Farmer's Blog

How to Make Your Own Aeroponics System

di September 27, 2018 0

Know what it takes to build your own High Pressure Aeroponics (HPA)

Gathering information on HPA is very important before building your own system. We can learn a lot from other people’s mistakes and just avoid heartaches. Why go through the school of hard knocks if someone else has done it already? The problem we have is knowing what information is good advice while others are poor. So let’s talk about some of my research here.

First let’s set this straight that true aeroponics is high pressure. It happens to be more complicated but the most rewarding when it comes to plant growth.

The design of HPA can be traced to 1970. However, NASA revolutionized in the 1990s by reporting it as the most efficient way to grow plants in outer space. Many studies have proven the benefits of growing plants in an aeroponic system, both on Earth and in space.

Here are some of the benefits – PROS:

It uses up to 98% less water than conventional growing methods

The nutrients used are 1/3 the amount needed for hydroponics and soil growing methods

We can plant more plants in a closer spacing

There is no cost for any soil

Some crops can produce up to four harvests annually rather than just two.

Even though aeroponics sound great there are a few downfalls – CONS:

There are more pieces or parts to purchase compare to other growing methods

It uses an expensive high pressure pump

HPA requires close monitoring and maybe frequent maintenance, mainly clogged spray head due to salt buildup.

The system depends on electricity to keep it running

Relative short failures of the system could lead to loss of your whole crop in minutes instead of hours.

Now, let’s talk about the specifics of building an HPA (High Pressure Aeroponics) system.

There are basically two types of aeroponics

One that NASA produced HPA (High Pressure Aeroponics), and the LPA (Low Pressure Aeroponics) lower cost system. LPA systems are the most common used and built by DIYers.

LPA systems use a standard magdrive pump couple to some PVC or tubing, and a few miniature sprinkler heads. The water spray from an LPA sprinkler head has large droplets that surround the plant roots. LPAs generally run the system 24 hours and 7 days a week, continually wetting the roots. The works well, and are cheap and easy to build. However they are not as efficient as HPA systems.

HPA systems must operate at a high pressure, normally above 80 PSI, ideal is 100 PSI. The high pressure is used to atomize the water through a small orifice to create water droplets of 50 microns or less in diameter. One micron is one-millionth of a meter. The average diameter of human hair is 80 microns. So we are talking about a really tiny water drop. HPA also must run on a much accurate time cycle. HPAs might run 1 to 5 seconds on, and then off 3 to 5 minutes. Specific components are required in controlling the timing interval and creating the proper size mist.

Droplet size

NASA research has shown that plants are more willing to absorb nutrient water in 5 to 50 microns droplets more effectively than any other sizes. Water droplet size is crucial for sustaining aeroponic growth. Too large of a water droplet means less oxygen is available to the root system. Too fine of a water droplet, such as those generated by the ultra-sonic mister, produce excessive root hair without developing a lateral root system for sustained growth in an aeroponic system.

In review, HPAs require high pressure to operate properly for producing the optimal 50 micron droplet size from the misters. Also, HPAs need precise timers that are adjustable down to seconds.

The components of our system:

As mentioned earlier, NASA as shown that plants ae more willing to absorb water in the 5 to 50 microns. Therefore, it is for this understanding that HPA (High Pressure Aeroponics) is more efficient than the most common Low Pressure Aeroponics system.

Again, to achieve the optimal conditions for plant development, it requires some primary components and tools.

The basic components of our HPA are as follows:

High-Pressure water pump

Pre-Pressurize Accumulator Tank

Electrical-Solenoid hooked to an adjustable relay timer

Pressure switch

Mister nozzles

The High-Pressure Water Pump

The main component of an HPA system is the water pump. The pump has to be able to produce the droplet size of twenty to fifty microns. These kind of pumps are usually diaphragm type or the reverse osmosis boosters. The pump should produce a constant 80psi, so try to find one that can generate 100psi or even more.

When you buy the pump, set it somewhere between 80 and 100psi, any adjustments later will be difficult to be made. If you planned an expansion of your system later on, then get a Shur-flow pump, they are commonly used in soda machines and carpet cleaners.

The Accumulator Tank

You can find these tanks in many homes and RV’s to keep the right water pressure in the pipeline. Mainly, they prevent the pump from overworking. These tanks are pre-pressurized and are divided into two spaces. One space takes up the rubber bladder which expands according to the water pressure, and the other space is taken by the pressurized air.

The pressurized air is used to move the water out when the faucet is turned on. So now, we assume you might be thinking why would you need a tank if you already have a pump that can create the pressure? Well, let us go a little bit back, the water pump is the main component of the HPA system and the most expensive one.

The accumulator tank is there to extend its lifetime and to reduce the time of usage of it. In the long term, the tank will save you money, because if the pump gets broken, the replacement will be way more expensive than the tank.

The accumulator tank has one more key role, and that is to create a constant pressure once the solenoid is opened thus creating the right size droplets. In a system, without the accumulator tank, the size of the droplets wouldn’t be constant, and they would be bigger than they should be.

The Electrical Solenoid

The sole use of the solenoid is to start and stop the water flow to the system when the timer goes on and off. It’s an electronically operated valve. The solenoid is plugged into a relay timer circuit. The system is pretty similar to the simple automatic lawn sprinkler. The best timers for solenoid control are the ones that are accurate to one second on, and in the minutes off.

