks Mate, could you tell me so what do you use to cover ?

[carlyai]

THanks Mate, could you tell me so what do you use to cover ?

I still haven't made up my mind. Polycarbonate or that white insect screen cloth.

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[gamesgplayemail]

Hello, can you tell me what kind of vegetables you CANNOT grow hydroponics ?

And why people ,mostly seem to grow salad ?

Thank you.

[Olive073]

Hi, there, i would like to start a small hydroponic farm for myself. Could you tell me what do you think about the iStack or StarStack hydroponic planting set ? Is it reliable, efficient and interesting financially ? Would you recommend it ?

 

Thanks for your advices !

 

[carlyai]

Hi, there, i would like to start a small hydroponic farm for myself. Could you tell me what do you think about the iStack or StarStack hydroponic planting set ? Is it reliable, efficient and interesting financially ? Would you recommend it ?
 
Thanks for your advices !
 

I'm also looking into this type of system, and I don't really know. But it seems suited for small areas where you need to go vertically and don't have horizontal room. Also it seems to me that as the water and nutrients enter from the top, the top plants may take out most of the nutrients before they get to the bottom plants.

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[Smithson]

On 23/01/2018 at 12:52 PM, drtreelove said:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30336919

 

Sorry Hydoponics growers: grow for appearance and sellability, but don't expect food quality.  

Unfortunately that link has no real info, just mention of 'contaminated by chemical', if they are referring to pesticides, then it is a real concern. However I think they are referring to the chemical fertilizers, which is very different. 

[noopin2014]

On 2/20/2018 at 7:56 PM, Olive073 said:

Hi, there, i would like to start a small hydroponic farm for myself. Could you tell me what do you think about the iStack or StarStack hydroponic planting set ? Is it reliable, efficient and interesting financially ? Would you recommend it ?

 

Thanks for your advices !

 

I'm interested too to know more about these systems. Anybody use it ?

[rice555]

On 2/23/2018 at 10:14 AM, noopin2014 said:

I'm interested too to know more about these systems. Anybody use it ?

Hello All, I don't know if you've gone through the thread by Frappington, now on Pg. 8 of the

Farming Forum "Aquaponic and Hydroponic Hobby Growing", he used the tower system on the

right hand side of the pic. I don't know if his uTube VDO's are still up??, but half way through

the vid's he set up his towers, he was using AP.(Hyb. fishshit system)  "Ponic Wars" was the u-tube,

there's a link in the thread.

rice555

Edited March 1, 2018 by rice555
didn't change anything

[drtreelove]

On 2/19/2018 at 4:02 PM, gamesgplayemail said:

Hello, can you tell me what kind of vegetables you CANNOT grow hydroponics ?

And why people ,mostly seem to grow salad ?

Thank you.

"The newer high-tech solutions, such as hydroponics, or even newer, aeroponics, rate a careful examination. Can we count on them to rescue agriculture? Not if the goal is to feed the world's people and animals. They are fine for growing some pretty tomatoes to sell at the supermarket, or some nice lettuce in the basement, but these "new and modern" systems have a number of basic problems, some of them insurmountable if the goals are sustainability and nutrient-dense food. The most obvious failing is that they are energy-hungry. They use pumps and fans and often lights. In the interests of self-sufficiency, where is that energy to come from?" 

"There are other not so obvious problems with hydroponics. Any time one has a liquid-based growing solution they need water-soluble fertilizers, and these must be pure. One does not put compost in the hydroponic trays. This makes all natural organic hydroponics pretty difficult. Another drawback is that only certain crops are suitable, mostly the ones you have seen in the stores so far: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs. One will not raise a field of potatoes, cassava, or turnips hydroponically, nor thousands of acres of grains and legumes. One will not grow hay to feed animals hydroponically or aeroponically.

The most serious downside to these systems, though, is the lack of nutritional completeness in the produce. Designer vegetables grown in nutrient solutions are grown for looks, not nutrition."

"The high-tech systems above are things to learn from and we will and have gained knowledge from them. One valuable contribution is that we know more about what mineral nutrients are absolutely essential for plant growth. These systems, however, are not suitable for feeding your family and community, and they will not form the basis of the New Agriculture.

The place to grow a food crop is in the earth, in nutrient rich, biologically active soil, not in metered nutrient solutions..."

Michael Astera The Ideal Soil

[carlyai]

'The place to grow a food crop is in the earth, in nutrient rich, biologically active soil, not in metered nutrient solutions..."

Michael Astera The Ideal Soil'.

I think your quotes and general tone are about sustainable food production, not small consumer food production.

Food crops grown in soil, without the protection of enclosed greenhouses, probably have to be sprayed with chemicals to combat the myriad of bugs that wish to eat the crop. Maybe you don't need pesticides with aquaponics or hydroponics?

With the good soil, you also need fertilisers specific for that crop. Just check out all the bags of fertiliser in the back of pickups before the rice growing season.

Chemists analyse the requirements for certain crops (or are they called agronimists?). I see no

reason why you can't supply the required nutrients to a hydroponic or aquaponics system. What is the reason?

For me (at page 2 of 10000 pages of Aquaponics 101) I want to eat fresh fish and fresh vegetables. For me, aquaponics (automated with aurdino) is the way to go. [emoji3]

Ohhh and I forgot, doesn't the hydrogen in the growth beds bred bacteria? So isn't a growth bed biological active?

 

It seems to me the drawback with aquaponics ( there must be as many projects fail), is getting the system balanced. I think that's where the microprocessor steps in.

