Hydroponics/Aquaponics

[Chimera]

anyone know where I can get coconut pith/dust locally

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Peat

[4kin4kar]

tracmac by monroe rd

[Chimera]

serious

kk thanks!

[Amit]

you can get the net pots 2'' at tracmac 0.44 cents , i purchase a few dozen yesterday, 20,20,20 mix $35 for 3lb, air pump 40 gallon for 110, air stone for $17
i need to buy a water pump soon $20 us

[Chimera]

Look like tramcar is d place to check. U tlkin bout the sunterra submersible pond pumps?

[rfari]

bump. any other places that sell hydro nutes?

[jramsarran]

what area u from?...
visit your nearest Ministry Of Food Production's County office for more info!....

u could prob get an Extension Officer to come do a Site visit and advise u accordingly

[rfari]

thanks hoss. will do. frm the last time i checked, they were pushing the growbox setup. do you know if its specialised hydro nutes for these systems or traditional soluble fertilisers used?

[jramsarran]

depends on the type of system u wanna set up....for instance, if it's a system using a drip irrigation system then fertilizers that are not fully soluble can end up clogging the lines.

hydro phonics is a very nice system, however it's also a completely "different science"
just make sure u do enough research.
esp with regards to chemical reactions of fertilizers etc.
eg. a lot of people don't know mixing calcium and phosphorus in concentration results in a chemical reaction which produces an insoluble precipitate....

there are ways to prevent this tho... ...
jus do some reading...

...look in the papers...<<cant remember which one>>
the last sunday of the month...
there's a schedule of short courses offered my the Ministry <<vegetable production etc.>>...FREE OF CHARGE....u jus need to call and register..<<limited spaces na>>

sometimes they offer hydro phonic courses! using simple effective models...dey usually take ppl on a field trip too...

[rfari]

thanks homie. i have seen the ads on the last sunday of the month but its either the course are booked out or i just can't make. will have to pay them a visit

[Chimera]

21st and 22nd is the hydrophonics course in centeno, i will be there

setting up hydro system under a greenhouse, now organising to build the green house.

fareed the manager at tracmac agri. department is very helpful

i gonna plant some lettuce

[Sanctifier]

^ ^ ^ Goog luck. Post pix of Greenhouse & Hydroponics construction please.

[Chimera]

simple cheap temporary green house made with 20 foot 3/4 inch pvc and 1/2 inch steel .

work in progress, started yesterday evening

[Sanctifier]

Good start. Keep pix coming.

[rfari]

simple cheap temporary green house made with 20 foot 3/4 inch pvc and 1/2 inch steel .

work in progress, started yesterday evening

looking good man. what peak vert clearance you dealing with? and what system arrangement you have in mind?

[Chimera]

peak clearance is 6 feet, i cud walk upright in it

still trying to decide on system, i have 1 inch rockwool cubes, coco pith, 1 inch net pots and getting 4 inch net pots next week

lemme ask u guys something, do we actually need to use greenhouse plastic in trinidad? or would shade netting be enough?

[Chimera]

also have 3 396 gph (6.3 ft. max) submersible pumps, around 60-80 feet of tubing for the pumps, 4 inch pvc lengths, 1 1/2 inch pvc lengths.

[rfari]

peak clearance is 6 feet, i cud walk upright in it

still trying to decide on system, i have 1 inch rockwool cubes, coco pith, 1 inch net pots and getting 4 inch net pots next week

lemme ask u guys something, do we actually need to use greenhouse plastic in trinidad? or would shade netting be enough?

If u using the plastic, you will prolly need to add ventilation to control the humidity. I haven't had experience with the greenhouse netting tho. It should work but I could confirm with the agri store on my side.

[Chimera]

I don't want to use the plastic, I jus wanna use the shade netting alone.

I don't really need to upkeep a certain heat or protect from cold, we don't have desert heat or snow here.

I have a bunch of shade netting from a old project though so I gonna just use that for now and see how it goes.

Turns out i buy enough steel and pvc to make 3 of the same green houses..so might end up making 3.

[bluesteel29]

peak clearance is 6 feet, i cud walk upright in it

still trying to decide on system, i have 1 inch rockwool cubes, coco pith, 1 inch net pots and getting 4 inch net pots next week

lemme ask u guys something, do we actually need to use greenhouse plastic in trinidad? or would shade netting be enough?

i find rockwool cubes restrict root growth as compared to other mediums .....the coconut husk is great imo

[jramsarran]

..??.....
boss...i don't mean to be rude eh...
obviously this is your first time farming!
do you mind me asking...where u getting your advice?
where u saw this model?

i foresee a lot of problems down d road.

[Chimera]

Actual hydro advice from tracmac agri manager. The greenhouse is from google. This is just a small sparetime test project.

[SNIPER 3000]

ABA where is tracmac in monroe road,i went looking yesterday and did not find the place.

[Chimera]

if heading north, you go up monroe road flyover and drive straight across and there is a warehouse complex, tracmac is all the way down to the end.

you don't turn off the flyover to go to monroe road or charlieville, just go up and drive straight across.