The Pressure Switch

This part of the system is controlling the pressure. Some pumps have it included, but it can be purchased separately as well. What it does is tell the pump at what pressure it’s supposed to turn on and off. Basically, it senses the pressure of the water, and when it gets too low, it turns on the pump. Once it measures the right pressure, it turns the pump off again. It should be set to turn the pump on at 80psi and off at 100psi.

The Misters

Atomization of the water is achieved by pumping the water through small nozzles at high pressure. We want to save our nutrients, and the cost of operation, so smaller nozzles are what we need. Choose a full-cone nozzle pattern. Higher pressure nozzles have high velocity, and they can cut off the root hairs. Stay away from these. To prevent clogging, use a fine mesh filter prior to misting nozzles.

Source : gardeningwizards & aeroponicsdiy

Aeroponic Hydroponic

3 Types of Aeroponic System

di September 27, 2018 2

Low pressure Aeroponic Systems (LPA)

Also termed "soakaponics" low pressure aeroponic systems are what most people are familiar with when they think of aeroponics. That's mainly because most all aeroponic systems sold at stores selling hydroponics supply's are low pressure systems. While the low pressure systems work very nicely, the large water droplet size is much different than in the high pressure systems.

Source : Aeroponic.net

The main reason the low pressure aeroponic systems are so popular is that they don't require much more in the way of cost or special equipment than other types of hydroponic systems. The simplicity and low cost of low pressure systems makes this type of aeroponic system very attractive to many home growers.

While you don't need any special equipment or a special water pump. The standard fountain/pond pumps will do just fine. You do however want a pump that's stronger than you would for any other type of hydroponic system. That's the main and most important difference. That's because the pressure in the system will drop some with each sprinkler head you add. Fountain and pond pumps don't give a psi (pressure) rating, but the more GPH (gallons per hour) it can put out closer to the "max head height" the stronger (more pressure) the pump has.

You will want enough sprinkler heads that the spray overlaps, and completely covers the entire root zone. Even as the plants get bigger and the root mass gets bigger. As the root mass gets big, it's often hard for the spray from the sprinkler heads to penetrate the thick root mass. If you design your low pressure aeroponic system so the roots are sprayed from above the root mass or near the top of it, the water will trickle down through the root mass much better than trying to spray them from below.

High pressure Aeroponic Systems (true aeroponic systems)

While the low pressure systems are the most common, high pressure aeroponic systems are the "true aeroponic" systems. That's because it takes the higher pressure (60-90 psi) to properly atomize the water into a fine mist with a very small water droplet size. This fine mist allows the roots to get a lot more oxygen than in low pressure systems. However it's more complicated and expensive to build a high pressure aeroponic system.

What you'll need to build your own true high pressure Aeroponic system:

Accumulator tank (to act as the pressurized reservoir tank).

Solenoid valve (to open and close the feed line to the mister heads).

Cycle timer (to open and close the solenoid valve).

Fine spray mister heads (to spray the roots with a fine mist).

Small air compressor (to pressurize the accumulator tank).

Enclosed growing chamber for the root zone.

A collection reservoir to collect the runoff if you plan to recirculate the nutrient solution.

While the basic design of the growing chamber and plant support can remain the same as with low pressure systems. The water (nutrient solution) delivery system is much different. Because of how often a pump would need to turn on and off (100's to 1,000's of times a day) it would ware out very quickly. So the water pump is eliminated in high pressure aeroponic systems.

Source : Pixabay

To do that they pressurize the reservoir. The easiest way to do that is by using an accumulator tank similar to the type used in RO (reverse osmosis) water systems. It's basically nothing more than a tank with a rubber divider/diaphragm in the center, creating two sides. Water (nutrient solutions) goes in one side, and compressed air goes in the other. The air is filled until the pressure reaches about 60 to 90 psi. That pressure pushes against the rubber diaphragm and pressurizes the reservoir side with the nutrient solution in it to the same psi.

A water line runs from the reservoir to the mister heads in the enclosed growing chamber to mist the roots. A Solenoid valve is used to open and close the water flow through the line to the mister heads. The Solenoid valve open and close timing is controlled by a cycle timer. The cycle timer can open and close the Solenoid for as little as one second, to as long as the grower wants. Typically it's open/on for just a few seconds at a time, and off for only minutes before it sprays again. The cycle timer opens and closes the solenoid watering the plants roots with mist on this type of "on/off cycle" all day long.

Ultrasonic foggers

Ultrasonic foggers have also been used to create a mist in aeroponic systems, however with mixed results. Ultrasonic foggers are most commonly used to create visual displays in ponds, as well as on stage. They are also often sold around halloween with the halloween decorations too. While they do create a mist with a very small water droplet size, there is very little actual moisture in the mist/fog.

The mist created from ultrasonic foggers also tends to drop to the bottom of the container. Making it hard to make sure the roots are completely covered by the mist all the time. Another issue with using foggers is that the plates tend to clog with mineral build up. The only plates that have shown to work with any reliability are the more expensive Teflon heads. They can sometimes be cleaned using white vinegar, or water and pH down, and wiping them off with a Q-tip. Some growers have combined using ultrasonic foggers along with the low pressure aeroponic design in the same system.

