Bioponics

[badflash]

Looks like it should work. The only issue is that quite a few worms end up in the sump, so put some sort of screened container in the drain path to catch them.

[JeffW]

I am not going to give up on my aquaponics even though I managed to kill every cotton pick'n fish at least I have had success,with a cucumber having just opened up 3 flowers and it is only 14 inches long Fish died but not in vain, I have ended up with lettuce, sugar snap peas and cucumbers all growing.

So until I get a grip on the fish system the grow bed has been transferred over and is online in the "worm tea" tank. This tank is also tied into my 4 unit hydroponic so the res feeds that plus the grow bed....so far so good .

Soon I will be making my own worm tea but the goal is making 100% pure worm tea from 100% castings. I don't want just a guess work mix of stuff draining out of worm bins so now we need a "worm casting machine" which I shall make soon. Meantime I will use liquid form of that terracycle worm poop, we picked up a bottle at "Target" store to get me by.

Don't want to use it for long though since it has some addictive in it. My goal is to be 100% organic with worm tea.

Follow up then is my aquaponic plants that started in aquaponic grow bed are now being fed a timed on\off cycle of "worm tea". So for about 4 weeks I have been reading and searched and stuck hands in horse crap, got muddy and smelled like crap end of the day but the result is I have learned a great deal about red worms know much more about what I am dealing with. The worm bins are working great and no bad smell. Good news also is worms have not tried to escape means I do not need to feed some Robins to guard the doors..

Took some time after sneaking around cousins sheep farm, poking and prodding in my compost bin outside by garden and recycling center down the road. But I have captured about 500-700 compost reds and they are now in a bin. Then in bin number 2 is I have about same number of manure reds so these 2 colonies are separate.

Today was a good day..I had to transfer the compost red worms to bigger 10 gallon bin for a permanent home because they were in a small container. As I dumped small container in the big one I was happy to see hundreds of them reds gathered in a big squirmy squiggling balls all happy and active just like you see on internet

Wife can laugh all she wants but at least I got my kids under control pffffffffffff

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[mpugh5@aol.com]

sweet jeff, looks like you've got the right attitude and also a game plan that's got to be watched by us lurkers

[JeffW]

Thanks I am still learning

[wolfracer]

Jeff you got pics of your worm bins? Also what has been your best source of info on this subject.

[JeffW]

I will get some pics soon sure thing

Really liking this worm bin deal and if I knew it was so easy I would have started it last year or so. The thing I want to know or try since I can not really find any hard evidence (good or bad). Is can we grow veggies in these systems using a worm tea? Badflash has a bunch of good lessons in red worms too and I think we are lucky to have him here. JCO is also a veteran and it is nice to have access to these fine folks right here on this web site

Ok and now my rambles section:
They sell hydroponic solutions along with claims all over the internet selling products that are labeled saying it can be used in hydroponics but then I discover that some of these have UREA and that is only going to work in "soil". So products such as these are selling things that are NOT designed for pea gravel or Auaponic based media.

My point is that if these companies and business can sell these things and claim they work then y golly I see no reason why we can not use a worm tea based nutrition. So far I am happy with the results and it might be that the sun is up longer and kicking the plants in the butt to grow but since I have turned the aquaponic bed over to the worm tea I am seeing a change and it is a good one. No hard claims here so this might be in my head..only way to see is to push on and keep an eye on it.

I used a small "rock tumbler" and cleaned out the container then put some egg shells in with some round stones and WOW that worked great for adding egg shells to the worm bin! It was pure powder..very cool since they say use some egg shells in worm bins to help the pH and worms use it for the digestive system this is a great discovery. Heck maybe I can start selling egg shell powder to worm bin peeps now..


As for sources...well that is a tuff one because I have so many bookmarks and read so many views out there. Some times claims by experts online end up with disputes in the information the are putting out and these folks have master degrees! One says compost tea is great stuff then I see a book another expert has says "compost tea can be dangerous" and their is not solid evidence of it's benefit.

So what I do is go to "common sense isles" of the brain and take a breath. Then I think back to the days of Grandpa's farm or the days we had a compost pile by the garden, just simple ways of living but healthy and effective. It can help me to make a choice sometimes when I get away from all the TMI out there and just do it and stop debating with people around me.

Example: we were at a farmers market and selling compost one year. This guy starts asking if we "inoculated the compost". He was an expert see? So my cousin and him started "debating" and later I told cousin that I do not do that anymore, if someone likes it good and if they do not then "move along" I am not wasting my time trying to convince a city boy that this former sheep poop\hay is really good stuff. I already know since we use it and we are producing some mighty fine and healthy looking veggies year after year. Anyway you all get my drift right?

I say compost is good end of topic. Compost is not new either and when you think about it rain water runs off the barn lot into the clover pasture it makes grasses and clover green and alive so I say "gee that is like tea so it must work" Hydroponics was going on long before white man came to the USA and in Babylon they had hanging baskets of "vegetables" growing and being fed with aquaducts or whatever you call them I forgot.

I think there is enough info right here on this web site to know all you need to know about worms. It is like making compost in a way, you mix the right amount of this and that and then use your nose,eyes,senses and these can help you determine what you need to take away or add to or simply start over maybe. There is no experts really, only those willing to try and to keep on try if they want it bad enough.

I play 4 instruments at age 51, I play fiddle,mandolin guitar and I played 5 string banjo years ago until I had surgery on right hand. People say how did you learn all those? Simple answer is that I wanted to be able to play them "bad" so I kept on trying even after mistakes you keep on practicing until your happy. Even then I still make mistakes today..but I love it!

Whew....not bad for 1 finger typing..

[wolfracer]

For one finger I would say awesome. LOL

[JeffW]

worm bin (number 1 of 2) no drain valve yet i just lift the bottom and drain it into a container.
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Tea i use in grow beds
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[JeffW]

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[badflash]

Looks pretty lush to me. I think this is ready for a full scale test.