Aquaponics and Self Watering Container Gardening in Jeddah - 07 July 2011 update

Continuous flow system, small container with ornamental plants from the nursery, cheap plants but beautiful, shares the same fish tank as AP System 2

Aquaponics system 3 - ampalaya, bush beans, spinach, parsley, fish tank have koi and goldfish with one pleco

Aquaponics system 2 - with bellpepper, cloned basil, celery and ampalaya

Aquaponics System 1 with Ampalaya, okra, basil and tomatoes


Here are some pics of my Aquaponics systems 1, 2 and 3, plus my garden in Self Watering Containers.

1. Aquaponics is the marrying of Aquaculture (raising of fish) and Hydroponics (soil-less gardening). I have been doing it since late January of this year and have developed 3 systems all in my small balcony in my flat in Jeddah.
2. Self Watering Containers - are pots with wick made to allow water to be wicked to the pot where plant is planted and its root system drinking on as needed basis.
AP System 1 - the ampalaya (bitter melon) plants are growing steadily and climbing now more or less 2 feet long, okra got new stem but no signs of flowers again, basils are budding because of some cuts i made to clone it, tomatoes are extremely slow growing and looks like gonna dry from the heat, fish are all doing fine, healthy and happy
AP system 2 - got a healthy and growing bell pepper, sweet potatoe or camote, new ampalaya seedling, cloned basil and some celery seedlings, this system i think have seed devouring insects because so many seeds i have sown didn't germinate, the growbed sits on top of a fish tank with 5 growing and healthy pangasius, also connected here is a continuous flow small bed with ornamental plants that seem to be growing and enjoying

AP system 3 - is the newest system with 2 ampalaya, 2 bush beans, number of spinach, some parsley... so are ampalaya and bush beans are doing well, climbing and healthy...got 3 koi and some goldfish in the tank

YUGE mini Home Aquaponics System

Includes:

12 gallon fish tank

7 gallon growbed

water pump

air pump

plumbing

siphon set

seedlings or seeds

All you have to do is add water and fish!

email: yes2fx@gmail.com

Aquaponics in Jeddah update 28 June 2011, Tuesday

AP System 1 (after 5 months and 3 grow bed changes) :
- 2 Amplaya seedlings going on 8 inches tall and starting to climb
- Okra still holding on, showing new shoots on main branch, no flowers, no fruits for long
- Basil still holding on, cut a couple of stems and cloned
- Tomatoes all seemed to have halted growing, maybe because of the heat
- 2 new watermelon seedlings
- All fish happy and healthy

AP System 2 (after 3 months and 2 growbed changes)
- with lone Bellpepper growing steadily, leaves bigger than my palm
- sweet potato climbing now and long at 2 feet
- new ampalaya seedling germinated 2 days ago
- Pangasius are healthy and happy....

AP System 3 (after almost 2 months)
- cucumber steadily growing
- 2 ampalaya, almost 2 feet long now and started climbing
- 2 bush beans... long and healthy
- spinach, slow growth
- japanese parsley, slow growth
- 1 small goldfish died 2 days ago.. others are healthy and happy


Self Watering Container garden....

All plants happy and healthy, periwinkles stopped blooming but growing



That's my update and will share some photos later

New Original Aquaponics Logo

Fish, plant, bacteria and me...... this is my Aquaponics.

Self watering container pot made from recycled 6L water bottle - Jeddah Saudi Arabia

This is my instructional paper for making self-watering containing pot using 6L water bottle. I actually live in Saudi Arabia where the weather could become unforgiving, mid 30s to lower 40's.

What you will need:

Empty 6L Water bottles

Cutter

Scissor

7X4" 100% cotton cloth (old t-shirt or rag will do)

Hydroton or gravel/stones

Potting mix/soil

Packing or masking tape

Aquaponics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia update 25 March 2011 --- more pictures

Sprouting peppermints in a plastic cup. To avoid losing the tiny seeds, i lined the cup with tissue paper, seeds, one layer of hydroton...it worked!
Sprouting basil in a plastic cup, lined up with tissue paper. This is going to be my germinating technique from now on.

Cappucina in a small container with potting mix topped with hydroton. I want to experiment growing these flowering vines on conventional method and lets see if it works.

Bell pepper / siling prasko on my AP System 2. I was able to grow a few of them... i love bell pepper in spaghetti, noodles and mixed vegetables... i tasted it once also as topping for scrambled eggs!

Brocolli on my AP System2 ... it takes ages for them to grow.. but they are OK.

Watermelon / Pakwan, crawling down. It has 3 new stems with flower buds. I have to wait for a few more months.. before i see fruits from it.

Taro/Gabi first leaf, 2nd leaf about to open... can't wait to have my first organic 'laing', not from the can!

Basil - smells good in the garden! Tried to put a leaf in my hibiscus tea yesterday...tasted good.

Bush beans / bitswelas - in the Philippines, I think these only grows in Baguio..well, let me try and grow them here and we'll see....

Aquaponics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 25March2011 Update

1st Female Cucumber Flower


Okra 1st Fruit, 2nd Flower and more flower buds

My mini Aquaponics system 2 in the balcony of my apartment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

My 1st mini Aquaponics system in the small balcony of my apartment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This system has been running for 2 months now (began in 19 January 2011). I have six happy, healhty and active goldfish since I started. The plants are in individual .6 L recycled water bottles with hydroton and put in an Ikea Tote. For flood and drain, I applied AFFNAN Syphon, which has been working perfectly, without any blunder.. mashallah.