You also can read : How to Make Your Own Aeroponics System

Source : Homehydrosystems

Aeroponic Hydroponic

What Is Aeroponic System?

di September 27, 2018 0

Source : Hannainst

While the concept of the aeroponic system is quite simple, it's actually the most technical of all 6 types of hydroponic systems. However it's still fairly easy to build your own basic aeroponic system, and a lot of home growers like growing in them as well, and even get really good results using this type of hydroponic system.

Like with any other type of hydroponic system, you can use many different kinds of materials to build it, as well as many different types of design setups to fit in your space. Your really only limited by the space you have, and your imagination.

Some advantages to using an aeroponic systems are they typically use little to no growing media. The roots get maximum oxygen, and the plants grow more rapidly as a result. Aeroponic systems also generally use less water than any other type of hydroponic system (especially true aeroponic systems). Also harvesting is usually easier, especially for root crops.

However there are a few downsides to aeroponic systems as well. Besides being a bit more expensive to build. The mister/sprinkler heads can clog from build up of the dissolved mineral elements in the nutrient solution. So make sure to have extras on hand to swap out when they do clog while you clean them. Also because the plants roots are hanging in mid air by design in aeroponic systems, the plants roots are much more vulnerable to drying out if there is any interruption in the watering cycle. Therefor, even any temporary power outage (for any reason) could cause your plants to die much more quickly than any other type of hydroponic system. Also there's a reduced margin for error with the nutrient levels in aeroponic systems, especially the true high pressure systems.

What you'll need to build your own basic Aeroponic system:

Container to hold the nutrient solution (a reservoir).

Submersible fountain/pond pump.

Tubing to distribute water from the reservoir pump to the mister heads in the growing chamber.

Enclosed growing chamber for the root zone.

Mister/sprinkler heads.

Water tight container for the growing chamber where the plants root systems will be.

Tubing to return the excess nutrient solution back to the reservoir.

Timer (preferably a cycle timer) to turn on and off the pump.

How the aeroponic system operates is a fairly easy concept. First the purpose of the roots hang in mid air is so they can get the maximum amount of oxygen that they can get. The high volume of oxygen the roots get allows the plans to grow faster than they would otherwise, and the main benefit to this type of hydroponic system.

Second, there is typically very little if any growing media is used, exposing all the plants roots. The plants are suspended either by small baskets, or closed cell foam plugs that compress around the plants stem. These baskets or foam plugs fit in small holes at the top of the growing chamber. The roots hang down inside the growing chamber where they get sprayed with nutrient solution from mister heads at regular short cycles. The regular watering cycles keep the roots moist and from drying out, as well as provides the nutrients the plants need to grow.

The growing chamber the roots are in should be light proof, and almost air tight. It does need to allow fresh air in so the roots can get plenty of oxygen, but you don't want water to spill out, or pests to get in. Also you want the root chamber to hold in humidity. Ultimately what you want is the roots to get plenty of moisture, fresh oxygen, and nutrients. A a well designed aeroponics system provides a good balance of all three of those elements to the roots at the same time.

Lastly, a major factor in aeroponic systems is the water droplet size. Roots sprayed with a fine mist will grow much faster, bushier, and with more surface area to absorb nutrients and oxygen with than roots sprayed with small streams of water like from small sprinkler heads. That translates into the plant canopy growing more rapidly as well. Aeroponic system types are categorized by the water droplet size.

You also can read : 3 Types Of Aeroponic System

Source : Homehydrosystems.com

Livestock

5. Precision Livestock Farming

di September 27, 2018 0

Source : Pixabay

Livestock farming is facing tremendous challenges today:

Increasing production: over the next 15 years, global demand for meat is expected to increase by 40% triggered by a growing number of people adopting protein-richer diets. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), technology solutions in agricultural and livestock production systems will play a key role to address this challenge and ensure an adequate food supply for an expected population of 9.7 billion by 2050

Promoting sustainability & animal welfare: while increasing production, it will be important to find ways to minimize the environmental footprint of livestock farming and ensure high levels of welfare and health for animals.

Alleviating farmers’ workload and ensuring economic viability of farm operations: it will be important find solutions that will enable farmers to manage large number of animals in an adequate and profitable manner.

Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) systems offer solutions to all of the above challenges.

PLF systems:

help farmers to increase livestock production and quality of production in a sustainable manner

offer tailored care for the animals in terms of feeding, milking and housing

make many of the farmer’s daily tasks much easier to handle

PLF management tools enable continuous, automatic monitoring of animal welfare, health, environmental impact and production in real-time. The latest PLF systems can help farmers to collect and manage detailed information to ensure livestock production is safe, environmentally sustainable and in compliance with highest health and welfare standards. Currently, PLF techniques are predominantly applied to the husbandry of pigs, poultry and dairy cows.

Examples of PLF systems include:

Precision feeding systems: feeding systems allow farmers to feed their cows accurately, precisely and with minimal expenditure of work at all times (24/7).

Precision milking robot: a good example of large adoption of PLF systems are automatic milking machines. These robotic systems can handle up to 65 cows on an average of 2.7 times per day.

Stable and farm management systems: various PLF support and monitoring systems exist, which use cameras and microphones and thus act as the eyes and ears of the farmer at all times.

