Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you want to be kept up to date with how the plants in the pods go. 🌱🥦🥦👍 bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob Cheers all & have a top one. 😊 Rob
I follow this channel solely because the presenter just seems like a straight up wholesome and nice guy. I didnt think I would ever be into aquaponics but I'm gonna give it a try. Thanks for inspiring a new hobby!
Hi James & thanks for the kind words Mate. 👍😊 Hope you enjoy aquaponics as well if you have a crack at it. Sorry for taking so long to read your comment as well. Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🌱
I started to get into aquaponics after watching Rob and the more I mess with it the better I get at it I've already made a chop and flip aquaponics system from watching his video and many other systems that I've come up with.
As soon as I heard your accent, I knew you were for me!! You should add "Australia" or "Queensland" to your tags because it's so hard to find growing advice relevant to me! You're a legend, thanks for the tips!!
Am glad you're enjoying the videos Maria. Have you checked out Mark's "Self Sufficient Me" channel? th-cam.com/users/markyv69 He's another local (in SE QLD that is) & does LOADS of gardening videos. Cheers & happy growing.
Well this is delightful Rob, really appreciated your add-on pipe for filling up the res.externaly and adding the extra volume , overflow tube , an inch or so ,clever . And explanation of mixes volume. We just bought this system ,so your presentation and personality is is so spot on ,thanks . Have a great day from here up in Alberta, Canada . And yes ,we have pressed the subscribe button for more of your invaluble info.
Feel inspired to buy one to grow herbs at first and then maybe the larger one later for vegetables! I have brush turkeys which drive me crazy.I live in Sydney and have a small garden
Have been very happy with how they've gone so far DeadFred. Last clip I posted had an update at on the pods the start. 👍👍 th-cam.com/video/iOuzT3aZjqU/w-d-xo.html Cheers mate.
i started doing wicking beds before people knew what that was. this will be popular in a few years. add a soaker hose in the bottom of the grow bed, hook a air pump to it giving the roots oxygen.
Do you have an on the grow at the moment Mary? Roasted or first one the other week & will be doing the same to a MONSTER tonight. Sorry It took so long to get back to you here. Hope all's well with you & yours.
That's a really good idea if I ever come across wicking bed to myselfor just how I can make some I'll definitely try that once I get settled in Pennsylvania 🤗😊 I love watching you I think you're awesome I hope your family and you are really well and safe right now God bless okay
Have been very impressed with how they've gone so far Dan. Posted a short update on them at the start of our most recent clip if you wanted to suss it out. Cheers & happy growing.
I would post a link but think you've already seen the latest clip showing how the pods are doing. 👍 Cheers & sorry again for taking so long to catch up on your comments.
Thanks Mate. 👍 Am very happy how it's gone so far. Am looking to get a few more for mum now they've decided to scrap the idea of growing in the aquaponics. Cheers mate.
G'day Rob, i have been watching for awhile but this is my 2nd comment. I now have two large V-Pods, i still have to mix in pearlite & i just received heirloom seeds from Daylesford. I have heart & lung disease so i am on oxygen & the tubing only gives me a couple feet length outside but health permitting, i am hoping to get my pods up & running. Your heads up really help me, i hope to be eating decent organic food this year. 🙏
@@RobsAquaponics We're fine this side thanks, just spent from 1:00 to 3:00 this morning doing damage control on our roof. The wind was incredible, surprised it did not blow me over. Trust you are and Bianca are also well.
They look amazing. I wish I had space in my garden for something like that. As is I barely have space for my two beds I currently have. But I did get seeds for broad ripple yellow currant tomatoes after seeing them so much in your vids and the seedlings are popping up. I am super excited about trying something new.
@@RobsAquaponics Sadly not yet. I have something not quite right with my seedling set up so they were very small when they went outside, but I saw some flowers on them today.
We roasted a few of the ones grown in another wicking bed & that were great Huber. We'll be popping in another large one tonight along with some of the beets we grew in these pods for dinner tonight. Cheers & have a top one mate.
It's been really good & have converted some more to run as wicking beds. No more guessing if the reservoir is full or not & it makes watering the beds a lot easier after the top have been removed. 👍 I showed them recently in this clip if you want to suss them out, th-cam.com/video/NQucerqHA7E/w-d-xo.html Cheers & happy growing.
