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PostPosted: Oct 26th, '15, 17:37 

Joined: Oct 22nd, '15, 22:45
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Location: South Africa
What type of growing medium works best for very hot weather and i am thinking of building the barrel system they have on here .How would i grow from seeds?


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PostPosted: Oct 27th, '15, 09:36 
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I like hydroton, but it's expensive. I use either lava rock(scoria) or river stone(3/4-1", I think that's 25-40mm? on the bottom, and clay pebbles on the top few inches. You can start seeds directly in the media beds, or use rockwool or seedling trays. A lot of options. Some ar eusing Grow Grips, but I have had zero luck with them germinating.


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PostPosted: Oct 27th, '15, 09:41 
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The larger seeds like lettuce/peas/corn will usually germinate in AP direct.

Smaller things usually have a poor germination rate.

This is my seeding bed:




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PostPosted: Oct 28th, '15, 19:05 
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Colum, you think lettuce seeds are "large"? I guess compared to mustard seeds.


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PostPosted: Oct 29th, '15, 07:58 
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Large in comparison to other things.

They grow very well direct sown, I've tried basil with nothing. Tomatoes are quite hit and miss. But anything bigger than lettuce go well.


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PostPosted: Oct 29th, '15, 20:04 
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I find seeds in AP a bit hit and miss, particularly in warm-hot weather if they don't get enough water.
You have to hand water and/or raise your water level up a bit to keep small roots moist.

I find much greater productivity with all seeds using a simple seed raising stand.
Just runs for 1min 10am and 3pm (twice per day) and I re-use the plastic seed trays I get from hardware/garden store - or else you can buy them very cheap. Use commercial seed raising mix and slow release fertiliser pellets with bit seasol/foliar every now and again.

Germination to plant out rates are very fast and I can bring tomatoes to first flowers and basil, spinach etc much quicker than AP. I then simply transplant into my AP beds and/or wicking beds and re-use seedling trays ready for when first stuff picked.

The seedling stand is only 1.2m x 500mm and fed with overlapping microjets.
Water is caught underneath in a cut down IBC 300mm high sump that I grow duckweed in to add to fish tanks.

-----

on media I did try cracked pea gravel (a local WA gravel product) but it simply got too hot and also heats up the water returning to the FT. Lost quite a bit of water [edit: to evaporation] keeping water level up high. IMO clay media is best as it also tends to wick up a bit which helps the plants *but* the cost is an issue.

In my buckets and small beds I use gravel at bottom and clay on top - the gravel stays wet all the time.
And the clay is in the flood and drain sections.


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PostPosted: Nov 9th, '15, 16:04 

Joined: Oct 22nd, '15, 22:45
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http://www.myaquaponics.co.za/french-se ... ool-plugs/
http://www.myaquaponics.co.za/rockwool- ... e-tray-70/

these are two seedling growing trays i found can i use them?and with the rockwool can i put the seeds in and put them in the grow media just like that or should i wait till i have a plant starting to grow


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