Source : Cema-agri.org

Benefits of PLF systems:

Greater sustainability & higher productivity: recent studies show PLF management systems can raise milk yields, while also increasing cows’ life expectancy and reducing their methane emissions by up to 30%. Thanks to automated PLF techniques farmers are able to reduce time spent on routine, ordinary tasks and thus free up time to spend more time with the animals and manage larger herds, hence increasing efficiency, productivity, and animal friendliness.

Increased animal welfare through an individual ‘per animal’ approach: PLF systems allow farmers to follow and manage the individual animal’s status and well-being closely at all times. They can detect diseases at an early stage, for instance, acoustic sensors can pick up an increase in coughing of pigs. PLF systems can also alert farmers of specific needs of animals by sending an SMS. Moreover, automated solutions operate without the limitations and constraints of human labour and thus provide more freedom for animals for self-determined, species-appropriate behaviour.

Easier farm operations: PLF systems enable livestock farmers to take care of a large number of animals per farm, while providing individual attention to each animal and complying – and documenting compliance – with high quality and welfare standards.

Source : Cema-agri.org

Livestock

Chicken Feed Financials: Save Time & Money Feeding Your Flock

di September 26, 2018 0

Source : Pixabay

Chicken keepers love their birds and are generally concerned about the health of their flocks. That said, they are also concerned about the costs associated with feeding flocks of layers. Many people over the years have talked to me about the cost of feed and the equated cost of the eggs they eat.

Such discussions get more pointed when eggs are on sale at the grocery store for less than $1 per dozen. In practice, I rarely see experimentation or study on feeding flocks or seeking efficiencies in the operation and economics of owning chickens. Instead, I usually see people searching for a cheaper feed source. While I believe we can mitigate the costs of feed, the real savings are in efficiencies we can employ in the feeding process.

Seasonal Expansion

Chickens are omnivores and, as such, eat just about anything. Their digestive systems are very simple and allow for the consumption of many food types. As chicken keepers, it’s important to take advantage of the wide range of food items and sources at our discretion when feeding them. While most of your chickens’ diet is feed ration that you provide, recognize the many options available.

Depending on the time of year, many low cost or even free food sources are available beyond kitchen scraps and the gardening leftovers your chickens love. While there is great value in letting your chickens graze on fresh pasture in the spring, many people don’t have the acreage to do so.

“The amount of complete feed consumed may be reduced by supplementing with pasture or lawn clippings,” states the Suburban Rancher bulletin on feeding chickens by the Cooperative Extension University of California Division of Agriculture Sciences. “Young, tender plants provide valuable nutrients for chickens, but old fibrous plants are not well digested and are of little value.”

That said, make sure these are fresh clippings not from areas sprayed with pesticides. In the summer, many growers need to get rid of extra squash and zucchini. These can be great sources of nutrition for your flock while stretching your purchased feed. Summer also provides a special treat for chickens in the form of watermelon and cantaloupe rinds.

Source : Pixabay

In the fall, many people need to discard withering pumpkins and gourds that were used as decorations in October. Chickens love the soft insides of pumpkins. Just slice the pumpkin like a loaf of bread so chickens can get to the insides in a ring form.

All these supplements are great for chicken health as well as our feed budgets. That said, supplements should make up no more than 10 percent to 15 percent of chickens’ diet. The main feed—grain—makes up the largest percentage. As such, it requires our greatest attention.

To Feed or Not to Feed

You can safely feed these supplemental foods to your chickens in moderation:

bread

cabbage

cooked meat, bite-size

cucumbers

corn on the cob

grains

lettuce

melon rinds

pumpkins and other gourds

squash/zucchini

Don’ t feed these food items to your flock, as they can be potentially hazardous to poultry.

avocados

chocolate

garlic

greasy foods

onions

processed foods

raw meat

raw potato peels

salt

spoiled/rotten food

Good Grains

In Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens (2010), author and chicken-keeper Gail Damerow writes that “a layer eats about 4 pounds of ration for every dozen eggs she lays, which works out to between 4 and 41⁄2 ounces of feed per hen per day, or just less than 2 pounds per hen per week.”

Starting with an estimated amount of feed per chicken per day lets you be much more efficient in feeding. Know the exact amount you should dispense at each feeding. Many dollars are wasted every day dispensing rations without regard for the amount that’s truly needed.

As you take the number of chickens and multiply it by 4 ounces, you get the amount that you should feed each day. To avoid weighing the feed each time, weigh the appropriate amount one time and mark the container in which you dispense the food.

This brings us to continuous feeders. Continuous feeders are handy for time management, but they are the least efficient way to feed. The use of a trough-style feeder is the most efficient tool to use in feeding your flock. The trough lets you feed exactly the amount your chickens need and lets you keep their feed fresh and cleaned up. Here are a few key issues when using a trough-style feeder.