Important question I was wondering with the attachments that you have on as like the hose to the Reservoir and then the Overflow valve would you be able to flush the Reservoir water out by putting water in the hose to get excess nutrients and water leftover in the Reservoir out if needed to be? And love your vids rob great work
You could do Jesse but I don't think it would be needed. Have never really had any issues with a nutrient build up as the plants tend to drain the res dry on a regular basis. Cheers & happy growing.
Thanks for the update Rob . Where did the water level end up inside ? Just below the plastic supports I am thinking , no deed for sand. Thanks again great to watch very informative .
Hey Matthew. It sits about 15mm/½" above the top of the supports. At the moment I'm topping the bases up every 3rd day with all the broccoli in there so don't think the soil stay wet for long enough to cause any issues. Cheers mate & all the best. 👍👍
Omw, thanks for reply. Can now see about your comment cant get to everyone. Really enjoy your time of, it takes alot of a person. Thankyou for all your efforts. 👍👍
So fare I haven't seen any slugs in these beds 3dfxlisa 🤞🤞 Only issue we used to have with rodents was all the rats eating the strawberries. Found a very easy fix for that though, give away 99% of the strawberry plants to friends & family. 😁😉 Hope all's well with you & your garden is booming.
Hello from Canada! Thank you so much for this information! This is my first go at gardening. To increase my chances of success And because I’m in an urban setting, I purchased a Vegepod. I watched your video and was wondering about a few things as I’m interested in possibly using my Vegepod as an SIP planter rather than most of the watering being done from above. I’m hoping you can clarify a few things for me: 1- Before adding the potting solid mixed with perlite, the Vegepod folks also lay a base level of perlite (2 cm) which also is meant to fill the wicking wells of drain trays. I don’t think I saw what you used or if you used perlite as well and watched more than once so I’m hoping didn’t just miss it. Any chance you could clarify what you used or if you would recommend to do it differently than using perlite? 2- When you blocked drain hole and created a new one a little higher to raise the water amount the water tanks will hold, does that get in the way of there being that layer of air I’ve understood to be important in SIP systems to ensure proper drainage and avoid root rot or is there something Im missing as my understanding of these things is still limited? 3- is there a reason you are pointing your drain spigot upwards? I’m looking at maybe recuperating the water which will escape the drain hole to save water and also keep my dirty water from leaking on the balconies of neighbours below me so was wondering if there was a reason in case my pointing it down into a bucket could cause issues. Thanks again for all the knowledge you share:)
Hi There. 1- I let the soil wick up the water as it will do so much better than perlite. As the water is used the soil in the base layer will dry out & I found I didn't have any issues with it going anaerobic. Our warmer climate may have helped there as we generally have very fast growth rates through spring, summer & autumn. 2- I pretty much only grow using wicking beds (SIPs) & have found that the water level falling allows for good gas exchange in all the styles I grow in. I will leave a playlist below for my DIY wicking builds. The soil will naturally dry out as the plants take the moisture with the main damp spots being where the wicking spots that run down to the base sit. 👍 3- I have the drain pointing out to increase the level of water in the base. It can be rotated to lower the height if needed. As an example, when growing garlic through winter I would have it pointed down as they don't require as much water as brassicas & any excess may cause issues with constantly damp soil. I hope that helps some & happy growing. th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYgCL4xDq6qcTQqDfW2tSdxF.html
In most cases I like to sow them directly where I want them to grow Matt. Also helps that we live in a warm climate. 😉 I find covering them with fine layer of mulch will help some of the larger seeds stay moist. With smaller shallower sown seeds, like carrots, I will cover the damp soil with shade or weed barrier cloth to help keep the soil moist. Am doing a bit of a trail with carrots under cloth & some lightly covered with mulch which I'll be including in a soil garden update soon. Hope that helps a little. 👍
Hi Rob, I just saw your excellent video on the vegepod mod. What concerns me about the bottom of the pod is the amount of water in it contributing to root rot. When the roots of the plant go into the water won't that make them rot, and won't it stagnate?
Not if you allow it to be used up before refilling. At the peak of the season I had to top them up 2-3 times a week so fresh water was being added all the time. 👍
Where did you get the LID'S to the Beds ? ? The pvc Pipe looking Lids Did you Make ? If so do you have a Part list ? or place where you got them from ?
You could just use the soil & compost mix. The perlite will help it from compacting some + will make the sections of bed easier to lift when it comes time for us to move them. 😉 Cheers Michael.
