Aquaponics 101

“UPDATE ON DIGGING OUT THE FISH POND”

I Thought I would keep everyone updated on the progress of digging out the Fish Pond.  We have had a few delays due to storms knocking down a huge tree, moving a few wheelbarrows of dirt from the huge dirt-pile, from digging out for the slab, and, the heat.  

I don’t know how these construction workers work in such heat. If you can get two wheelbarrows of dirt dug, good luck!   I have learned about how to place a pond liner so as not to puncher it.  

It seems, according to an article in Mother Earth News, that you can use surplus carpet remnants as an underlayment for the pond liner.  I also read in Lilyponds Water Gardens, Catalog 2016, that they sell an underlayment for liners for a reasonable price.  Since I have never used a pond liner before, this will all be a new experience for me…I do want to use the pond for my greenhouse plants.

The Lilyponds catalog even gives hints on the layout and placement of plants. The  Mother Earth News Magazine Article, tells what type of plants are not invasive and oxygenate the water, without help from the greenhouse.  If one just wanted a fish pond.

My purpose for my pond is to feed the plants in the greenhouse and in turn oxygenate the water for the fish.  There doesn’t seem to be much more dirt to excavate from the pond for our purposes…the Heat keeps slowing us down.  Older people do not move as fast in the heat as young people.  Also, we have to watch out for dehydration.

The Article in Mother Earth News mentioned placing rocks on a ledge in the pond with gravel for plants, and, for pond microorganisms, for a natural pond.  Plant the plants right into the rock and gravel, without soil…I had that experience with plants getting out of their containers in my natural pond and growing without soil. So, I know it works!

My plan is to use the fish to feed the plants and the plants from the greenhouse to oxygenate the water for the fish. I will have to be careful not to overly oxygenate the water in the pond and hurt my greenhouse plants.  Something to think about…

“Keeping The Dream Alive”