Each bird should have around 4 inches of space at the trough to eat. This might require constructing multiple trough-style feeders if you have a large flock.
Never fill your trough feeder more than one-third full. According to Damerow, chickens will waste nearly 30 percent of the feed in a full trough, while wasting only 10 percent of one that’s two-thirds full, and only about 1 percent of a trough that’s one-third full. In my experience, if you can hear the birds sneezing because they have buried their beaks past their nostrils, then you have the feed too deep. You save money by having a greater number of troughs with less feed in each one. You can also provide some moisture to your grain.
Make sure your trough isn’t open to roosting on the sides and doesn’t let chickens stand inside it. These situations can contaminate the feed and require greater work for cleaning. Use a trough-feeder design that keeps chickens from roosting on or entering it.
Don’t combine fresh feed in a trough with old feed. Trough feeders collect moisture and create packed spots where feed is continually dumped without regard for the old feed.
Store feed in a dry, rodent-free area. A clean metal or plastic garbage can works well. Use all the feed in the container before adding more; prolonged storage can cause rancidity and destroy vitamins and minerals. It’s far easier to have two cans. This lets you finish all the grain in one can while having fresh grain in the second.

Source : Shuterstock

When efficiently providing a specific amount of ration, feeding chickens more than once a day gives them the optimum daily nutrition. Fill their crop multiple times a day to best aid in the creation of the egg.

The egg-development cycles lasts about 25 hours, with about 20 hours dedicated to the formation of the shell and the bloom. As you disperse your feed to your flock throughout the day, you force them to clean up the food allowance each time they are fed.

Pioneering poultry scientist Gustave F. Heuser of Cornell University found this to be the case, too. In his classic guide to poultry nutrition, Feeding Poultry (second edition, 2003), he cites several studies that speak to feeding chickens twice a day for good results. The best results were shown when the chickens were fed half their ration in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.

Water

Finally, for efficient feed utilization, provide your chickens with adequate, clean, fresh water. Chickens drink a little bit of water multiple times a day to keep their systems hydrated. Their bodies are about 50 percent water, and eggs contain nearly 65 percent water. Clearly, the most important ingredient in your chicken’s diet is water.

If your hens don’t get enough water, they don’t lay well. It doesn’t matter how much you feed them. If you want an efficient feeding regimen, provide a continual source of water.

Each of us raises chickens for reasons dear to us. There is no established blueprint for the feeding of chickens in the most efficient manner. However, approaching the subject of feed for your chickens armed with the right kind of feeder and dispensing feed according to prescribed amounts will keep your birds happy and healthy while minimizing your feed costs.

This story originally appeared in the March/April 2018 issue of Hobby Farms.

Source : Hobbyfarms.com

Fisheries Guide Livestock

Catfish Farming Guide for Beginer

di September 26, 2018 0

Source : Sangkuti.farm

Commercial and small scale catfish farming business is gaining popularity day by day. There are numerous catfish species available throughout the world. Among those species, some are very large in size and some species are smaller. Nowadays catfish are highly available in the market and most of the people love this fish on their table. Although the number of catfish in natural water resources is reducing due to numerous reasons. Lack of natural living place and fishing in a plenty are the most common reason for reducing the number of catfish species. But now people are becoming interested in catfish farming and establishing large or small scale catfish farm commercially. If you like fish farming business, then you can also stock and manage catfish in your pond. There are some steps for starting this fish farming business, which are shortly described below.

Pond Selection for Catfish Farming

Pond selection play a very important role for maintaining a successful catfish farming business. Before selecting the pond for catfish farming, you have to consider the followings.

The selected pond must have to be free from flood.

Shore of the pond will be strong enough and free from all types of licks and hole.

All fish will escape from the pond if there are any hole in the pond shore.

Water depth will not be more than 4 feet during rainy season.

It will be better if you construct oblong pond instead of squire pond.

Construct the pond in an open area, so that the sunlight can directly incur.

Pond Management

Catfish can be cultivated in both new and old pond. But it will be better if you cultivate catfish in an old pond. If you want to use new pond, then you have to use fertilizers such as dung, lime etc. Applying fertilizer after constructing the pond will make the soil fertile. If the soil of your pond is not fertile, then it will hamper the health and proper growth of fish. In case of cultivating in old pond, dry the pond perfectly before stocking catfish. Remove excessive clay and harmful gas before stocking. After that apply lime and other fertilizers. Cover a certain area with pond where you will stock the minnow for first time. Covering the place with net will prevent the fish from some harmful predators such as frog and snakes. Snakes harm a lot than frogs. Fill the pond with fresh water (2 – 3 feet water depth for first time), after making the fence . Stock minnow after 2 to 3 days of filling the pond.

Minnow

After completing all pond management tasks, stock high quality catfish minnow. Purchase 2 to 3 inch size minnow from the hatchery. There are many hatcheries available who are producing high quality, diseases free and highly productive catfish minnow. Apply anti fungus medicines in the pond, after 2 or 3 days of stocking minnow. This will help to keep the minnow free from all types of diseases.

Minnow Density

You can use your pond for cultivating only catfish or with other fish species. If you cultivate catfish with other carp fish, then the stocking density will be at most 2500 to 3000 per acre. You can increase the number, if you cultivate only catfish in a pond. You can cultivate catfish with other fish species such as tilapia fish, pangash etc. You can stock 4000-5000 catfish if you cultivate with pangash or tilapa. Cultivating catfish with carp fish, tilapia or pangash will help to reduce the feeding costs. Catfish will eat the food provided for carp fish from the bottom of the pond, along with consuming their regular feed. The main benefit of catfish farming with carp fish is that, this mixed system help to reduce the quantity of ammonia gas from the pond and ensure a healthy environment for all fish species.