Thanks Rob. I have 12 Veggie Pods in Bundy. I did the same as you have done as I use Bore water and cannot spray our veggies due to the slight salt content. They work very well this way. That potting mix is what we have used for a 3 years and have had so much trouble with Curl Grubs to the point I had to empty them all. We cannot grow in our soil as it reclaimed Melaleuca swamp. The things you only find out after you buy the house. We are about to put onion seeding in about 150mm tall, any advise? Thanks as always.
Sorry I missed your post. How are the onions going? I broke these down & they're around at my parents ready to get set up. I figured they're a lot safer for them to run than the aquaponics. Cheers.
Do have a question- would there be any extra benifit to adding hydroponic nutrients to the res. solution or would that be overkill ? tried this on a wick -in -bucket system and it was suprising growth with little maintanance. Also any benefit in flushing out the res. with replenishing, fresh water on occasion ?
I only top watered or top dressed with compost or natural fertilisers Cecil. My concern is that the nutrient rich water could cause issues if it goes anaerobic sitting in the base.
G'day I tried to find a folow up video on this but I did not see one. How did the vegepod go with your modifcation? I have been thinking of buying one and I want to use hydorponic nutrians and no soil but coco coir and perlite. Thanks
Hey Ben. I ended up giving them to my mum & she's got them in the front yard. Still growing strong but could do with some fresh soil at the moment. I think it may be cheaper for you to buy a trough & build/buy a stand if you're growing hydroponically.
🤣 Not sure 🤔 but if you find some let me know. 🤣 So fare it's working really well. Posted a bit of an update in the latest clip if you want to suss it out HP. Cheers & hope all's well with you.
I was wondering, what is your opinion on growing vegepod, or wicking bed in a basement under artificial lighting? I live in an area with cold winters and I would like to supplement my aquaponics with soil gardens for root veggies.
I have seen folks grow with soil indoors but not with wicking beds or containers that I can think of RTP. I can't see why you couldn't give it a crack & would like to know how you get on if you set one up. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Cheers. 👍
you seem to know what you are doing. Curious if you have checked out those $29 plastic raised beds at Bunnings with the empty legs? Are the legs meant to be filled with rocks or something for drainage or the soil like what's being used in the bed? Would love your advice.
I have a series of them "wicked" up on the deck Allie. I stuffed some shade cloth down them to stop the soil from filling them. You could fill them with rocks if you want. I set them up wrong so have water running down the legs as the water isn't moving through the base properly from the fill tub, totally my fault as I was in a rush to get them planted. I have set the legs in small takeaway trays so the pooled water doesn't damage the timber on the deck. I'm looking at pulling them down one by one & fixing the reservoir so that they don't leak. Hope that helps a little.
@@RobsAquaponics a little. I am a visual person so a video on them would be really helpful. From reading reviews I think most people are unsure how they are supposed to work. A video explanation of how these raised beds are supposed to work would be really very helpful to many in Australia, I believe. There isn't even one video on them.
@@allieb7757 Hey Allie. I have a playlist of just wicking bed videos that I think has one or two on the pods as well. th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYizRYZra6RRbe_mrPdnXu4G.html
Hi L3N. Sorry it took ages to get back to you. I like the seals premium potting mix for containers. With the soil for the wicking beds, I have tried a few different veggie soil blends from different landscape suppliers & haven't been happy with any of them. I have been told that Centenary Landscape supplies make a good veggie blend if you're in the Brissy West region. I would like to try it but don't need to buy any in at the moment. If you're planting into the ground, I would go with the no dig garden method where you create soil in place. I don't have any decent videos on that method but Charles over in the UK does, th-cam.com/play/PL7WDfop74y-m0iLxmmjlmr_ZGBFvurzxV.html Hope that helps some & sorry again for taking so long to respond.
Hi Rob, we can buy the plastic drums but they are expensive. But we have access to the steel 44gal (200lr) drums pretty cheap. How long do you think these would last before they rust? Have you had any experience with the steel drums. Also, do you have to take the wicking beds apart and put in new soil ect due to stagnant/sulphure issues. Thanks so much for your informative videos. Regareds
I think the steel drums would work fine if you sealed them first. Am not sure they'd last too long with water & damp sand/soil sitting in there continually. I've only ever taken the beds apart to move them or re work the reservoirs so they could hold more water. I did have one lot of barrels got rancid when I first started as there was a lot of organic rich soil in the base that went anaerobic but that was a one off occurrence. Hope that helps some.
