Aquaponics Digest - Sun 04/08/01
Message 1: OT Note: Cholesterol etc.
from "TGTX"
Message 2: Re: Grow Bed Media
from "TGTX"
Message 3: Re: OT Note: Cholesterol etc.
from "TGTX"
Message 4: Re: Aquaponics Digest - Sat 04/07/01
from "Stan Clayton"
Message 5: RE: Grow Bed Media
from "Hurst, Steve ( China)"
Message 6: RE: Aquaponics Digest - Sat 04/07/01
from "Hurst, Steve ( China)"
| Message 1
Subject: OT Note: Cholesterol etc.
From: "TGTX"
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 08:11:57 -0500
Just a quick OT note for Mike in Jamaica and anyone else interested in
cutting the fat:
Mike, my wife just fixed me a breakfast taco with "vegetarian" Chorizo,
called "Soyrizo". I can't believe it ain't pork!! Sure, it's a little
oily, but with 60% less fat that Chorizo and no lard involved....amazing.
Mikey Dread, if you are stuffing your face with Chorizo by any chance,
switch to "Soyrizo". You'll be glad you did. By no means should one eat
this every morning, cause it is still kinda oily, but oh, man..... My Gosh,
it's really tastey Tex-Mex without the bright orange lard streaming down my
forearms all the way to my elbows....incredible! Learn something new
everyday.
Gotta go slug down more coffee and flip my fish tanks, then put some Medina
Soil Activator out on the untilled part of the garden. Progess marches on.
Ted
| Message 2
Subject: Re: Grow Bed Media
From: "TGTX"
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 08:12:01 -0500
> I was wondering if any body has had experience using gravel of Volcanic
> origins as a
> growing medium.
Howdy Steve H.
I have used 1/4 inch pea gravel which was about 10% acid soluble, which,
generally speaking, means that it was only about 10% carbonate materials
(yes, folks, I know that there are other minerals that are acid soluble,
other than carbonates, but generally speaking, for this material, the stuff
that dissolves in the acid assay is the carbonate fraction). This originated
from the alluvial deposits of gravel parallel to the Lower Colorado River in
Austin, Texas. It was excavated and screened down to the approximate 1/4"
size.
The 90% fraction that was not immediately acid soluble was combinations of
alluvium- environment-weathered silicates, combinations of weathered quartz,
sandstones and slates, with a little bit of granites in there, etc....so
that would be a combination of igneous and sedimentary rocks. Mostly
sedimentary, I would think.
On top of the 9" deep pea gravel bed, I sprinkled a thin amount of what we
call around here "decomposed" granite. It is a pink granite from around the
Llano uplift area of Texas. If you look at a geological map of Texas, you
will see a big honkin' granite dome called the Llano Uplift, which is deep
in the heart of Texas. At the pinnacle of that uplift, more or less, is
"Enchanted Rock", a big old "mountain"....hill, really, of smooth pink
granite ("Ronnie, this means something") that people like to hike up and
down.....some people like to hike it less than others, especially in
summer....Oy Vey!
So, granite is kinda igneous, if not directly volcanic, right? I have used
that as a supplement. Sorry, no nutrient numbers to share.... with
experiments vs. controls. No Woo-Woo earth crystal factors to report in
terms of plant response. I just thought the diversity of mineral substrate
would provide a diversity of long term available minor and trace plant
nutrients (iron, boron, silica, manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium,
cobalt, zinc, copper, sulfur....yada, yada). Which I "believe" gave my
plants and bacteria the stuff they weren't getting from the feed and other
inputs I through into the water. Not very scientific for a guy like me,
but, hey, there you have it.
Sterilizing the media? How about dilute chlorine bleach or hydrogen
peroxide? Or potassium permanganate at 2 ppm? Or, if your volume is low
enough or if you have the time to do it repeatedly in stages, just boil
water.
A buddy of mine used to culture oyster mushrooms. He is now Mr. Big Shot
Health Food Baron (just kidding). Anyway, he would boil 55 gallons of water
at a time using a propane burner under a 55 gallon barrel. That would be a
very tedious approach to nuke your gravel.
Another way to do it might be to "solarize" it while dry and in place in
your grow beds. This will not sterilize the media, but perhaps sanitize, to
a degree, the gravel mix by elevating the temperature of the grow bed.
Could you wrap the bed in clear plastic and expose it to full sunlight for a
week or so? You would be suprised how hot growing media can get under such
conditions....certainly no where near boiling, but pretty darn hot if the
direct sunlight is baking on it for long enough during the course of the
day. The organic folks sometimes use that approach to reduce fungal, weed
seed, and other soil-borne pest problems in raised bed gardens. Just a
thought. Might not be practical or very effective. I never bothered to
sterilize my media.....just forged ahead and damned the torpedos.
Tally Ho!
Ted
> from "aerated" rock of some sort.
> From a surface area point of view, I beleive it would be ideal, with
plenty
> of pores and rough
> places for the bacteria to collect and cultivate.
> I plan on doing some tests to see if this material affects the waters PH
> significantly.
Cool. Go for it.
| Message 3
Subject: Re: OT Note: Cholesterol etc.
From: "TGTX"
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 08:37:54 -0500
>
> Mike, my wife just fixed me a breakfast taco with "vegetarian" Chorizo,
> called "Soyrizo". I can't believe it ain't pork!!
And you can check out Frieda's Soyrizo and her other products at
http://www.friedas.com.
Race you there!
Ted
| Message 4
Subject: Re: Aquaponics Digest - Sat 04/07/01
From: "Stan Clayton"
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 07:05:42 -0700
"Hurst, Steve ( China)" wrote:
> --snip
> I was wondering if any body has had experience using gravel of Volcanic
> origins as a growing medium. --snip
Steve,
While researching material to use in my beds, I read that municipal water
treatment centers often specify fresh crushed igneous basalt for their
ponds. It seems that not only are the large pores ideal for the bacteria,
but the abundant trace minerals help maintain optimal growth conditions.
Stream gravel is often leached of most of its mineral content, and as you
note, should be sterilized of its resident bacteria population. Hope this
helps.
Stan
| Message 5
Subject: RE: Grow Bed Media
From: "Hurst, Steve ( China)"
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 23:53:31 +0100
Hi Ted,
Thanks for giving me some "positive" things to think about.
Never occured to me that there may be some benefit in using this
Volcanic stuff. My tests on the effect of PH should give me
an indication of its acid buffering capability.
And trace mineral potential as well !! Will have to stop my negative
thinking...
Boiling and Sun-Baking as a Sanitiser....Now thats the sort of technology
I have in abundance.
Steve H
| Message 6
Subject: RE: Aquaponics Digest - Sat 04/07/01
From: "Hurst, Steve ( China)"
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 00:03:35 +0100
Stan,
Thats a good point. It looks like material from a quarry might
have better potential for trace minerals, that the stuff they
dig out of our local river.
Its only a little more expensive. Will give it a shot.
Thanks,
Steve H
>While researching material to use in my beds, I read that municipal water
>treatment centers often specify fresh crushed igneous basalt for their
>ponds. It seems that not only are the large pores ideal for the bacteria,
>but the abundant trace minerals help maintain optimal growth conditions.
>Stream gravel is often leached of most of its mineral content, and as you
>note, should be sterilized of its resident bacteria population. Hope this
>helps.
>Stan
|
