Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys,
Sorry to bug everyone, but I'm new to the wicking bed principle.
How do you integrated it in to the AP system? does the overflowed water recirculate back to the system?? or am i on the wrong track all together??

regards
Matt

A wicking bed is a standalone bed its up to you if you water it with fish water i find its best with plain water with eather thrive seasol or any of those you cant use in aqua
A wicking bed is basicley just a dirt bed thats super water efficiant

It's a dirt container bed which instead of having its drain holes at the bottom, has them some way up the side so you have a reservoir of water that gets wicked up through peat or compost to the plants roots. I guess a pot that stays wet for longer between waterings.

Yep anything from a "self watering planter" to a trench in the ground with some liner in it. It is all just to provide a stash of water for the plants under the soil.

I know people have talked about trying to recirculate with aquaponics but I don't recommend it, at least not unless you are expert enough to deal with the consequences of what mud and compost might introduce into a system which is not really designed to handle the extra bio-load.

Just finished my 10 th and planted it with rasbury,s

Did you post it somewhere so I can have alook

regards
Matt

Yep theres a few photos around page 128 on my thread

Harvested our spice barrels on the weekend.. Replanted some Galangal, turmeric & ginger in one, a Black Mulberry (will be trellised) in the 2nd & some Kohlrabi in the 3rd... Also made up a 2 new ones, 1 with mixed Chillies & the other has some purple & Thai Basils in it... Going to try some Asparagus in a new barrel this weekend... They are a bit addictive...

Hey Matt this looked helpful.

http://bitsouttheback.blogspot.com/p/wi ... ction.html

1/2 blue barrel, 50mm "stand pipe", 100mm irrigation pipe (seen these at the big B) 13mm overflow.

Fill about 300mm using sand, then the rest as potting mix/compost/blood and bone?

They said to use shade cloth to stop the sand getting into the water but i dont think it will be enough. What do guys here use to stop the sand/soil?

I don't use anything to separate the coarse bottom layer from the good soil. Heck I don't even do much in the way of plumbing in wicking beds. Just a container with the bottom few inches that will hold water really.

I also put up a clip on youtube of the passion fruit barrel I did a while back...



I only put sugar cane trash between the sand & soil so I know when I am getting close to the reservoir section of the barrel when pulling them apart of freshening up the soil mix...

Thanks for the blog mention Zman...


Food&Fish, how has you Asparagus gone in the wicking bed ?? Had a look through your thread but only saw some pictures... Was going to put ours in a barrel but was told by an old timer at the markets that the roots hate moisture so am second guessing the barrel now...

So far so good i had an excellent crop last year
Atm its dormant we will see if it comes up this year
as far as the old timer telling you it doesent like whet roots i remember dad and father in law saying veggie beds Must have good drainage
Times are a changing

Well, good drainage could mean different things to different plants. Some plants love lots of water but will die if the top few inches of soil stay constantly mucky or wet. I think most plants that they say hate wet feet, well I've come more to think of it as wet ankles that they can't stand but they do fine with their toes in the water. (That is to say, keep the crowns/trunks from rotting.)

Thanks BnBob, i was thinking how i got to your website

Very nice, will give that a go. On top of the wicking bed was that more sugar cane mulch?

Thanks F&F... Will give it a shot on the weekend...

Yep Zman, I do it in all the beds... Came in handy when needing to disassemble a bed last year due to root intrusion from a Chinese Elm... Cheaper than shade cloth too