Would You Like Some Fish With Your Hops.

[pdilley]

Fish, Hops, and a nice hot oven :icon_cheers:

I am wondering if anyone is using aquaponic systems yet to grow hops at home and would like to share their setup and hints and tips.

I've been reading about this and think it would be a go, just so long as I plant some tomatoes for the wife as well.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about these are extremely efficient water systems which is good for Australia and are said to grow plants like mad while the soil planted ones are wilting in the sun -- and a website is here.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[sinkas]

"tomato's"

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

"tomato's"

Yeah thats what I though.
GB

 

[Fourstar]

Yeah thats what I though.
GB

"Thought"

:lol:

 

[Bribie G]

I was passing the local fruit stand on the Bribie Road yesterday and was horrified to see blackboards signs every hundred metres on the approach displaying items such as Melons, Local Bananas, Avocadoes etc.

Whatever happened to the compulsory Fruitos' punctuation of Melon's, Pine's etc. Bloody fruitos are going yuppie.

Then I saw relieved to see potatos.

WRT the hops, probably would work but according to the climate. There was a guy growing hops on a verandah half way up a Gold Coast hi rise but I think the high winds smashed them up. :blink:

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

"Thought"

:lol:

A large bottle of Barley wine will make you spel funy.
Gb

 

[Fourstar]

I was passing the local fruit stand on the Bribie Road yesterday and was horrified to see blackboards signs every hundred metres on the approach displaying items such as Melons, Local Bananas, Avocadoes etc.
Whatever happened to the compulsory Fruitos' punctuation of Melon's, Pine's etc. Bloody fruitos are going yuppie.
Then I saw relieved to see potatos.

('s) are a pet hate of SWMBO. When we go out for dinner and she tells waiting staff that they need to change their specials boards, menus etc as unless you 'own' something it should never end with 's. e.g. Sam's Special pizza = correct. Pizza with tomato's, three cheese's served with a side of mash potato's = incorrect. I never hear the end of it!

A large bottle of Barley wine will make you spel funy.
Gb

excuses excuses

 

[raven19]

Back on topic BP, I dont see why it would not work, if you feed them nutrients, plenty of water (last summer dried out my pots a fair bit...) then the root system should grow plenty. You may still struggle to get a crop of flowers in the first year though...

Cant hurt to try...

 

[Bribie G]

How would the rhizome go immersed in liquid however, would it be susceptible to rot of some sort? A rhizome is basically a swollen root such as a sweet potato (regular potato is actually derived from a stem that buries itself underground but similar principle being a starch reserve 'organ') and I hate to think of what sweet potatoes and regular potatoes would look like after a few months immersed in liquid.


Off topic the worst abuse of the apostrophe would have to be its and it's. The only valid use of it's is a contraction of 'it is'. For example It's a bit cold today. The possessive is 'its', for example: The fox bristles its coat because it's a bit cold today. You often see inappropriate use of it's on websites that should know better.

 

[raven19]

Fair point, if the water is stagnant, I reckon there could be issues, moving liquid may alleviate this somewhat?

 

[Tony M]

How would the rhizome go immersed in liquid however, would it be susceptible to rot of some sort? A rhizome is basically a swollen root such as a sweet potato (regular potato is actually derived from a stem that buries itself underground but similar principle being a starch reserve 'organ') and I hate to think of what sweet potatoes and regular potatoes would look like after a few months immersed in liquid.

I grow a bit of stuff in hydroponics and you can relax in the knowledge that the roots grow in a media such as perlite that is just kept moist by flooding with the nutrient then immediately draining several times a day. I grow in a glasshouse and whilst this gives me good protection from coastal gales, I cant grow anything higher than about seven feet. I would be interested to know if hops can be trained to grow within those boundarys. Any hops I have seen all seem to grow about 20 feet high.

 

[pdilley]

From across the pond theres a guy who has put cuttings of hops in the fish tank submerged partially under water and they rooted and grew so he squashed the theory that you need to dry root cuttings. I'm not sure about rhizomes as I've only started reading about it.

The aquaponics mob is headquartered in Queensland so you see lucious growth from the systems. There is only a tiny trickle of water and effluent going into the substrate.

The substrate is puffed rice balls -- well made from clay and not rice but now you have a good picture in your mind what it is. It helps hold the plant and keep it upright while the plant sends down roots to the moisture.