 

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[drtreelove]

Mine is just an opinion. I like soil, and the potential it has for growing nutrient dense food that tastes good and makes me feel good when I eat it and keeps me healthy.  If I wanted to grow food that looked good and was marketable for a commercial operation, and I wasn't going to eat myself or feed to my family, then I might be more interested in artificial systems without real soil.  

 

By the way, with mineral balanced and biologically active soil, plants resist pests and diseases, so conventional hard chemistry pesticides are not necessary.  And there are hard chemistry pesticides that get all the press and paranoia (for good reasons) , and then there are soft pesticides (bio-pesticides, botanicals, biological controls and other IPM tools that are organic program compatible and not harmful to people and the environment).  Unfortunately even a lot of organic growers don't know much about  modern state of the art, bio-rational pest and disease management,  IPM methods and materials. 

[carlyai]

Mine is just an opinion. I like soil, and the potential it has for growing nutrient dense food that tastes good and makes me feel good when I eat it and keeps me healthy.  If I wanted to grow food that looked good and was marketable for a commercial operation, and I wasn't going to eat myself or feed to my family, then I might be more interested in artificial systems without real soil.  
 
By the way, with mineral balanced and biologically active soil, plants resist pests and diseases, so conventional hard chemistry pesticides are not necessary.  And there are hard chemistry pesticides that get all the press and paranoia (for good reasons) , and then there are soft pesticides (bio-pesticides, botanicals, biological controls and other IPM tools that are organic program compatible and not harmful to people and the environment).  Unfortunately even a lot of organic growers don't know much about  modern state of the art, bio-rational pest and disease management,  IPM methods and materials. 

Mine is a novice opinion too. So in my case if I want fish and vegetables, it would be better to have plants in the soil and a separate fish tank filter system.
If I grow plants in the soil, wouldn't they need shade cloth overhead and fences around to stop the grasshoppers and caterpillars?
So I could grow the vegetables in the soil in a green house, and have a separate lot of fish tanks.
Trouble is when we go away travelling.
If I get my aquaponics automated correctly, we should be able to travel and leave nearly everything on remote, like the swimming pool.
Bit disappointed that the aquaponics vegetables will be less tasty than the in ground veggies.

I will have to think about this a little longer.
I like the idea of good tasting veggies.

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[gamesgplayemail]

On 3/5/2018 at 10:28 AM, drtreelove said:

Mine is just an opinion. I like soil, and the potential it has for growing nutrient dense food that tastes good and makes me feel good when I eat it and keeps me healthy.  If I wanted to grow food that looked good and was marketable for a commercial operation, and I wasn't going to eat myself or feed to my family, then I might be more interested in artificial systems without real soil.  

 

By the way, with mineral balanced and biologically active soil, plants resist pests and diseases, so conventional hard chemistry pesticides are not necessary.  And there are hard chemistry pesticides that get all the press and paranoia (for good reasons) , and then there are soft pesticides (bio-pesticides, botanicals, biological controls and other IPM tools that are organic program compatible and not harmful to people and the environment).  Unfortunately even a lot of organic growers don't know much about  modern state of the art, bio-rational pest and disease management,  IPM methods and materials. 

 

Sorry, but if it was so easy, why ALL farmers would use dangerous pesticides ?

 

 

[gamesgplayemail]

5 hours ago, carlyai said:

Mine is a novice opinion too. So in my case if I want fish and vegetables, it would be better to have plants in the soil and a separate fish tank filter system.
If I grow plants in the soil, wouldn't they need shade cloth overhead and fences around to stop the grasshoppers and caterpillars?
So I could grow the vegetables in the soil in a green house, and have a separate lot of fish tanks.
Trouble is when we go away travelling.
If I get my aquaponics automated correctly, we should be able to travel and leave nearly everything on remote, like the swimming pool.
Bit disappointed that the aquaponics vegetables will be less tasty than the in ground veggies.

I will have to think about this a little longer.
I like the idea of good tasting veggies.

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Sorry but who said that hydro vegs do not taste as good ?

 

 

[carlyai]

 
Sorry but who said that hydro vegs do not taste as good ?
 
 

DRTREELOVE said it in his/her post. I don't know.
Are you saying hydro vegs taste as good as soil vegs?

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[user343434]

Hi to all Gardeners..

 

I (Ger) have Family in Alkmaar (NL) and they grow since 30 years in their Greenhouses hydroponics.

If you want a dutch Tomato soup get a red plate and pour hot water in.

My wifey grows now 5 years aquaponics and they taste great, just feed you fish and crays right.. Then the taste comes even it takes a bit time to find the right mix for the food. 

Eat asparagus and you know (smell) it when you go for a pee, and so you can control the taste of your veggies.

 

5 years ago we started in our backyard a little training system for my wife and nephew. After 5 rebuilding and upgrades and about 10.000 EUR later both are almost fit for starting a commercial System.

I got an offer for a 6400 sqm Greenhouse in Indonesia incl cooling system and start first setups, correct them, start again and getting more and more the optimum out of a confined space.

 

The only Pa*n in the a** is to find proper liner. There was some found in Chatuchat market but this roll 100m was rolled more miles through the market than my car on the road. And so was the condition. The seller wanted not even reduce the price for that cra*.

 

Anyone has had recently the pleasure to buy some Liners in a non blistered condition. My largest grow beds will be 50 m long and 6.35 m wide.

I will be glad to hear where I have to go.

 

I put up some pictures from my backyard and a halfway sketch of our plans for 2020 when I slowly retire out of the Offshore.. 

 

Cheers for any info..