@@RobsAquaponics Hi Rob thanks for replying. Yes it does make sense. Will rustproof the drums with organic compound and will find out how long I get before they rust through. I might put a drain in each drum to drain the water if I have the same situation but If I put in the sand then the geo and straw as you do hopefully wont have an issue. Regards and thanks once again.
@@RobsAquaponics Hi Rob just another question please ;-). Just to clarify as I have about 17 wicking beds in the drums I will be doing, what is the distance from the water level, to sand, to the drain outlet. I remember 30mm said somewhere but just want to confirm as I would rather not make any mistakes on these if I can avoid it seeing I will be doing them pretty much all at once. And where exactly is the best place to have the drain hole in relation to the sand? Cheers thanks once again. All the best
I like the height of them but think the reservoir area needs to be re worked a bit. We ran out first one using the spray bar but found a lot of the water ran out the sides once the greenery took over the top so there needs to be a direct way to fill the base as well I think. 👍 Great for growing greens but it's very hard to grow a decent sized brassica, tomato ot capsicum in there under the canopy. HTH. 😁😁👍
Doing well no cases of covid 19 in my town as yet . Working on my Aquaponic setup it coming along . I got some golden rainbow trout there doing quite well
If I had some on hand at the time I probably would have. Haven't seen any available locally for a while & only just found my stock of biochar the other week. Cheers.
Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you want to be kept up to date with how the plants in the pods go. 🌱🥦🥦👍
bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob
Cheers all & have a top one. 😊
Rob
Like & subscribed
I follow this channel solely because the presenter just seems like a straight up wholesome and nice guy. I didnt think I would ever be into aquaponics but I'm gonna give it a try. Thanks for inspiring a new hobby!
Hi James & thanks for the kind words Mate. 👍😊
Hope you enjoy aquaponics as well if you have a crack at it.
Sorry for taking so long to read your comment as well.
Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🌱
I started to get into aquaponics after watching Rob and the more I mess with it the better I get at it I've already made a chop and flip aquaponics system from watching his video and many other systems that I've come up with.
@@jamielingenfelter5206 Nice one Jamie. 👍👍
@@RobsAquaponics Thanks Rob
As soon as I heard your accent, I knew you were for me!! You should add "Australia" or "Queensland" to your tags because it's so hard to find growing advice relevant to me! You're a legend, thanks for the tips!!
Am glad you're enjoying the videos Maria. Have you checked out Mark's "Self Sufficient Me" channel?
th-cam.com/users/markyv69
He's another local (in SE QLD that is) & does LOADS of gardening videos.
Cheers & happy growing.
@@RobsAquaponics Thanks Rob, I'll check him out!
Thank you for all your videos!!!! FROM USA Pennsylvania
I'm glad you like them Jamison. 👍
Cheers & all the best from Queensland Australia.
Lol she got so excited when you said time to go
😃 We tell her it's "time to go" when it's walk or play time.
Always gets her moving quick smart.
Hey Rob Bob, I love your humor. It's very light (probably by design), but it's noticeable enough to me to appreciate it.
Thanks Rory. 😁
Cheers & have a top one mate. 👍
Really enjoyed your presentation just bought a large vege pod this weekend at the Nambour garden expo
Thank you for continuing to upload these videos. They have helped keep me a bit saner especially now.
Glad to be able to help in some way Sarah.
Hope you & yours are doing well. 😊👍
Those vegepods look like they should work out just fine.Good job man. Hello good ol Lizzie!
Thanks Mr Neil.
Cheers mate.
Well this is delightful Rob, really appreciated your add-on pipe for filling up the res.externaly and adding the extra volume , overflow tube , an inch or so ,clever . And explanation of mixes volume. We just bought this system ,so your presentation and personality is is so spot on ,thanks . Have a great day from here up in Alberta, Canada . And yes ,we have pressed the subscribe button for more of your invaluble info.
Cheers mate. 👍 How have the beds been growing for you so far?
Feel inspired to buy one to grow herbs at first and then maybe the larger one later for vegetables! I have brush turkeys which drive me crazy.I live in Sydney and have a small garden
Sweet hack. Can't wait to see the development...
Have been very happy with how they've gone so far DeadFred. Last clip I posted had an update at on the pods the start. 👍👍
th-cam.com/video/iOuzT3aZjqU/w-d-xo.html
Cheers mate.
love the video, i have been looking at these vegepods, good info thx!
Coming right along.
Cheers Matthew.
