Pond Hydroponics

[theotheragentm]

I have a goldfish barrel with no filtration at all. During the winter my feedings are cut back and I do water changes the the lilies are in hibernation mode. During the summer, my water lilies grow like crazy and bioload is not an issue at all for the few goldfish I have in there.

I got to thinking, why do I have to grow lilies with my fish poop? Why can't I grow vegetables? That brings in hydroponics. With a pump and some PVC fittings, I could put together a system with some vegetables.

Does anyone have any experience in this? I would probably pump up and let the water slide down, keeping the roots wet. The plant nutrient requirements are really no different than aquarium plants. What do you guys think?

 

[FiveSix]

I don't know if this is the most active hydroponic forum but it coulld be a good start.
Hydroponics - GardenWeb


The thing with hydro is with all the air, water, nutrients and light mixed together it could be a breeding ground for fungus and algae. I actually grew a few pepper plants in a drip system but that was a few years ago and I forgot most of what I learned. I do however remember I dosed about 5 ml of H202 to keep algae fungus from starting. That might be counterintuitive with the ponds bio-cycle. Sounds like a good idea and you might be onto something.

Anyway, I just thought I post a link and give you a free bump


Good luck

 

[theotheragentm]

I think I decided to do a raised cover. The cover will hold some kind of clay media and I will pump the water up to the cover and have it gravity drain back down to the pond. This covers a filter for me too.

 

[mom2reds]

sounds interesting you wil have to keep us updated

 

[theotheragentm]

If I ever get around to it, the progress will be posted here. I tend to get a lot of fun ideas, but I never get most of them off the ground. Here is what I was thinking. Although this is a much smaller scale, the premise is the same. Anyone who wants to beat me to the punch and get started, feel free to go ahead with it.