Feed Management

Provide 20% of feed daily for the first 10 days, according to the body weight of stocked fish. Usually catfish minnow like to eat food at night. So serve their feed twice a day. Reduce the feed serving rate to 12 to 15 percent, after the first 10 days. Catfish start taking feed during day time when they reach about 3 inch size. After one months from stocking, provide them 5% of feed daily, according to their body weight. For measuring average weight of catfish, measure the total weight of 10 fish and divide the total weight by 10. For example, total weight of 10 catfish is 2 kg, divide the result by 10. Now the average weight of one catfish is 200 g. Measure average weight of catfish after a certain period and feed them according to their average body weight. Provide them feed twice daily (first in the morning and rest in the evening). Always provide adequate feed according to the age and body weight of the fish. If you provide the catfish less feed than their daily demand, then they will not live and grow properly. And if you serve excessive feed than their demand, then the extra food will pollute water and increase feeding costs.

During Winter Season

Winter season is not favorable for catfish farming. Various diseases affect the catfish during this season. So you have to take extra care during this season. Change water on a regular basis, usually after every 15 days. Apply anti fungus medicine after every one month. Keep water depth within 2 feet. If you notice excessive amount of ammonia gas, then you can use Ganonex medicine (a medicine, usually used for removing ammonia gas).

Catfish Collection

You can use net for collecting fish from the pond. But it’s very difficult to collect catfish from pond by using net. You can use net for collecting a few catfish. But if you want to collect all fish at once, then you have to remove the water from the pond. Always try to collect fish when it’s morning or afternoon. Never collect catfish, when it’s too sunny weather outside. Because collecting catfish in excessive sunny days will damage the condition of fish and you will experience lower rate in the fish market.

Catfish has a great demand and price in the market. Almost all types of people like to have catfish dish on their table. Catfish also has medicinal value and very suitable for the patient. As a result, doctors advice their patient to eat catfish. However, catfish farming is also a very suitable way to earn some income along with your current job. And also a great source for fulfilling your daily family nutritional demand. On an average, you can produce about 4 tons of catfish (in proper care and management) from a pond of one acre within 10 months.

Source : roysfarm.com

Hydroponic

What Plants Can You Grow Hydroponically?

di September 25, 2018 0

Source : Pixabay.com/Gardening-green

One of the most common questions for beginner hydroponic gardeners is “What can I grow?” The simple answer is that given the right setup and nutrient balance, you can grow any plant hydroponically. To choose what plants would be best suited for your home system, you should consider the following factors: what kind of system you have or wish to build, how much space you have, how much experience you have, and your reasons for choosing hydroponics.

What kind of system do you have?

The two basic categories of hydroponic systems are Solution, or Liquid Culture and Medium, or Aggregate Culture. In a Solution system, such as Aeroponics or Nutrient Film Technique the plants grow directly in the nutrient-filled solution. This type of setup works best with a fast growing, shallow-rooted plants such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, and herbs.

Medium systems, such as Wick Systems or Ebb & Flow systems, utilize a growing medium such as gravel, sand or Hydroton. Because the medium provides good support for heavy plants, these setups work well for vegetables and herbs with deep roots such as comfrey, chicory, and beets, or those that are more top-heavy and need support such as beans, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

If you don’t have a hydroponic set up yet, considering what kind of plants you wish to grow can help inform what kind of system you choose. If you love fresh herbs and salads, but only have a small amount of space to dedicate to your garden, you may do best with a small D.I.Y Wick System. If you are somewhat experienced and are looking for more exotic options or a way to upgrade your hydroponic garden, you may want to consider going for a more high-tech system such as Aeroponics.

How much space is available?

Space is a big factor to consider when choosing which plants to grow in your hydro garden. If you only have a small space to dedicate to your garden, you would do best to avoid squash, melons, and other large plants. Although technically you could grow these in a small system, you will never get the same quality of fruits or vegetables on your plants as those that have adequate space to grow. In small systems, the easiest and most rewarding choices are leafy greens and herbs. These are plants that grow quickly, can be continually harvested and do not need a lot of space to expand or develop fruit.

If you have a large space such as a greenhouse, garage or patio, you can move up to a more advanced system and grow those voluminous plants that need trellises and deep root support. Large gardens are perfect for experimentation—you could also try producing multiple different varieties of your favorite fruits and vegetables.

What is your experience level?

Your level of experience with gardening and your specific reasons for getting into hydroponics will also influence your choice of what plants you want to grow. If you are an absolute beginner, it would be wise to stick to quick growing, easy plants so that you can get the maximum benefit out of your experience without becoming discouraged. Although hydroponic gardens are simple and easy to maintain once you know the basics, it is easy to get discouraged if you start out with an overly complex system.

If you are experienced with hydro gardening and are looking to delve into more exotic or complex plants, your only true limit is yourself. Some gardeners even go so far as to grow whole fruit or nut trees hydroponically. If you have space and the will to experiment, the sky is the limit. A few ideas for more experienced gardeners are quince, tobacco, large melons, pumpkins, sunflowers and shrubs such as honeysuckle or blackberries.