Happy growing mate. 🌱🌱
i started doing wicking beds before people knew what that was. this will be popular in a few years. add a soaker hose in the bottom of the grow bed, hook a air pump to it giving the roots oxygen.
It is great to start to see them take off Carl. Have you posted anywhere on that method mate?
Cheers & happy growing.
I love the vegpod, Rob. Yes, Kohlrabi is yum, especially in a salad. I picked some purple and green seeds the other day to sow soon.
Do you have an on the grow at the moment Mary?
Roasted or first one the other week & will be doing the same to a MONSTER tonight.
Sorry It took so long to get back to you here.
Hope all's well with you & yours.
Rob, the best
👍 Cheers mate.
That's a really good idea if I ever come across wicking bed to myselfor just how I can make some I'll definitely try that once I get settled in Pennsylvania 🤗😊 I love watching you I think you're awesome I hope your family and you are really well and safe right now God bless okay
We're all well here thanks Lisa. Hop you & your's are doing OK through the lockdowns.
Great video, very detailed. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Happy Growing 🌱🌱😁
I think your on a winner there Rob
Have been very impressed with how they've gone so far Dan.
Posted a short update on them at the start of our most recent clip if you wanted to suss it out.
Cheers & happy growing.
Thanks Rob, been waiting for the hack :)
Are you going to have a crack at it yourself Chuck?
Sorry for taking so long to respond too.
Cheers mate & all the best.
Great video can’t wait to see how it works
I would post a link but think you've already seen the latest clip showing how the pods are doing. 👍
Cheers & sorry again for taking so long to catch up on your comments.
Great hack mate I love that idea top stuff
Thanks Mate. 👍 Am very happy how it's gone so far. Am looking to get a few more for mum now they've decided to scrap the idea of growing in the aquaponics.
Cheers mate.
G'day Rob, i have been watching for awhile but this is my 2nd comment. I now have two large V-Pods, i still have to mix in pearlite & i just received heirloom seeds from Daylesford. I have heart & lung disease so i am on oxygen & the tubing only gives me a couple feet length outside but health permitting, i am hoping to get my pods up & running. Your heads up really help me, i hope to be eating decent organic food this year. 🙏
That's great to hear P4A. I hope they grow you LOADS of tasty veg.
AAARRRR me Mateys - love the Pirate longs. Brian & Essjay
🤣 I'm wearing them today as well as luck would have it folks. 🤣
Hope you folks are doing well over in SA.
@@RobsAquaponics We're fine this side thanks, just spent from 1:00 to 3:00 this morning doing damage control on our roof. The wind was incredible, surprised it did not blow me over.
Trust you are and Bianca are also well.
Chris here I really like these beds, I hope they work out for you.
So far we're really happy with them & the watering hack Chris. 👍👍
Cheers & sorry about taking so long to get back to you.
Cheers.
They look amazing. I wish I had space in my garden for something like that. As is I barely have space for my two beds I currently have. But I did get seeds for broad ripple yellow currant tomatoes after seeing them so much in your vids and the seedlings are popping up. I am super excited about trying something new.
Hope the plants are doing well for you Tonje. Have you picked any fruit from them yet?
@@RobsAquaponics Sadly not yet. I have something not quite right with my seedling set up so they were very small when they went outside, but I saw some flowers on them today.
roasted Kolrabi and Cauliflower is amazing... Balnch it for 10 minutes, Butter garlic and go for it
We roasted a few of the ones grown in another wicking bed & that were great Huber. We'll be popping in another large one tonight along with some of the beets we grew in these pods for dinner tonight.
Cheers & have a top one mate.
Thanks for sharing. How did the water level mod go? Have you found the increased water level has improved your growing conditions?
It's been really good & have converted some more to run as wicking beds. No more guessing if the reservoir is full or not & it makes watering the beds a lot easier after the top have been removed. 👍
I showed them recently in this clip if you want to suss them out,
th-cam.com/video/NQucerqHA7E/w-d-xo.html
Cheers & happy growing.
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm thanks Rob. What grade Perlite are you using coarse or Super coarse?
Important question
I was wondering with the attachments that you have on as like the hose to the Reservoir and then the Overflow valve would you be able to flush the Reservoir water out by putting water in the hose to get excess nutrients and water leftover in the Reservoir out if needed to be?
And love your vids rob great work
You could do Jesse but I don't think it would be needed. Have never really had any issues with a nutrient build up as the plants tend to drain the res dry on a regular basis.
