Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Stevo, you might find that you have to lower your water level significantly, like nft.... just a film or a (timed) quick flood then period of drain....

Strawberries don't like get their feet too wet for too long.....

Good option would be to drip feed them from the top of the pots and just use the pipe as the return....

I had them in the gravel beds before I built the gutter and they were coming along well, but after I moved them to the gutter they aren't sick or anything but they seem to have stalled. First I had them F/D then changed to an NFT with about 4 mm water that cycles 15min on/1hr off with the beds. The pipe is pitched so all the water drains out.
A drip feed should run constant, right? Maybe strawberries were a bad choice to put in a gutter in the first place.

-Stevo

Hi Stevo,
Maybe the stalled growth is mostly from transplant shock?
How long have they been in the system.
I`m going for constant drip/trickle with nft (no timer) and aiming for a constant flow of 1-2 litres per min from the end of the trough.
The next job is deciding on a simple method for getting a uniform coverage of the medium for the drip/trickle part of the system.

It also seems likely that once the plant roots are established the constant flow nft will become the dominant part, in which case the drip/trickle part could be run at intervals on a timer.
It would require 2 pumps and a timer at that point so whether the benefits are worth the extra effort is another question.

Hope the strawberries pick up before long.

stevo, my system is 3 inch pvs, there is prolly 1/2 in of water that continously runs, the bottom pipe is filled with greensand volcanic rock and aquarium gravel, i tried planting strawberries too but it didn't work out to well, im thinking about getting some 4" pvc and cutting off the top inch and making like a ntf growbed for onions and radishes, im sure that will happen soon as i get bored enough, i also have air stones in the bottom pipe about half way through to give some extra airation.

I guess I better figure out where to put my strawberries

-Stevo

dosnt someone have strawberries growing in a verticle tube system?

Food&Fish's are the best example of that

and a photo

Artistic & rblaster... note the times .....



I believe it is essential to allow for a significant "drying" period for strawberries

Prettiest thing in that photo is the yellow peril :

Ahh... I'm still providing too much water! I'll have to make some changes this weekend, thanks guy's.

-Stevo

so i got home tonight and my oscar was on the floor dead, he must have jumped out of the tank, maby he was depressed

not exactly an "oscar" winning performance .....

sorry about that

do u think this is a problem with my system or is it just basic oscar behavior i would hate to think that he killed himesle because of me