Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thanks PLJ, I have corrected my spelling. It would be nice to have a copy of the plans.

Bamboo is definitely very versitile.

Any updates here Mac? Like the thinking in this thread. Think the key is being able to put together a raft able to float strong enough to carry a shadecloth net and water plants garden bed. The shadecloth providing protection for a zone of the waterplants roots from grazing fish. Probably also good habitat for any smaller critters in a waterhole too.

I have made no progress in this Santalum.

The test raft seen in the photos was actually built by PLJ's young son.

There is a firm in the US, NorCal Aquaponics out of California, that has done bamboo rafts for their permaculture aquaponics setup. Their bamboo rafts use quite large pieces of bamboo (3" to 4" diameter ?? - not sure). They drill a hole right through the individual piece of bamboo for the pot to sit in.

Nice one Slefoll7. Here is the weblink:

http://norcalaquaponics.com/

This is a simple design.

Thanks for sharing this guys

I don't think it is as straight forward as you might think. A bamboo culm is comprised of nodes and their corresponding internodal zones which create a series of largely air and watertight cylindrical sections. Unless all the node walls are perforated in some way then water won't be able to flow through the culm from one end to the other. This would probably cause the roots to rot on any plant that was planted into a hole in an internode, except on the ends, such as in the image. On the other hand, if all the node walls were drilled out then much of the buoyancy of the bamboo (raft) would be lost and it would likely need supplementary flotation to support the weight of anything but small plants.

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

Why couldnt they simply be cutting a large hole in the top and a few small holes in the bottom of every second node, then a little media, or with large enough bamboo 2 plants per node.

This would work perfectly well, or if you dont have enough buoyancy and doing a raft, you simply have an outer square of larger totally sealed bamboo, if it doesnt float evenly but floats well, a weight can be hung from the middle - attached by rope from the sides to add balance.

A hole or holes on the bottom side of any internode where there is a plant may well work, Yavimaya, and I admit that I was only thinking in terms of water flowing lengthwise along the culm, not vertically through it. I am not sufficiently experienced with DWC to know whether or not the plants' roots would be adequately aerated doing it this way. To say 'this would work perfectly well' may be a bit of a stretch, unless you have personally achieved success with this method previously. Sounds like a trial is in order.

The 'outer square of larger totally sealed bamboo' that you suggest sounds very much along the lines of the supplementary flotation that I suggested may be necessary. I like your idea of a steadying counterweight suspended beneath the raft since I recall that my raft didn't float evenly.

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

PLJ I only just came up with this dopey idea. I'm not sure if it is any good. Borrowing from ideas mentioned above mixed with the idea of a kite, what if the outer frame was made of larger bamboo that is totally sealed. Width ways along the raft are evenly spaced reinforcing smaller bamboo. Over that a roll made from much smaller bamboo covers the top. Obviously there would also be holes for net pots.

Then the whole raft can be shipped more easily and assembled somewhat like a kite. (For people who do not have easy access to bamboo)

It's only a suggestion as you would be much more familiar with the practical side.

Mac, I can't see why your design wouldn't work. It is certainly an improvement on the one I designed, that my son knocked up last year. The holes in the bamboo mat would obviously need to align with the gaps between the bamboo struts. You would also need to devise a method of attaching your struts to the outer flotation frame without cutting holes in it, which would negate its effectiveness.

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

I guess but maybe it's not simple enough. EB always says, "Keep It Simple"

When I looked at the picture, I interpreted it as holes all the way through so the roots can grow down below the raft. To keep the spacing appropriate, there would be some undrilled bamboo between the drilled bamboo.

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Something like this perhaps Ronmaggi? I think this is also what Yavimaya meant but also eliminated the need for net pots by only drilling a number of small holes in the bottom of a node and the actual node becomes the net pot.