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  1. #1
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    stucco's system Expansion

    Howdy folks, I started my stucco grow bed project and wanted to share some photos. I’ve had an empty wooden box where my grow bed is supposed to be for some time now. The original plan was to put in a liner. I had some success with the ferrocement grow box so I decided to do the stucco instead. I think the stucco will cause some problems with ph and cracking while curing. To solve these problems I am going to use a waterproofing material used in e.i.f.s. or synthetic stucco. It’s kind of like spreadable rubber with a thin fiberglass mesh. Next I will use the Sweetwater epoxy paint. The only problem I can see after that is the bed will outlast the stand it sits on.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  2. #2
    Moderator wolfracer's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Looks great! Can't wait to see this in operation.

  3. #3
    Moderator wolfracer's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Stucco!
    This idea has really stuck in my head. I am looking at building a much larger system and was wondering about the viability of doing something like this for a larger growbed layout. Will this be cheaper than say concrete gowbeds? What are you using for your growbed media? Would it stand up to the wieght of pea gravel? How about using this technique in the construction of the actual fish pond?

    This is awesome stuff . please keep us informed on your progress.

  4. #4
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Wolfracer, thanks for the compliments! I too am stuck with this in my head. In retrospect, I would have built my entire system with this technique. I used Portland mortar with coarse sand and lath. The lath takes the place of the rocks in concrete allowing a thinner, lighter and more durable coat. The tank itself will handle the pea gravel or any other type of grow media. The legs or base is what would be supporting the weight. [If it is going to be raised off the ground] My base was made thinking I was going to use an e.p.d.m. liner. I chose the grey 1 inch landscape gravel and didn’t think the liner would hold up for any length of time even though it comes with a pretty big warranty. Just want to reiterate that stucco or concrete needs to be coated with epoxy paint to alleviate any leaching, ph or cracking problems. I’m still on the fence as to what to use. There are a few brands of cistern coatings and the Sweetwater aquaculture paint from aquatic eco. Let me know if I left anything out, I’m happy to help! Jon
    http://www.aquaticeco.com/

    Big cistern


    ferrocement tank


    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  5. #5
    Moderator wolfracer's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    How hard would it be to incorporate radiant heat into this type of growbed/fish tank? Being in kansas heating and cooling are big concerns. Would it reside behind the netting that you stucco over or would you have to maybe sandwich it between layers?

  6. #6
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    I’ve never worked with the tubing. It doesn’t get that cold here. The stucco is very forgiving it can be applied in multiple layers by using a wall paper brush to “scratch” the material. This allows the next layer to bond. I would think that in between layers you could embed the tubing into the wet mud. This would avoid the sharp lath. I bleed just looking at the stuff
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  7. #7
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Hello all, I started to put the new roof over the system today and before I finished, I got to see how well it works. We finally got some rain. When I got all the tools picked up and went inside my son Magnus had made me a “map of your garden” out of legos. What a nice thought. Here are some pics. Jon
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  8. #8
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Some more pictures.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  9. #9
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Hi Stucco,

    The pictures look great! I'm very impressed with your setup.

    Ironfish

  10. #10
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: stucco's system Expansion

    Ironfish, Thank you! It’s still a work in progress, but still better than my first set up. Witch was great just not big enough to dent the grocery bill. I still have it in the backyard and I’ve been trying to give it away. The more people I tell about aquaponics the more people think I’m nuts.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

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