Build an Aquaponics Garden In Your Backyard
Are you familiar with aquaponics? Let us share some of the wonderful, sustainable ways using an aquaponic system can help to easily and efficiently nurture and grow your plants with an aquatic environment.
By incorporating Focal Point Ponds into your plan, we can help establish a system that reuses waste in the water from fish to continuously fertilize hydroponic plants which in turn clean the water for the fish. This closed loop cycle happens again and again promoting growth and savings in a nearly self-sustaining process. What a wonderful, fun, and enjoyable way to grow some organic fruits or vegetables for your family while benefiting from the relaxing properties you can get from a fish pond. If you have a pond but you don't have an interest in growing veggies, you will style have a similar process occurring in your pond called the nitrogen cycle. You can learn more about how the nitrogen cycle takes place in your Florida pond in this article.
All the elements of a new aquaponic system can be set up in the comfort of your backyard so the beauty of a small pond and garden can be seen from your kitchen window. If you have the luxury of owning a larger plot of land, we can also help design a more robust system including greenhouses for your produce that work with your natural pond or fish tanks to grow food on a larger scale to feed more than your own family.
The term
aquaculture refers to raising fish (or any type of aquatic life) outside of their wild environment.
Hydroponics refers to growing any types of plants in a setting that uses water instead of soil. By combining these two practices, we get
aquaponics: growth of aquatic life and plant life in an environment that works together to allow those elements to cyclically nurture each other.
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Advantages of Aquaponics
A typical commercial, recirculating aquaculture system designed for fish production, will crowd a lot of fish into a small area and then discharge water occasionally to remove the waste and toxin build up. They also rely heavily on biofiltration which needs regular attention. As you read below, these systems can be created in a sustainable way that nurtures the fish, helps the farmer or owner of the system, and produces high quality vegetables and fruit. Plenty of people are DIY growers but if you don't have the time to learn or install your own system, call on Focal Point be your aquaponics system builder.
Mutually Beneficial Jobs and Nutrients
With a closed loop aquaponic system, that water doesn’t need to be flushed out and instead becomes part of the process in which fish feces is recycled as a natural fertilizer to benefit your plant life. This can be a more ecologically intelligent system that also generates higher profit margins or simply better crops (depending on what scale your operation is intended for).
Dual Income
With aquaponic set ups, fish are not the primary (or only) source of income so owners tend to keep a smaller density of fish. This helps to reduce the chance of sicknesses occuringin the fish population, it increases their quality of life, and also helps you keep the water clearer. The result is better quality produce from a natural system that also enhances the ability to raise healthy, happy fish at the same time, generating a dual income source or healthy, happy stomachs for small backyard operations.
Reduced Water Use
By keeping the water in circulation and filtering it through this system, you’re also reducing new water usage which will help to keep your cost in check. Besides evaporation, there should be no water loss when your system is functioning properly. An aquaponic system in Tampa can even allow you to grow vegetables with less overall water use than potted or raised bed gardens.
Healthy Organic Produce
The plants that grow from an aquaponic system are able to save energy and grow faster because they are presented with an ever present supply of nutrients from the water plus oxygen. Their root system is not working as hard to find and pull water out of the ground so they can grow easier and become stronger at a faster rate. When they’re not strained, you’ll notice a difference in the taste and quality of the harvested food.
Balance Is Key In Any Natural Ecosystem
We would be thrilled to be your first aquaponic contractor. Once your system is up and running, one thing to remain aware of is your fish-to-plant ratio. Because the plant life and aquatic life are relying on one another in this circle, you need to make sure there is enough fish waste to feed the plants while making sure you have enough plant roots to clean the water for your finned friends. The larger your aquaponics garden is, the more important this balance becomes because there is more at stake. Maintaining a balanced system takes a little work and knowhow. It’s not always a simple numbers game because larger fish may create more waste and certain plant types may break down contaminants in the water better than others.
By hiring Focal Point to build your Florida aquaponic system, you’ll get started on the right foot. Plus we’re here to discuss any future questions that arise as your system blossoms. If you have a regular pond right now that needs maintenance, we can do a service visit, inspect your set up and let you know what it would take to expand your system to include the growth of plants through an aquaponic design.
