Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Put the pumpkin up on a peg as it was off out the door.

Bed wasn't draining fast enough for auto siphon so it's now just a continuous flow. Corn roots got a hiding while fixing bed so leant them in on the tommy plant to finish. Fruit is actually better than outdoor corn, but plant is spindlier. Probably lower water content available outdoors causing this.

Concrete floor nearly filled out today, (not pictured) layer of gravel to go on top to smooth it all out, and then systems are a go.

Speaking (typing?) of corn...
Has anyone had luck with growing sweet corn in an AP setup?

Yep Aquaddict has ....



See post above yours .... LOL

and stu, he's about to put a second storey on his GH becasue of the corn

LOL, that'll teach me to drunk-post after a Bears game.

Ahh, that explains the bitter post in another thread, did your team lose rofl.

Corn isn't great in Aqua, EB, VB and myself all witness to spindly plants. Mine seem to be forming fruit OK but nothing to be excited about. However, if I get a feed and it's good, I'll grow more. Fair bit in garden now too but corns such a nice way to eat protein, I'm keen to have some off season (AP) as well.

I'll definately post you some piccies when I open the cobs for a good look (and feed)

AA - I will have to build a similar greenhouse this coming spring. Thanks for the well documented progress and by the way, looking good! It's dead winter here and everyone's (and everything's) metabolism is slow, including my own. It's nice having the southern hemisphere folks active during our winters.....gives us something to strive for the following season;)

Take Care!

Thanks Michael.

The continuous flow is streaking away compared to the ebb and flow, 3 feet of pumpkin in a week plus two two foot side shoots, one from top, one on bottom. The apple cucumber is crap. Tons of flowers, tons of pathetic fruit not finishing. Pollination problem? Ants all over it should be getting dealt with...

pH 6.6. Nitrates 0.

Drunk posting as we/I type speak....woooooohhhooooooo

AA....your DWC sh%$t is cool..... and the pumpkins YEAH BABY

***going to get another beer...brb**** Wooo

AA, you say deal with the ants, how's the best way to do that? I have ants taken up residence in my gropwbeds the bas%^&ds

Ah, I typed the context wrong.

Pollination - "Ant's all over it, should be getting dealt with."

Ants (Argentine) reside in my bed. They pollinate the pumpkins by moving from flower to flower. I like them. They even attack other insects and their eggs. Not one caterpillar has been found but plenty of moths about. Heard much bad press about these 'ravenous protein eating machines' and how they'll screw the ecology by displacing other species.

I've seen them attack and destroy a black ant nest carried off all the black ants food store and eggs to their own nest. Meanwhile they are attacking the black ants themselves about 10 - 1 as the argentine ants are tiny wee things.

Nothing like some of the scary ants you have there Monya.

They (Argentine ants/AA) are everywhere but leave my cupboards alone, bit once, just a pinprick and no after affects.

You could isolate the colony by spraying the legs of your beds, possibly diatomaceous earth around the inner base of your greenhouse would discourage them spreading or reinforcements arriving.

Janet would know a lot more on a subject like this I'm quite sure.

Saw a bizarre thing today. Black ants robbing a spiders web for a trussed up moth. Had a hard time freeing it.

If I could get rid of ants, they wouldn't be in my kitchen. Even through the winter! Gaaaa!!!!

Things I know about ants that haven't helped me:
- Water is a barrier. So is sticky stuff.
- Boron and powdered sugar is a low-toxicity solution, but I still wouldn't expose your fish to it.
- Some ants prefer sugar, some prefer protein/fat. Figuring out which one you have goes a long way to devising a proper bait.

Monomorium Destructor, AKA Japanese, Singapore ant, I came across these in Derby Western Australia.
They love to eat the plastic coating off the wiring in cars and houses.

Well I'll be... knew rats did that ... but ants.... maybe we're missing something as far as a food source goes ... lol

Wait, maybe that was 'Borax'. I can't remember what I know. It didn't help me anyway.