Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I was warned tonight that the roots of mint can take over and clog drains. That I should plant in something like a floating pot. Problem is, is that I don't know beans about what a floating pot is or how to use one. It is something that is new to me. I tried search and google and got .... Can someone help me? I have a pond surface of 8 X 20 feet. Pond is approx 3 feet deep. My GB's are 4 foot by 4 foot 28 inches deep. I have 11 GBs filled with gravel. What do I need to do or design to grown mint, and things like kang-kong without clogging up my GB drains? Under members systems this forum I have "Johnra's 2012 system" (something close to that). Thanks, John

Go to: Johnra's new/remodled 2012 system". I have photos of my system. I was warned about mint on page 11. John

Johnra, have a look on the BYAP website in the shop section. They sell floating pots. Its basically a pot floating on top of the fish tank which allows invasive plants like mint to be kept in check. Try doing a search on the forum for floating pot

Personally Id keep mint out of your system all together, it only takes a root to get pumped up into your GB then away she goes.

Ive been trying to get mint out of my dirt garden for years. We only grow it in a pot now.

Hi Ben

Thanks for your help, but, I still do not know what a floating pot looks like. I tried google and they are drug minded - all kinds of info about floating bales of pot and for search on this forum - its only good if you have a day or two to read and find what you want, otherwise it is a waste of space.

Pond shops and Hydroponic shops will have mesh planter pots, or mesh baskets, sometimes called lily pots, and they will have floating rings that the mesh pots fit into. They look like donuts, some are made from foam, some are hollow moulded plastic.

This is basically what they look like, they come in all different shapes, sizes and designs.

I have my mint in hanging baskets over the tank

I grow mine in a open trough with no medium,when it gets too big I just chop most of it out and start again.

Now I know. And now my Thai wife knows and said we can find them or make them easy. My problem is I never saw, or thought about hydrophonics before I came to Thailand. I had never heard the word Aquaphonics. First time I talked to my wife about it she say - no have in Thailand. Here plants grow dirt only, not from rock.So now I get to learn it the hard way. When I go shoping I just wander through the store until I see what I want unless I have a picture to show the salesperson. The only real drawback to living in Thailand is the language. It is a hard one. Thank you very much, all of you. Johnra