Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ya. Doesn't seem to me the net pots will go well with the bamboo. The netting idea seems promising but plants too far apart may flop over. What's that they're growing in that picture?

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C. Kirkley

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I believe it is Ginseng

I will have a go at knocking up a bamboo raft today. It shouldn't be too difficult to tweak it afterwards, using the principles of trial and error, to get the gaps within workable limits. I admit that I am having difficulty picturing anything growing on it that is taller than it is wide.

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Well, this afternoon I was busy trying to build a biofilter so my 13 year old son created the bamboo raft to my specifications. It isn't flash, but for the cost of 60 or so cable ties and an hour and a half of his time I reckon it isn't a bad effort. He finished it just on dusk so the big float test on the pond will have to wait until tomorrow.
It may turn out that something like the net in MacGyver's earlier post may need to be attached to the raft during construction, perhaps between the layers of 'cross members', in order for the plants to be anchored in place. Alternatively, a finer lattice of small diameter bamboo could be fastened above, below or between the existing culm sections which define the raft. Any ideas?

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This is an outstanding effort! Well done to your son. I'm pretty sure this raft will float. Nice to have the chair in the photo to get a sense of scale.

Idea for holding plants: Maybe thicker bamboo (about 5cm thick) could be cut down to say 8cm length pieces. Then drill some holes into the sides of these pieces into which thinner bamboo can be inserted. Care must be taken when drilling though - maybe a vice is needed to hold the bamboo still. The thinner bamboo lengths will then fasten to the existing lattice. Essentially creating net pots made of bamboo. Only an idea though - it would take some time to make all the bamboo net pots. The suggested dimentions are from the top of my head and will vary depending on the bamboo and desired plants you want to grow. Anyone else got some ideas or feedback?

The diagram below is not to scale.

The pots should be spaced at approximately 20cm to 25cm apart (from the centre of each pot) for growing lettuce.

The cross section of bamboo inside the bamboo pot might be enough to support growing media that will anchor the plants in place.

If the growing media is too fine then a net could cover the raft and the pots sit on top of this net creating a barrier to prevent media from falling.

All ideas can be tweaked and altered

MacGyver, I will pass your compliment re the raft construction on to my son. He will be happy with your feedback, I am sure. Re the chair providing scale, it was there to prop up the raft for the photo while the dog's rear end (bottom right) was included for scale!
You are right, it would take some time to produce all of the bamboo pots as you have described. If the raft was to last several seasons then it may be worth the effort but perhaps plastic, purpose made pots would be more practical. They are a departure from the bamboo idea but at least they are probably an improvement on styrofoam/polystyrene.
BTW, the raft is currently floating serenely on one of my ponds. It looks so natural that it will probably have waterbirds nesting on it by day's end.

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Hi PLJ, how is your raft going? Is it still floating?

Suggested putting a net over the raft but see now it's already been suggested and can't delete the post .

Would you NEED media per se`?
Why not a mop strand like TCLynx uses, then the roots would trail down into the water on their own?

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2640&p=183096&hilit=tclynx+mop#p183096


I am liking the bamboo pot idea...

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The rough and ready bamboo raft featured earlier is still floating (did you ever doubt it?) and is pictured here, complete with its first crop of lettuce.

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∞ ∞ PLJ's Big Concrete Tank System ∞ ∞
∞ ∞ ∞ The 'Puddle' ∞ ∞ ∞

That's a great photo PLJ! I never doubted it, I just wanted to know if you still had it in the pond. Nice to see the first lettuce crop

Hey PLJ,

I thought this is a nice device made from bamboo. It might be a feature that will catch on in Perth.

It could also be incorporated into aquaponics or ponds and may help defend from preditors.

Japanese Shishi Odoshi

It's actually called a Shishi Odoshi, or deer-scarer. I have the plans to build one if you want a copy, although they are probably readily available on the WWW. Building one is on my general to-do list but, sadly, still a long way from the top. Similarly, a water driven tipping clepsydra can be built from bamboo. One of these can operate as a crude clock or as a self-setting timer.
If you want to go all out with bamboo you can use hollowed bamboo culms in lieu of PVC for your AP piping. The bamboo pipes will last quite a while if the pole material is, first, properly soaked in water for a few weeks to remove sap and starch and then, second, treated with a solution of borax, boric acid and water to preserve it for even longer. Sealing the inside surfaces with something like varnish is also an option.
Actually, I doubt if there is much that can't be made from bamboo.

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∞ ∞ PLJ's Big Concrete Tank System ∞ ∞
∞ ∞ ∞ The 'Puddle' ∞ ∞ ∞