Ways to Grow Plants Faster:

I’m a keen gardener and run a pretty large greenhouse for my vegetables and flowers. This works out great for the most part, yet sometimes I never yield enough food to sustain our self-sufficient lifestyle.

The main problem I have now is space, time and the sheer amount of energy to look after a busy greenhouse. I lowered my work hours to 20 per week so I could downshift my life, yet I’m easily spending the other 20 weeding, planting and keeping pests away from the crop.

When I first picked up the guide to aquaponics, I was sceptical to say the least. I didn’t understand the process or the science behind it and assumed it was a fad that wouldn’t really help me.

I was so wrong, I really was…

The first thing I learned in the aquaponics guide, was that aquaponics is an interesting offshoot of hydroponics, first developed by the University of the Virgin Islands. It’s been in quiet development since then, being picked up by a small number of people each day.

I decided to give the system a go and see what the results were for myself.

Building the system

Thankfully, the aquaponics guide is really well informed. Far from simply telling you the rough outline of how to build an aquaponics system, it goes into great detail about building, maintaining and getting the greatest yield from your new set-up.

The first step was to build a hydroponic style tank to hold the water in. The pipes and fittings are easily available in most DIY shops whilst the tanks are also cheap; eBay for me was the easiest place to pick up a decent, built for purpose tub.

The system works by introducing fish into the tank, sounds weird but as any fish keeper will tell you, plants absolutely love the nutrients of fish tank water. I own 2 hobby fish tanks and the underwater plants in them grow very strong, requiring a trim every week or two.

It’s only when I realized the relationship between my own fish tanks, the plant life inside growing amazingly quick that I realised this method actually might work!

It took me two weekends to construct the main tank system. My advice would be to make sure all your joints are perfect, it’s much better to pay $1 for a decent fitting than to have problems with leaking later on. I actually decided early on to spend a good 3 weekends on my system, making sure everything was put together perfectly and the fish were introduced slowly.

Introducing the Fish

By weekend 3, I was ready to introduce some goldfish to my system. As a fish keeper already, I had some used filters and water to add to my system right away. The thing with fish tank water is that it’s packed full with helpful bacteria. These bacteria keep the fish alive and help create a great environment for your plants to grow healthy and strong. If you don’t keep fish yourself try asking a friend who does if you can borrow a used filter or some water. It doesn’t take the bacteria long to work their magic if you start with a few existing ones from an existing tank.

Anyway, I was able to get my fishes, filters and water sorted in just under a week. The tank water readings were settled and I was ready to start planting.

My first crop were tomato plants, it just happened to be the perfect time of year to plant so made a gamble to grow the whole crop within the aquaponics system. It takes a little while to get the hang of planting with a hydroponic like systems and for those of you who’ve only used soil in the past, it’s worth reading through the guide twice and making use of the helpful video section.

No Weeding! Brilliant!

It was only a few weeks after planting that I realized the huge benefits of the system.

• No weeding at all!
• Very few pests and certainly no soil based ones anymore!
• Less hours spent cultivating the crop!

That’s not to say there haven’t been teething issues. The tank did leak during the first week but thankfully I was able to repair the system without draining it fully. One or two of my fish also died, partly I think because they were old or sick before I bought them. Still, the benefits of the system have really started to hit home now.

My Tomatoes Have Grown!

One thing I will say, and it’s worth remembering for when you start out. It does take a few weeks for the system to get up to full speed. During the first week or two my tomatoes didn’t grow much at all. However, once we entered the third week the plants sprouted quickly and continued to grow strong.

I suspect this was because the bacteria, algae and other things required to pack the water with nutrients needed to grow and colonise the tank. Like all fish tanks, it takes a little while for the eco-system to flourish and the nitrogen / ammonia cycle to kick in.

Once it kicks in though, your plants will love it! Be patient while you wait though, it’s worth it!

I mentioned the lack of pests earlier. Well, so far I’ve not actually needed to spray the plants at all, the very first time I’ve been able to grow a vegetable that’s truly organic! That’s a first for me and I’m quite proud of it!

One of the free books that comes with the guide is “Organic gardening for beginners” – something I’m starting to take a real interest in now that I know my aquaponics system requires very little pest control.

I’m currently building another tank

My aquaponics tank is about 6 months old now and I’m ready to expand the system and build another. I did ponder about building a larger tank but I’m actually going to use the exact same tub, fittings and follow the book instructions again. The book is so well written I’ve just re-read it for the third time; my new tank and pipes arrive next week!