Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Come on photos you know we all love photos

Photo's of what in particular?

The new beds and an overall look at the system
Just a photo update now and again when i put mine in i usually get 1 or 2 emails asking how did you do this or that
For get it i looked at your system i see they are all there

Yep... its all there....

I'd love the just "chuck them in" schiool to be right because that would be easy but I'm a bit nervous about just throwing a mass of seed in my GBs.

I'm using 20mm blue stone for my gravel flooding to with 2" of the top of gravel. Can I really just place seeds into my gravel? Won't they dry out if they are near the surface or if deep enough to get moisture be too far from day light?

I use 10mm scoria in my growbeds and I have noticed a big difference in the germination and growth rates of seed compared to using conventional seed raising mix.
I get about half the germination rate and 1/3 the growth rate when I direct sow, initial growth is very slow for some time then suddenly it takes off in the end it is faster than the dirt garden.
I now believe that the space between the gravel does not provide enough humidity for the tiny plant roots, the effect is also noticeable in fresh transplanted seedlings. I am still experimenting but I hope that a combination mix of gravel and vermiculite as a seed raising mix in tubes watered with FT water and then just transplant the root ball with whatever remains attached will help.

I've just started up my system 6 weeks ago and planted seedlings from day one. Other than the spring onions and tomato plants most of these seedlings (capsicum, lettuce, coriander, basil, parsley) haven't grown much or lets say very slowly.

Thrown some seeds around about 3 weeks ago and now getting daily growth from these seedlings. Notice a few died on a hot day where the expanded clay balls were touching the first leaves. Might pull out planted seedlings in a few weeks if still not growing.

As long as they're not dying. Leave them alone. They will perk up. They just need to find their feet after the trauma of transplant.
They'll be fine.

I like seeding directly.. One of my systems has been growing self seeded plants for over 12 months now .

got my BYAP system on 27th of Oct and set it up with water in tank by the 28th. Put seedlings in(bok choy silverbeet,capsicum,chillis,rocket) and on 29th scattered seeds(lettuce radishes corriander and spring onions and cucumber) and BINGO, by the 3rd of Nov seedlings from seeds appearing. I only have 10 small feeder fish in the system(put them in on the 2nd Nov)

Ok I'm having mixed success with my seeds some of it definitely my fault the rest could be as well but I don't know.

So I have 20mm screened blue stone gravel from the Tylden quarry, central highlands Victoria. My beds flood to within 50mm of the surface of the gravel. How deep should I sow my big, medium and little seeds? At least 50mm right? 65mm? More? Now if this were a dirt garden there is not much is anything that you would think of sowing that deep but I'm guessing it must be different with AP. I would never have suggested it before but some of the seeds that have germinated well (bush beans) seem to have gotten stuck under the gravel? How is a lettuce going to get through 50mm of gravel to reach the light before it runs out of energy from its tiny little seed?

Big seeds need to be buried. small seeds, < sunflower size just sprinkle and water in.
Water regularly. at least once a day.
the rest happens all by itself.

Many small seeds will fall down to where things are moist enough, then follow the light back up as they sprout. The gaps in the rock allow tiny ones to sprout unobstructed.

^^^ +1