Cheers & happy growing.
Thanks for the update Rob . Where did the water level end up inside ? Just below the plastic supports I am thinking , no deed for sand. Thanks again great to watch very informative .
Hey Matthew. It sits about 15mm/½" above the top of the supports. At the moment I'm topping the bases up every 3rd day with all the broccoli in there so don't think the soil stay wet for long enough to cause any issues.
Cheers mate & all the best.
👍👍
Awesome
Cheers mate. 👍
Nice vegi pod vid Bobby, do you have a vid on germanate seeds. Mine almost always rot away... pls. Thanks Basie
Not really sorry Basie. I used to show them a lot in the old walk around clips a few years back.
Omw, thanks for reply. Can now see about your comment cant get to everyone. Really enjoy your time of, it takes alot of a person. Thankyou for all your efforts. 👍👍
Great, I definitely need something like this! My vegetables always get eaten by mice and slugs...
So fare I haven't seen any slugs in these beds 3dfxlisa 🤞🤞
Only issue we used to have with rodents was all the rats eating the strawberries. Found a very easy fix for that though, give away 99% of the strawberry plants to friends & family. 😁😉
Hope all's well with you & your garden is booming.
Hello from Canada! Thank you so much for this information! This is my first go at gardening. To increase my chances of success And because I’m in an urban setting, I purchased a Vegepod. I watched your video and was wondering about a few things as I’m interested in possibly using my Vegepod as an SIP planter rather than most of the watering being done from above. I’m hoping you can clarify a few things for me:
1- Before adding the potting solid mixed with perlite, the Vegepod folks also lay a base level of perlite (2 cm) which also is meant to fill the wicking wells of drain trays. I don’t think I saw what you used or if you used perlite as well and watched more than once so I’m hoping didn’t just miss it. Any chance you could clarify what you used or if you would recommend to do it differently than using perlite?
2- When you blocked drain hole and created a new one a little higher to raise the water amount the water tanks will hold, does that get in the way of there being that layer of air I’ve understood to be important in SIP systems to ensure proper drainage and avoid root rot or is there something Im missing as my understanding of these things is still limited?
3- is there a reason you are pointing your drain spigot upwards? I’m looking at maybe recuperating the water which will escape the drain hole to save water and also keep my dirty water from leaking on the balconies of neighbours below me so was wondering if there was a reason in case my pointing it down into a bucket could cause issues.
Thanks again for all the knowledge you share:)
Hi There.
1- I let the soil wick up the water as it will do so much better than perlite. As the water is used the soil in the base layer will dry out & I found I didn't have any issues with it going anaerobic. Our warmer climate may have helped there as we generally have very fast growth rates through spring, summer & autumn.
2- I pretty much only grow using wicking beds (SIPs) & have found that the water level falling allows for good gas exchange in all the styles I grow in. I will leave a playlist below for my DIY wicking builds.
The soil will naturally dry out as the plants take the moisture with the main damp spots being where the wicking spots that run down to the base sit. 👍
3- I have the drain pointing out to increase the level of water in the base. It can be rotated to lower the height if needed. As an example, when growing garlic through winter I would have it pointed down as they don't require as much water as brassicas & any excess may cause issues with constantly damp soil.
I hope that helps some & happy growing.
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYgCL4xDq6qcTQqDfW2tSdxF.html
@@RobsAquaponics Hi Rob, how low do you let the water fall before refilling? Thanks
Hi Rob, do you put a layer of perlite at the base as well?
I don't Mike. I just let the soil mix wick the water up. 👍
Any tips for Germinating and starting seeds?
In most cases I like to sow them directly where I want them to grow Matt. Also helps that we live in a warm climate. 😉 I find covering them with fine layer of mulch will help some of the larger seeds stay moist. With smaller shallower sown seeds, like carrots, I will cover the damp soil with shade or weed barrier cloth to help keep the soil moist. Am doing a bit of a trail with carrots under cloth & some lightly covered with mulch which I'll be including in a soil garden update soon.
Hope that helps a little. 👍
Hi Rob, I just saw your excellent video on the vegepod mod.
What concerns me about the bottom of the pod is the amount of water in it contributing to root rot.
When the roots of the plant go into the water won't that make them rot, and won't it stagnate?
Not if you allow it to be used up before refilling. At the peak of the season I had to top them up 2-3 times a week so fresh water was being added all the time. 👍
Where did you get the LID'S to the Beds ? ? The pvc Pipe looking Lids Did you Make ? If so do you have a Part list ? or place where you got them from ?
