Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Yep - I have heard stories about a Carpet Python who used to live in the shearing shed on my uncles farm. Apparently he wasn't scared of people and would sometimes slither between the shearers feet while they were working.

have you a source for red wigglers nearby, don? if not, do a search for Big Worm's thread. he will ship you what you need. and from the amount of growbeds you have, your gonna need alot.

Thanks for the info

Next question. What are the US equivalents to Dipel folier spray? and Seasol? I am having trouble with the white cabbage moths and the resultant caterpillars eating my leaves. My pepper plants are getting yellow in the leaves on the bottom of the plants.

Next question. What part of an existing pond do you use in the new pond to get it going? Just the water or do you scoop up the mud and put some of it in the new pond. The old pond has some unwanted fish (Texas Ciclids I think) and frogs in it so I think it is safe to use some from it. It also has water lilies growing in it. I seem to only have a winter time view of that pond.

Not sure... but Dipel (Bacillus thuringiensis), a naturally occurring bacteria.... so search for "Bacillus thuringiensis"...



Maxicrop...



Could be iron lockout.. what's your pH??



The water should contain the beneficial bacteria...

My Ph is 7.8 and has been there since I first filled the system.

Today I ordered the Maxicrop for the yellowing leaves problems. I have looked for cheleated Iron but have not yet found any.

I searched for Dipel and found it to be Thuricide here in the US and will look for it today when I go to town.

I am having a problem with two kinds of bugs at present. On the squash the little gray bugs just cover the plants and kill them. seem to eat the stalks under the leaves. I have put nematodes in the squash garden in the last week or so but they did not kill those bugs.

The second bugs are the cabbage moths and caterpillars eating the leaves off the cauliflower and brockley plants.

i had a heck of a time with cabbage butterflies and caterpillars last year.. i read that using eggshells on the surface of your growbed around the plants (large shell parts) will discourage the butterflies..
the thuricide (BT) should help with the other bugs..
did you order maxicrop with iron?

You can get Thuricide at Home Depot. Lowes also sells a powdered organic insecticide that contains the BTK bacteria. Did you order the Maxicrop directly from the company?

Don't forget... you can get Maxicrop+Iron.... the iron contained is in chelated form... so can be taken up regardless of pH ...

I ordered the Maxicrop directly from the company and got the powder version. I dont know if it is the iron version but I would have if I had know about it. I hope I did order the iron version as I have not been able to find other products with iron.

I found the Thuricide spot on the shelf at Home Depot but there was none there. Maybe next time there will be some.

I have been doing some more to the system. I upgraded the supply line to 1 1/2 inch pipe to get the flow up. Now it floods the beds much quicker.

Now I am having problems with the indexing valve. It is skipping the cycles just stays where it is at for long periods of time. I have taken the bottom off and cleaned it two times in the last week and it still is sticking. Anybody got experience with that problem?

Here is why I need to get some Thermicide. In the pic of the cauliflower all the leaves are chewed up. I guess I will leave it there to be a sacrificial plant so the dam bugs don't move to other plants too fast. Will the chilli pepper spray kill the bugs or just make them move to the next plants faster.

Now you can see the fish with the camera. Big ones are Channel Cats about 6 or 7 inches long now. Little ones are Blue Gills or Bream.

Oh yes and about the new Pond. It is now 4' deep in the middle. I did pump some river water in to help with the bio activity and I guess it helped cause I now have 1/4" long tadpoles in the water so wildlife has arrived. I can swim a few strokes in it now to cool off some. Water at surface is about 95of and at the bottom is about 60 or 70of. Nearly all the water is seepage so I believe I will have a pond that will not go dry every year like some do here.

All looking good Don

Today was a good day and a bad one too. I got to eat the first tomato from the garden. It was really good. I have lots more ready to go. One more is pink so far.

I had some leaf lettuce planted before when the fish got sick and the system was salted. I picked some and ate it and it was bad. Where the leaf was broken there was a white liquid on the break. It really tasted bad. I checked it a few times later but it always tasted bad. I pulled it up and chucked it out. Do you know why it did that? Was it from the salt? I want to replant lettuce later in the summer for the cool crop. I don't want it to do that again.

Lettuce if it isent grown quick [ie ideal temp and conditions ] it will be bitter if your saalt was under 3 ppt it should not have affected it