[SNIPER 3000]

Thanks man, do they have seedlings also?

[rfari]

..??.....
boss...i don't mean to be rude eh...
obviously this is your first time farming!
do you mind me asking...where u getting your advice?
where u saw this model?

i foresee a lot of problems down d road.

hoss it not helping the thread to just say that something is wrong and not offer any advice of our own eh. so maybe you can add something a little bit more worthwhile.

[jramsarran]

^^^yea i understand..
but i had to ask where the info coming from and get an idea of how much research was done first...u don't expect me to jus blurt out a bunch of info nobody understands.

first to begin with...the whole "green house" thing was designed for temperate regions and not the tropics.
hence the heat/ temperature problem and Relative Humidity as well.
if the "model" shown is only 6' off the ground...this only gonna be like 10 times worst.
<<even with saran netting>> or the ever famous "so called" insect proof mesh.
also...the shape of the model would make it difficult to manage plants inside...basic agronomic practices like weed control, spraying of pesticides, fertilizing etc. will be very limited.
the type of crops suitable for models that are wayyy higher than that are limited to leafy vegetables or cover crops that remain low on the ground.
but what i would really advise, is special or exotic crops <<ofcourse you will have to source a market>> but it makes no sense planting something that is commonly grown locally in high quantities. it is impossible to compete with farmers outside using conventional methods.

why would someone invest extra money to grow something that can be grown under normal conditions.

excessive heat in these models can cause flowers of certain plants to become sterile..the issue of pollination is a completely different story.

managing the soil or whatever medium will also be a challenge.

the materials used soo far <pvc> is not as sturdy as metal pipes, therefore may prove to be a little problem in high winds

this is just a few minor issues.

Please note that i am not discouraging you. the ppl who supply green houses locally are veryy good at marketing and they make everything sound soo nice and profitable.

just do enough research before jumping in with both feet.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE ME....
i would suggest though, that after assessing all the risks, you set up only 1 of these shed as a trial. depending on how successful you are then you should use the extra material to set up additional models.

just my humble opinion from the little bit of experience gained as a Supervisor of a Drip Irrigated Green House/ Shade House. i also do part-time farming.

[matthewmazda]

good luck in your venture

[Sanctifier]

...the whole "green house" thing was designed for temperate regions and not the tropics.
hence the heat/ temperature problem and Relative Humidity as well.

...it makes no sense planting something that is commonly grown locally in high quantities. it is impossible to compete with farmers outside using conventional methods.

why would someone invest extra money to grow something that can be grown under normal conditions.

...excessive heat... can cause flowers of certain plants to become sterile..the issue of pollination is a completely different story.

managing the soil or whatever medium will also be a challenge.

Thanks for your input. Can you help with a few answers please?
To start with...

chemical reactions of fertilizers etc.
eg. a lot of people don't know mixing calcium and phosphorus in concentration results in a chemical reaction which produces an insoluble precipitate....
there are ways to prevent this tho

Please explain how to correct this problem. Thanks.

the heat/ temperature problem and Relative Humidity... Can you suggest one or more suppliers of assisted ventilation green/shade houses? Or better yet, of anyone that may offer DIY kits for same? I want to enclose EVERYTHING to control pests AND temperature & humidity. Looking for 5,100 sq ft houses approx.

it is impossible to compete with farmers outside using conventional methods... invest extra money to grow something that can be grown under normal conditions... managing the soil or whatever medium will also be a challenge... That being the case, I'm NOT interested in conventional methods at all. NO "strict" Greenhouse production... NO "traditional" Hydroponics... and MOST important... NO soil!
I'm more interested in Aquaponics because of the MUCH higher yields and lower production costs. (See quote below.)

By eliminating ALL pesticide and fertilizer costs (equal to 32%+ input cost for "traditional" farmers...Is this right ) except for two simple "base" chemicals for pH control) wouldn't THIS be a better method to investigate?...



Link--> Design and Operation of the UVI Aquaponic System.

In one notable experiment the UVI researchers compared the yields of a leafy herb (basil) and a fruiting vegetable (okra) grown in aquaponic vs. field production systems. Basil and okra were raised in raft hydroponics. Yields of aquaponic basil were three times greater than field-grown, while yields of aquaponic okra were 18 times greater than field-grown. Based on a market price in the U.S. Virgin Islands of $22 per kg for fresh basil with stems, researchers calculated gross income potential. The aquaponic method would result in $515 per cubic meter per year or $110,210 per system per year. This compares to field-produced basil at $172 per cubic meter per year or $36,808 per year for the same production area. When fish sales are included, the aquaponic system yields $134,245 (Rakocy, et al, 2004).

BTW one system already exists in Maracas, St. Joseph today.
Your DETAILED critique and suggestions to refine/improve the system will be greatly appreciated.
If not, please call Wade @ 684-4552 (C) Thanks.

[jramsarran]

....oh lawd....^^^^
hoss i just typed out a really longggg reply.
like i wrote an essay and when i hit "Submit" turns out i got logged out of tuner!...
lost the whole thing.

anyways i not going through that again rite now na.
i'll try to give you a call if i get some time tomorrow!!