Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So I gather that chucking seeds directly into the media is an acceptable practice.

Stupid question time - if my system was on constant flow...would the seeds just flow into the fish tank...?

Thanks!

Many people germinate directly in their grow beds.

Let me see if I can find a couple threads, one moment please...

Thanks MacGyver. I did see a few posts on sowing directly to grow beds...but I'm not sure what system they have.

I suppose the media would trap the seeds? But it'd be tragically hilarious if the seeds all ended up in the fish tank

There is a layer of moist ball on top of mine that arent in the actual water. thats where i put all the seeds...

I think the seeds would struggle to find their way through the media. Some may sink low enough that they dont germinate but I cant see them making their way to the fish or sump tank.

Some seeds might be lost but many have had success. Someone thought of planting the seeds in sea weed balls and then putting them in the grow beds viewtopic.php?f=18&t=15170&hilit=seaweed+balls

i ahve put mine in between some tissue paper.


They germinated but i had a few die off. Not sure if this was because they remained soggy afterwards and the roots were too soggy

CF systems need the set water level (by standpipe) to be lower than other style systems. Purely for the 'wicking' effect.
A water level set in the GB of a CF system will have an accelerated or more aggressive wicking action due to the constant availability of water at that height.
For example, when I switched from F&D to CF I had to cut about an inch from my standpipe because the constant inflow of water at the original standpipe height caused the water to wick so intensely that my surface media was soaked. This caused issues with root rot and fungal issues.
I had to experiment cutting the standpipe down piece by piece till I found the desired hieght. Remember that plant roots actually dive quite deep in search for nutrient so water to the surface or even a few inches below is not really required for a mature plant. Only seeds need a bit of surface 'dampness' so to speak.
I have set my standpipe so that when I break the surface of the media with my hand I find damp media, this is where I sow my seeds.... which works beautifully.

brb going outside to cut down my standpipe.

my clay is about 2 inches above the surface of the water, in the daytime its not wet but at night time its all wet and moist.

I'm running CF now and have planted seeds directly into the media. Mostly, I pulled back the media to the damp (not wet) level, laid down a paper towel, spread the seeds on the towel, and put the media back. It somewhat worked and some seed varietiess started better than others. I've had much better luck planting seeds in standard flats with a soiless mix and then transplanting them into the grow beds. Germination is much better and you don't waste time and GB space wondering and waiting. I think the overall growth rate is much better doing it this way also.

just for reference, i threw some english baby spinach seeds in the GB's the other day and gave them a rough covering, they have all sprouted well.

Ive got clumps of 5 or so plants all around teh gb's.

I run CF with the water level about 2 inch from the top of the clay