Source :www.thespruce.com

Guide Hydroponic

A Beginner's Guide to Hydroponics

di September 25, 2018 0

Source : Pixabay.com

Hydroponics is a form of gardening that uses no soil, but instead grows plants in a solution of nutrients mixed with water. There are many advantages to hydroponic gardening:

Plants grow faster. Experts suggest that plants grow at least 20 percent faster in hydroponic systems than they do in soil.

Yields are 20 to 25 percent bigger with hydroponic systems, compared to growing in soil.

No soil is required, which can be a distinct advantage in areas where existing garden soil is poor, or for apartment dwellers where growing in soil is inconvenient.

Hydroponic growing takes less space. Plants don't need to grow extensive root systems to obtain the nutrients they need, so plants can be packed together closely—another advantage for those who must garden indoors.

Water is saved. The reservoirs used in hydroponics are enclosed to prevent evaporation, and the systems are sealed. This allows plants to take up only the water they need.

The first step to setting up your first hydroponic garden is selecting a system that best fits your needs from among several options. Important factors to consider include: how much space you have, what you want to grow and how much, cost, and how much available time you have to spend maintaining the system.

The three most basic setups recommended for beginners are the wick, water culture, and ebb and flow. All three of these systems can be built from individual components purchased separately, or you can buy a complete setup kit from online retailers or in a hydroponics store.

Wick Systems

Wick systems are the simplest system mechanically, and the easiest to set up because there are no moving parts. The system contains a reservoir filled with water and nutrients, and above it, there is a container filled with growing medium. The two containers are connected by a wick, which draws the nutrient-filled water up into the growing medium, where it is absorbed by the roots of your plants. This system is great for learning the basics, but it may not work well with large plants or with water-hungry plants such as lettuce, because the wick cannot supply water fast enough. However, this system works extremely well with micro greens, herbs, and peppers.

Water Culture

A water culture system is another extremely simple system to set up. In this system, the plants are placed into a styrofoam platform that sits right on top of the reservoir holding the solution of water and nutrients. A bubbler air pump is added to the reservoir to deliver oxygen to the plant roots. This system is ideally suited for water-hungry plants but is not so well suited for more long-lived plants such as tomatoes.

Ebb and Flow

Ebb and flow systems are slightly more complex in design, but they are extremely versatile. This system works by flooding the growing medium with a water/nutrient solution and then draining it back into the reservoir. To do this, the system requires a submersible pump with a timer. One of the greatest advantages of ebb and flow is that you can use the timer to customize your plants’ watering schedule based on the plant size, number of plants, temperature, humidity, etc. You also have the option of potting plants individually for easy customization or filling the entire tray with growing medium and planting directly in the tray.

Choosing What to Grow

Just about any plant can be grown hydroponically, but for beginners, it is best to start small. The best choices are herbs and vegetables that grow quickly, require little maintenance, and do not need a broad range of nutrients. Fast-growing plants are best since they make it easy to assess how well your system works and tweak it as necessary. It can be a real letdown to wait months until harvest time only to find out your system is not working properly. Maintenance-free plants are great for beginners because they allow you to focus on learning about your system—you can move on to more complex vegetables later. If you are growing a variety of plants, it is also important to make sure that they are similar in their nutrient requirements, so that they grow well together.

Lighting

Hydroponic systems are often indoor systems positioned in places where there isn't access to direct sunlight all day long. Most edible plants require at least six hours of sunlight each day, with 12 to 16 hours even better. So unless you have a sunroom or other such space with lots of window exposure, you'll likely need to provide supplemental grow lights. Hydroponic kit systems usually come with the necessary light fixtures, but if you are piecing together your own components, you will need to buy separate lighting fixtures.

The best lighting for a hydroponics system is HID (High-Intensity Discharge) light fixtures, which can include either HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) or MH (Metal Halide) bulbs. The light from HPS bulbs emits a more orange/red light, which is great for plants in the vegetative growth stage.

T5 is another type of lighting used in hydroponic grow rooms. It produces a high-output fluorescent light with low heat and low energy consumption. It is ideal for growing plant cuttings and plants with short growth cycles.

Make sure to put your lighting system on a timer so that the lights come on and go off at the same time each day.

Room Conditions

It's very important that a hydroponic system is set up in the right conditions. Key elements include relative humidity, temperature, CO2 levels, and air circulation. The ideal humidity for a hydroponic grow room is from 40 to 60 percent relative humidity. Higher humidity levels—especially in rooms with poor air circulation—can lead to powdery mildew and other fungal problems.

Ideal temperatures are between 68 and 70 F. High temperatures may cause plants to become stunted, and if the water temperature gets too high, it may lead to root rot.

Your grow room should also have an ample supply of carbon dioxide (CO2). The best way to ensure this is by making sure the room has a constant flow of air. More advanced hydroponic gardeners may supplement CO2 levels in the room, since the more CO2 available, the faster your plants will grow.

Water Quality

Two factors can affect water's ability to deliver dissolved nutrients to your plants: the level of mineral salts in the water, as measured by PPM; and the pH of the water. "Hard" water that contains a high mineral content will not dissolve nutrients as effectively as water with a lower mineral content, so you may need to filter your water if it is high in mineral content. The ideal pH level for water used in a hydroponic system is between 5.8 and 6.2 (slightly acidic). If your water doesn't meet this level, chemicals can be used to adjust the pH into the ideal range.