What I don't know is if this puffed clay substrate is long life or breaks down and needs to be renewed.

I'm also wary of all the leafy plants in photographs as anything in Queensland can grow well and I'd like to hear from someone that does in in dry climates in the rest of Australia.

You also get red worms that grow and multiply in the substrate. They eat the fish crap and in turn crap out more readily uptake able crap. You also get bacteria that eat fish pee growing in the substrate and it breaks it down into more uptake able nitrates. Plants bloom with no adding hydroponic chemicals and fish boom with cleaner water and less issues of those that are farm raised.

And the statement that it is the most water conserving method of growing plants got my interest. You just add a tiny electric bill for the tiny pump that pumps water to the tol of the plant bed and gracvity drains it through and back down where it pours back into the fish tank.

Aparently the Egyptians did this thousands of years ago and only now "modern man" is rediscovering the technology.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[kirem]

I have an aquaponics system. it is a 500L IBC that gravity drains from the bottom through a half 22gallon blue drum (like a PVPP drum) cut down the middle (the longest way) and mounted in a frame to form a tub.

The tub is full of blue gravel, but I have since sourced the correct clay balls and once the garlic is harvested I will be changing to the clay balls.

the water from the IBC enters the grow tub at the top of one end and drains from the bottom of the other end into a sump with a pond pump that pumps back in over the top through a little plastic sprinkler to aerate the water. I also run an aerator, it is the aerator I bought from craftbrewer that I used to use as a yeast aerator. I adjust the flow from the gravity feed using an irrigation valve

The IBC is wrapped in teatree fencing type stuff, to provide some sun protection and to assist with the the look of it/missus complaining. I have a little feeding whole cut out the top of the IBC to feed to fish/yabbies. I can't be sure but it did actually rain here once and the rain soaked through the teatree and into the fish water and it may have been coincidence but I lost my fish, the yabbies survived.

I grow murray cod and yabbies in my fish tank and will be trying hops in the grow bed this year.

I live in Mildura ie almost desert.

apart from garlic I grow herbs in mine - parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, chives and basil in summer. I don't bother with tomatoes as a few Italian mates spoil me with vegies from their garden.

The IBC should probably be matched to another 2 grow beds of the same type that I currently have and they will grow some hops this spring/summer.

Once setup they work very well and I only need to feed the fish/yabbies (could be automated) and top the water up every 2-3 weeks in the middle of summer.

 

[pdilley]

Thank you for that kirem. I wonder why the fish would be lost from rain. Is the bubbler needed as in without it do the fesh act starved for oxygen? Yabbies sound great and a big plus. I have not had them since in the Wimera. The people you are sourcing the clay from, are they local or a national mob? And xan you preorder bacteria to seed a brand new setup?

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[kirem]

picture tells a thousand words.

The cellar manager at work sourced the clay balls from a hydro joint in Gawler SA

I know people that have purchased form this guy in the Adelaide Hills;

http://www.thefishfarm.com.au/Default.asp?c=162544

View attachment 29778

View attachment 29779

 

[PostModern]

Just as this is the place to come to for everything you need to know about beer, these guys know all there is to know about backyard aquaponics.

 

[winkle]

Very interesting, I suspect that SHMBO will rue the day you posted this Brewer Pete.
Kirem, it wasn't tannins leaching from the teetree that carked the fish?

 

[himzol]

I run a flood and drain system with my aquaponics, pump continously and use auto syphons to drain.

Haven't tried hops though I am about to put in a small rhizome to see how it goes. This will probably have to be in it's own dedicated container as root-balls in these systems tend to go bunta.

Currently have trout in my system, with Silver perch during the summer.

 

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

I am using a crude aquaponics system for hops. It is a 3 tier water feature with goldfish in the bottom tank, the water is pumped up to a top tank and then cascades down through he second tank to the bottom and around it goes.
I had basil, yes it was, in it last year which grew into a tree, so fingers crossed the hops will do the same.
The rhizome, Chinook, is planted in pea gravel and has water pumped across it 4 times a day for 1 hour, and is now showing a few shoots poking through.

I would post a picture but now that AHB requires me to upload it elsewhere etc. etc..... too hard.

 

[absinthe]

i have an aquaponics system.. and have never had any luck with anything with a large root stock.. but im interested to try hops as the rate of growth in the aquapnoics is HUGE, almost twice of whats in the ground..