Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey all,
Has anyone ever considered growing dwarf fruit trees in their system?
I want to sink a pond into a garden bed that gets the most sun in my backyard and put some grow beds over the top but then i would have to move my baby potted dwarf fruit trees to a much less sunny place. Then I thought - why not combine the two and have the trees in a row along the back of the grow bed so as not to block the sun from the vegies?
I was thinking of repotting them in bonsai bags - they look like those green recycling bags you're supposed to take to the supermarket - but they are a bit more plasticky. I dont think they have any holes in the bottom. The water just seeps through.
Any thoughts on pros and cons of this idea? Would the roots cope with constant flow of water - would I need to repot with something like scoria instead of soil?
Cheers
Aeon

I would say that the roots of a tree would grow right through that stuff!

Wht if you had a 'drip irrigation' going to them....

yeah but AM you'd then lose the whole idea of aquaponics, keeping the system closed. I'm not asying it can't be done, it just might cost a bit more in water. I've been giving this topic a bit of though and was considering a "tough" stand on which to put the trees (like a stainless steel stand) and letting the roots grow down into a growbed and just regularly trimming the roots so that they don't over-grow your growbed.

Interesting -
The bags were sent to me from the nursery specifically to grow the trees in so they must be 'rootproof' so to speak. They are meant for keeping on a verandah, patio etc. I was definately going to keep the system closed as the trees would be in the grow beds with the vegies and they water would drip through the bags, into the grow bed drains and back into the water pipes to the pond below. Does that sound right?
Aeon.

well, there is a lot of water loss to the air and transpiration anyway, so this would be the same... it would also remove water at a very slow rate, preventing ever having to do a water change (for example, copper can build up in a system, which is toxic to crustations - a drip system to something like these trees feeds the trees a good natural fertaliser and removes some of the elements etc which have built up) - and yes, you would have to top up, but it was just one of what I am sure are many ways of approaching this issue.

If Travis (Barrelponics) can grow Paw Paw in a growbed using AP, I cannot see why fruit trees would be so different. A strong growing media with some support from windy conditions. Also keep in mind most fruit trees don't like wet feet so adequate drainage would be important.

My 2c worth.

I have had it in my mid to try this very thing!

My plan was to buy those LARGE terracotta pots, and fit a pvc return to the bottom of it.

I would fill it with gravel and then have a circular drip line around the trunk, just to keep the roots moist.

Thew excess water runs back to the tank.

Only problem i foresee is the drip line. I have found that unless you have reasonable flow, even through 8mm holes, they will clog.

Thats my 2 cents

That is a very good 4 cents worth!!
I would like to add another 2c and suggest there is as soak hose that can be bought from the garden centre they say it doesn't block up because there are many microscopic holes to release water from.
When the inevitable happens and it does block it could be replaced, on a small scale the cost would be minimal.
Mind you I think it is made from recycled tyres so that is probably out of the quuestion.
I'll bin that 2c.
C1

C1 may be stated as un blockable from standard bits of silt and sand that usually blocks dripper jets. But for aqua we have a huge amount of very fine solids. IMHO that particual hose will work very well as a small micron filter, but will clog REAL quick. Could be wrong though

All I can say is your prolly right.
Though I did use it from my grey water creek and it lasted for a while, thinking about 18 months until trees were established.
I only used short pieces at the trunks on a tee from the 20mm poly pipe.
All was gravity fed.
C1

I've used that stuff, and in my experience, as it starts to clog, the larger holes can tend to squirt, which is not what you want, considering it will lose a lot of water over a 24 hour period.

HI been watching all the talk on trees how about burying blue drums in dirt up to there neck use joels flood and drain method but get your [cleanwater from the return line from the grow beds they say its still loaded with neutriants and wont clog] should be easy with a bank

True, but then you fish tank would need to be lower than this again so you can return the water from the friut trees to the tank using only a single pump system. (easy at your place F&F )

I've been thinking fruit trees lately too, but not the type being discussed here. I've been looking at banana trees - more specifically Dwarf Cavendish bananas. Their root system is more fiborous being a monocot, they are rapid growers and therefore gross feeders making them hungry and suitable subjects for AP, you don't need to worry about pollination because they are sterile hybrids that form fruit parthenogenically (i.e. without fertilisation), and can be made to remain vital without too much disturbance by removing spent trees (be decapitation) once they've fruited (this would leave a lot of biomass in the media unless you pulled it out and I don't know how the system would cope with this) to grow new suckers up to replace them. Bananas have also been grown hydroponically so have a proven ability to cope with wet feet. So it sounds like a plan to me. Dwarf cavendish grow to 5-7 feet and are also cold tolerant (check out www.cooltropix.com ), and have normal sized fruit.

If you can grow it hydroponically, there's a likelihood you can grow it aquaponically.....and most things can be grown hydroponically including trees.

There nothing that says you have to recirculate the water back into your fish tank. You could feed your trees with a predetermined amount of fish tank water each day. Any minerals or trace elements that were missing from the fish tank water could be added independently and, since the drain water is not returning to the tank, additives would not impact your fish.

Dwarf fruit trees grow readily in large pots of the type that Steve referred to. You could use growing media like course sand, coco-peat or even a premium potting mix. Effective drainage is essential if you are to avoid root rot, etc.