We had a cold snap this morning which dropped the temp down to 52 degrees outside. With the insulation in place and the greenhouse closed up the temp stayed a balmy 74 degrees.
Next up, the building of an Aeroponics cloner/seedling starter system.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Insulation added to the Greenhouse
With the upcoming weather changes for fall/winter approaching, I decided to bite the bullet and put up some radiant type / bubble insulation with an R3.7 value. I placed all of this on Saturday last weekend and stapled it in place using a an Arrow T-50 stapler. I used approx. 8 - 2' x 25' rolls, and a single roll of 4'x25' for the IBC Fish Tanks. This material was placed along the end and side walls, and also along the roof trusses. This also provides extra reflective light back onto the plants for added growth.
We had a cold snap this morning which dropped the temp down to 52 degrees outside. With the insulation in place and the greenhouse closed up the temp stayed a balmy 74 degrees.
Not bad for this amount of insulation, of course winter has not set in yet, so for added protection I have purchased a small ceramic based heater which I will use to supplement the natural radiant heat of the greenhouse. I also have purchased a digital dual 500 watt Titanium aquarium heater unit which will be placed in the Fish Tanks to regulate the heat during the winter.
Next up, the building of an Aeroponics cloner/seedling starter system.
We had a cold snap this morning which dropped the temp down to 52 degrees outside. With the insulation in place and the greenhouse closed up the temp stayed a balmy 74 degrees.
Next up, the building of an Aeroponics cloner/seedling starter system.
Water Quality Test for each system
I received my API Freshwater Test Kit a couple of weeks ago, and was able to test the nitrogen cycle of both tanks in relation to each units biological activity.
After running both Aquaponic tank systems for approx. 2 weeks without media in the growbeds, and another week with media, while having approx. 10 gold fish present in each tank for the entire duration I was able to see where my tanks ammonia, PH, Nitrite, & Nitrate levels were at in the cycle.
On October 8th, I had the following results tested at 80 degree water temperature.
Tank System 1:
PH: 8.8 PPM
NO2: 5.0 PPM
NO3: 10 PPM
NH3/4: .25 PPM
Tank System 2:
PH: 8.8 PPM
NO2: 5.0 PPM
NO3: 10-20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
Another test was performed on October 15 with the following resutls tested at 76 degrees for water temperature.
Tank System 1:
PH: 8.4 PPM
NO2: 0 PPM
NO3: 20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
Tank System 2
PH: 8.4 PPM
NO2: 2.0 PPM
NO3: 20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
As can be seen the tank systems are for the most part cycled, with the exception of the PH. which is high and is causing PH block for some of the nutrients in the system such as Iron, Calcium, & Potassium. A good organic pond fertilizer containing 10% iron, and Phosphate only was added to each tank to mitigate the iron deficiency, but due to the PH block this did not help.
I had added over several hours approx. 1/4 Gallon Muriatic acid to each system which temporarily lowered the PH to 7.8, after waiting 24 hours the systems were retested and due to the buffering action of the expanded shale, the PH crept back up to 8.4. I will continue to monitor all water quality on a weekly basis until the systems are stable, Muriatic Acid will continue to be added until I can get the PH down to 7.8, after which I will let it digress on it's own. More plants were added, some of which have shown signs of iron deficiency. I have an organic powdered chelated iron product ordered which should arrive sometime this week. I will add this to the systems and report back on the results.
Overall, plant growth has been outstanding, I have one Stevia plant which has added about 12" of growth in two weeks, and an Early Bird Tomato plant which has added approx. 6-8 inches of growth along with blooms in the same time frame. Kale has doubled in size, and herbs have had significant growth as well. Pepper plants are putting on more fruit as well.
More to follow.
After running both Aquaponic tank systems for approx. 2 weeks without media in the growbeds, and another week with media, while having approx. 10 gold fish present in each tank for the entire duration I was able to see where my tanks ammonia, PH, Nitrite, & Nitrate levels were at in the cycle.
On October 8th, I had the following results tested at 80 degree water temperature.
Tank System 1:
PH: 8.8 PPM
NO2: 5.0 PPM
NO3: 10 PPM
NH3/4: .25 PPM
Tank System 2:
PH: 8.8 PPM
NO2: 5.0 PPM
NO3: 10-20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
Another test was performed on October 15 with the following resutls tested at 76 degrees for water temperature.
Tank System 1:
PH: 8.4 PPM
NO2: 0 PPM
NO3: 20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
Tank System 2
PH: 8.4 PPM
NO2: 2.0 PPM
NO3: 20 PPM
NH3/4: 0 PPM
As can be seen the tank systems are for the most part cycled, with the exception of the PH. which is high and is causing PH block for some of the nutrients in the system such as Iron, Calcium, & Potassium. A good organic pond fertilizer containing 10% iron, and Phosphate only was added to each tank to mitigate the iron deficiency, but due to the PH block this did not help.
I had added over several hours approx. 1/4 Gallon Muriatic acid to each system which temporarily lowered the PH to 7.8, after waiting 24 hours the systems were retested and due to the buffering action of the expanded shale, the PH crept back up to 8.4. I will continue to monitor all water quality on a weekly basis until the systems are stable, Muriatic Acid will continue to be added until I can get the PH down to 7.8, after which I will let it digress on it's own. More plants were added, some of which have shown signs of iron deficiency. I have an organic powdered chelated iron product ordered which should arrive sometime this week. I will add this to the systems and report back on the results.
Overall, plant growth has been outstanding, I have one Stevia plant which has added about 12" of growth in two weeks, and an Early Bird Tomato plant which has added approx. 6-8 inches of growth along with blooms in the same time frame. Kale has doubled in size, and herbs have had significant growth as well. Pepper plants are putting on more fruit as well.
More to follow.
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