The beds come with the frames on top.
They're called Vege Pods & can be bought worldwide now.👍
Cheers.
What does the perlite do? Could you just fill with the potting mix and the compost blend?
You could just use the soil & compost mix. The perlite will help it from compacting some + will make the sections of bed easier to lift when it comes time for us to move them. 😉
Cheers Michael.
Thanks Rob. I have 12 Veggie Pods in Bundy. I did the same as you have done as I use Bore water and cannot spray our veggies due to the slight salt content. They work very well this way. That potting mix is what we have used for a 3 years and have had so much trouble with Curl Grubs to the point I had to empty them all. We cannot grow in our soil as it reclaimed Melaleuca swamp. The things you only find out after you buy the house. We are about to put onion seeding in about 150mm tall, any advise? Thanks as always.
Sorry I missed your post. How are the onions going?
I broke these down & they're around at my parents ready to get set up. I figured they're a lot safer for them to run than the aquaponics.
Cheers.
Looking good!
Cheers JK Learning. 👍👍
Do have a question- would there be any extra benifit to adding hydroponic nutrients to the res. solution or would that be overkill ? tried this on a wick -in -bucket system and it was suprising growth with little maintanance. Also any benefit in flushing out the res. with replenishing, fresh water on occasion ?
I only top watered or top dressed with compost or natural fertilisers Cecil. My concern is that the nutrient rich water could cause issues if it goes anaerobic sitting in the base.
G'day I tried to find a folow up video on this but I did not see one. How did the vegepod go with your modifcation? I have been thinking of buying one and I want to use hydorponic nutrians and no soil but coco coir and perlite. Thanks
Hey Ben. I ended up giving them to my mum & she's got them in the front yard. Still growing strong but could do with some fresh soil at the moment. I think it may be cheaper for you to buy a trough & build/buy a stand if you're growing hydroponically.
Where do you plant your bacon 🥓? It is always bacon season. Great vid mate, I hope that hack works. PS broccoli is awesome.
🤣 Not sure 🤔 but if you find some let me know. 🤣
So fare it's working really well. Posted a bit of an update in the latest clip if you want to suss it out HP.
Cheers & hope all's well with you.
I was wondering, what is your opinion on growing vegepod, or wicking bed in a basement under artificial lighting? I live in an area with cold winters and I would like to supplement my aquaponics with soil gardens for root veggies.
I have seen folks grow with soil indoors but not with wicking beds or containers that I can think of RTP. I can't see why you couldn't give it a crack & would like to know how you get on if you set one up.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you.
Cheers. 👍
you seem to know what you are doing. Curious if you have checked out those $29 plastic raised beds at Bunnings with the empty legs? Are the legs meant to be filled with rocks or something for drainage or the soil like what's being used in the bed? Would love your advice.
I have a series of them "wicked" up on the deck Allie. I stuffed some shade cloth down them to stop the soil from filling them. You could fill them with rocks if you want.
I set them up wrong so have water running down the legs as the water isn't moving through the base properly from the fill tub, totally my fault as I was in a rush to get them planted. I have set the legs in small takeaway trays so the pooled water doesn't damage the timber on the deck.
I'm looking at pulling them down one by one & fixing the reservoir so that they don't leak.
Hope that helps a little.
@@RobsAquaponics a little. I am a visual person so a video on them would be really helpful. From reading reviews I think most people are unsure how they are supposed to work. A video explanation of how these raised beds are supposed to work would be really very helpful to many in Australia, I believe. There isn't even one video on them.
@@allieb7757 Hey Allie. I have a playlist of just wicking bed videos that I think has one or two on the pods as well.
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYizRYZra6RRbe_mrPdnXu4G.html
G'day Rob, I looked for grommets at Bunnings with no luck. Where abouts in SQE did you get yours from ?
Hydroponics or irrigation stores are your best bet Matt.
Cheers mate.
Found some at Supercheap. Cheers mate
G'day Rob, the fill tube you used to insert through the base, is it a 50mm diameter black poly ?
@@mattdebritt8441 I think I used a 32mm irrigation poly mate. 👍 It just needs to be large enough to get the hose end you use into it.
Keep up the quality content Rob! Any plans to connect all the fill tubes into a central fill/manifold?
Down the track I might play around with that idea Taz. Need to get a few more for my mum so might experiment with them. 😉
Cheers.