Nutrients

The nutrients/fertilizers used in hydroponic systems are available in both liquid and dry forms and in both organic and synthetic types. Either type can be dissolved into water to create the nutrient mixture required by the hydroponic system. The product you use should include both the main macronutrients—nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium—as well as the important micronutrients, which include trace amounts of iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine.

Many nutrient/fertilizers are available that are designed for hydroponic gardening, and you should have good results if you use them according to package directions. But avoid using standard garden fertilizers in a hydroponic system, as their formulas are designed for use in garden soil, not hydroponic systems.

Choose hydroponic nutrient products that are designed for your specific needs. For example, some are marketed as being best suited for flowering plants, while others are best for promoting vegetative growth, such as the greenery of leafy vegetables.

Additional Equipment

In addition to the basic hydroponic setup, it's a good idea for beginners to invest in a few additional items.

You will need meters to test the PPM and pH of the water, as well as the temperature and relative humidity of the room. There are some combination meters available that will test the pH, PPM, and water temperature. You can also purchase meters that measure the temperature and/or the humidity in your grow room.

Depending on your climate, you may need a humidifier or dehumidifier to adjust the relative humidity in the grow room to an optimal level.

You may want to have some kind of fan or air circulation equipment to improve the air flow in your grow room. Even a simple oscillating fan works well, but as you get more experienced, you may want to invest in a more sophisticated intake-and-exhaust system.

Good Starter Plants

Some plants that work very well for beginners just learning the basics of hydroponic gardening include:

Greens such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and kale

Herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro and mint

Tomatoes

Strawberries

Hot Peppers

Systems For More Advanced Gardeners

Two more complicated systems are best reserved for hydroponic gardeners who have already learned the basics: the N.F.T. system, and the aeroponic system.

N.F.T. stands for Nutrient Film Technique. It uses a constant flow of water/nutrient solution that flows constantly in a loop from a reservoir through a growing tray, where plant roots are suspended in air and absorb nutrients as the solution flows by. But if something goes wrong with the pump mechanism, the roots can dry quickly when the flow stops. This system requires a user who can monitor the machinery and fix it quickly if problems arise.

An aeroponic system is a high-tech method in which plant roots are suspended in air and are misted every few minutes with a water/nutrient solution. It is a highly effective method but one that requires sophisticated pumps and misters. If the equipment has problems, the plant roots on will dry out and die very quickly.

Source :www.thespruce.com

Hydroponic

Ebb & Flow - (Flood and Drain) System

di September 25, 2018 0

Flood and Drain (Ebb and Flow) systems are very popular with home hydroponic growers for many reasons. Besides how easy they are for anyone to build, you can use almost any materials you have laying around to build them with, so you don't need to spend much money to grow plants hydroponically. Also they can be built to fit in any available space you might have (both indoors or outdoors), and there is no limit to the different and imaginative ways to design them for that space. Along with being inexpensive and easy to build, plants grow very well in flood and drain systems. The flood and drain system works basically like it sounds, by simply flooding the plants root system with nutrient solution. Only periodically rather than continuously.

How a hydroponic flood and drain system operates quite simple. The main part of the flood and drain system holds the containers the plants are growing in. It can be just one plant, or many plants/containers in series. A timer turns on the pump, and water (nutrient solution) is pumped through tubing from the reservoir up into the main part of the system using a submersible fountain/pond pump. The nutrient solution continues to fill (flood) the system until it reaches the height of the preset overflow tube so that it soaks the plants roots. The overflow tube should be set to about 2 inches below the top of the growing media.

When the water filling/flooding the system reaches the overflow tube height, it drains back down to the reservoir where it recirculates back through the system again. The overflow tube sets the water level height in the flood and drain system, as well as makes sure the water (nutrient solution) doesn't spill out the top of the system while the pump is on. When the pump shuts off, the water siphons back down into the reservoir through the pump (draining the system).

What you need to build a Flood and Drain (Ebb and Flow) system:

A container for the plant's roots to grow in.
A container (reservoir) to hold the nutrient solution.
A submersible fountain/pond pump.
A light timer to turn the pump on and off.
Some tubing to run from the pump in the reservoir to the system to be flooded.
An overflow tube set to the height you want the water level.
Growing medium of some kind.

There are many different ways to build a flood and drain system, and they are very good for growing small to medium size plants. Even for growing large plants with larger flood and drain system designs. You can use just about anything to build one including buckets, tubes, 2 liter bottles, storage totes, water bottles, an old ice chest, trash cans etc.. Just about anything that can hold water can be used. The imagination doesn't stop there either, there are many ways to flood and drain the roots in the system too. Below are some examples of how the three most common ways used to flood and drain the systems work.

(Tip 1) Make sure there is a way air can get in the top of the overflow without spilling water out. A "T" connector with an extension that is a few inches above the water line will work nicely. This will keep air pockets from forming in the system and make sure it floods and drains properly.

(Tip 2) Make sure the overflow tube is bigger than the water inlet tube from the pump. Otherwise because the water is only going out through gravity, and water is coming in through pressure from the pump, you could wind up pumping in more water than what is going out the overflow. That would lead to water building up and spilling out the top of your system, unless you reduce the pressure (volume) from the pump.

There are basically three main types of flood and drain system setups

Plant containers in series design