Can you recommend some seeds to plant in August in Brisbane?
Beetroot, cabbage, beans, carrots are ones I be looking at starting off now Sandra.
I like to use Gardenate as a sowing guide if that helps any,
www.gardenate.com/
Hey Rob, how did your hack work out? I’ve just bought a vegepod cheers.
They're still going strong at my parents Garry. 😉👍 The small one I have here might end up being used in the aquaponics though.
G'day Rob,
Can you tell me what percentage shade cloth that is covering the Vegepods
I think the white cloth that comes with the pods is a 20% from memory Ian.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you mate.
@@RobsAquaponics Thanks Rob, no worries about the time I know how busy you are
Hi mate, im from QLD. Can you tell me what you use for the garden soil, brands and where to buy? Cheers. New to this mate
Hi L3N. Sorry it took ages to get back to you.
I like the seals premium potting mix for containers.
With the soil for the wicking beds, I have tried a few different veggie soil blends from different landscape suppliers & haven't been happy with any of them.
I have been told that Centenary Landscape supplies make a good veggie blend if you're in the Brissy West region. I would like to try it but don't need to buy any in at the moment.
If you're planting into the ground, I would go with the no dig garden method where you create soil in place. I don't have any decent videos on that method but Charles over in the UK does,
th-cam.com/play/PL7WDfop74y-m0iLxmmjlmr_ZGBFvurzxV.html
Hope that helps some & sorry again for taking so long to respond.
Hi Rob, we can buy the plastic drums but they are expensive. But we have access to the steel 44gal (200lr) drums pretty cheap. How long do you think these would last before they rust? Have you had any experience with the steel drums. Also, do you have to take the wicking beds apart and put in new soil ect due to stagnant/sulphure issues. Thanks so much for your informative videos.
Regareds
I think the steel drums would work fine if you sealed them first. Am not sure they'd last too long with water & damp sand/soil sitting in there continually.
I've only ever taken the beds apart to move them or re work the reservoirs so they could hold more water.
I did have one lot of barrels got rancid when I first started as there was a lot of organic rich soil in the base that went anaerobic but that was a one off occurrence.
Hope that helps some.
@@RobsAquaponics Hi Rob thanks for replying. Yes it does make sense. Will rustproof the drums with organic compound and will find out how long I get before they rust through. I might put a drain in each drum to drain the water if I have the same situation but If I put in the sand then the geo and straw as you do hopefully wont have an issue. Regards and thanks once again.
@@RobsAquaponics Hi Rob just another question please ;-). Just to clarify as I have about 17 wicking beds in the drums I will be doing, what is the distance from the water level, to sand, to the drain outlet. I remember 30mm said somewhere but just want to confirm as I would rather not make any mistakes on these if I can avoid it seeing I will be doing them pretty much all at once. And where exactly is the best place to have the drain hole in relation to the sand? Cheers thanks once again. All the best
@@marinetrax I left my email addy in the other comment you made so can sort this out when you reply sort this out when we chat there. 👍
Hi I have a veggie pod that I was told if I put worms in the veggie pod they will go through to the bottom and drown in the water is that correct
I don't think so Karen. Have seen worms easily climb up the side walls in worm farms as well as wicking bed bases. 👍
Hope that helps.
@@RobsAquaponics thankyou ✌☺
I take it you are very happy with the Veggiepods?
I like the height of them but think the reservoir area needs to be re worked a bit. We ran out first one using the spray bar but found a lot of the water ran out the sides once the greenery took over the top so there needs to be a direct way to fill the base as well I think. 👍 Great for growing greens but it's very hard to grow a decent sized brassica, tomato ot capsicum in there under the canopy.
HTH. 😁😁👍
@@RobsAquaponics cool
Are those Eden seeds?
I have used them but the packet with the water damage was from Green Harvest. 👍
Cheers mate & thanks again for the pod's 👍👍
Like
Cheers Ramone. 😁👍🍻
Stay home rob look after yourself mate
Cheers BH.
Hope you're doing well. 👍👍
Doing well no cases of covid 19 in my town as yet . Working on my Aquaponic setup it coming along . I got some golden rainbow trout there doing quite well
Why don't you use wood charcoal instead of perlite?
If I had some on hand at the time I probably would have. Haven't seen any available locally for a while & only just found my stock of biochar the other week.
Cheers.
Can I share tis now Mate
Even though it's a bit late, go for it mate. 😁👍
Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier Gordon.