Soil/Water hybrids
Table of Contents
Rain Garden
Rain gardens are built in the low spots of properties where rain water run off pools naturally. The base for a rain garden contains of gravel or lava rock. Lava rock has the ability to store water but both provide aeration and a space for the root grow. Most plants collect nutrients in the upper third of the root stock and the lower part and tap roots are for water collection to provide the plants osmotic pressure at an optimum. A Rain Garden is essentially a self-sustaining wicking bed, providing needed water at all times. The gravel is then topped with either special soil that as well has water retaining properties or topped with a huegel culture that soaks up water through the decaying wood inside and stores it naturally.
Wicking beds
Wicking beds can be contained in water tight containers or built upon an area with low spots like rain gardens. The driving input of a wicking bed is a stable water source either naturally rich in nutrients or based on external input such as topsoil layers. Water based systems are relying on a different set of micro organisms than in soil. The most important part to keep Ph and water stable is the cycling of the water to reach a notification cycle in which nitrifying bacteria convert decaying organic matter into plant accessible nutrients. Nutrients can come from a worm farm, a duck or fish pond, fermentation of organic matter or through nutrient rich run off Water.
Flood beds
Flood beds are ideal for large areas, giving lots of water the chance to spread out and then seep into the ground slowly, filtering the water on the way to become groundwater raising our water tables naturally, prohibiting excessive storm drain run off. In a flood bed multiple different layers and sizes of River rock, gravel to sand are layered on each other, much like in a French drain to help water seep slowly but give it somewhere to go without becoming stagnant water logging any root system or structure around them. Because of its filtering abilities it is the choice of grow bed to install a grey water system. Grey water systems catch the water run off from kitchen vanity and bathtub/showers as well as washing machine and feed it back into the water table as to running out the drain. On the way we can feed lots of plants or build a pond at the end of the flood bed, after the filtering has taken place.
Chinampas
As the origin of aquaponics, Aztecans built grow beds on shallow river and lake shores. Large trunks of trees were lowered into the water for a stable foundation, upon which they placed a set up much like a huegle culture flattened out over a larger area. A grid of smaller trunks, branches and twigs was layered in a checkerboard manner creating an aerated grow base where water current can run through and available oxygen can saturate out by hitting the obstacles in the way, transferring it into the root zone. On all four corners of the bed willows were planted to provide shade, counteracting the higher light intensity due to reflection on open water.; as well as producing natural rooting hormone seeping slowly into the root zone accelerating root formation.The grid was then covered with small wood, grass and other debris to build up volumes for roots to establish. Knowing how rich the muddy sludge from the ground is, it was dug up and distributed as top layer of soil. This was assumedly done with seasonal change which allowed Aztecans to grow seven crop turn arounds in one bed throughout the year, compared to 4 or so in other grow setups. Beds were planted in grids within the shallow areas of the water accessible by canoes.
Aquacultures
Aquacultures are self contained ecosystems where plants, animals and micro-life feeds of each other continually. Its a giving and taking of nature that we can tap into and create in our own Gardens. They can be contained above ground in water tight containers like aquariums, or below ground such as ponds or running water features. The more moving water a Aquaculture has the more oxygen it produces on its own by saturating the water with every drop and bubble created. With less flow we need to supplement with some sort of circulation of the water and artificial aeration through air pumps, to keep the aerobic nitrifying bacteria thriving. Without proper aeration the water becomes stagnant and turns anaerobic causing the water to start depleting oxygen through fermentation and producing co2 and other gases instead. The movement of water is channeled through a filter system to keep the water from over nitrifying causing bacterial blooms, which in return deplete the water of the available oxygen as well.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a soil less grow option based on reoccurring water flow through the root system with nutrient rich water. The root ball is contained in clay, rock or lava based soil less medium wicking up and storing nutrient water while leaving space for root growth and aeration. the watering is kept on an automatic watering cycle to give the roots time to dry out in between cycling intervals, causing them to grow on the way looking for water.
Deep Water Culture
A deep water culture is the growing method where roots grow soil less into nutrient rich feeding water. the root zone is either growing directly through floating trays on the surface of an aquaculture or are contained in soil less medium such as Hydroton/clay pebbles or lava rock and gravel. Deep water cultures set ups need an external filter for the unexperienced aqua-culturist to avoid harm to ones health or the living organisms in the aquaculture.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is an ancient grow technique, developed by native Americans dating back to the Aztecans . In aquaponics the observation of the ferility of fish manure and detritus on the ground of shallow watersheds, which is very rich in available nutrients, comes into play. Aquaponic uses this technique and combines keeping fish, crayfish, shrimp or other water creatures in an aquaculture that feeds a grow bed at the same time. With these systems animal protein and vegetables can be produced simultaneously. Due to the continuous production of waste the Water flow is filtered either through wicking grow beds, vertical grow towers or external filters to provide enough surface area for nitrification to take place and for solid wastes to not return to the Water reservoir, causing ammonia build up.
Vermiponics
Vermiponics uses the same concept as aquaponics but instead of fish or water creatures the soil less medium is mixed and topped with top soil for worms to live and flourish in providing the needed nutrient through worm castings. Water parameter in Vermiponics are not as important and a vermiponic culture can survive as long there is enough aeration provided around the root zone in which the worms live as well. When the Water has a high level of aeration, worms love to take a dip and swim over to the next growbed to find another mate or more space. Worms are hermaphrodites and can lay fertile eggs without a partner but they do love to have sex. Its a bit ugly the way they do it, but very interesting to watch!
Aeroponics
Away from all permaculture ideals, aeroponics is a grow method developed by NASA to find a way to nourish astronauts in a healthy manner with fresh produce on the space station, and to see if plants can be grown in space at all. In aeroponics, a fine mist is applied to the root system and the plant hangs in airtight ring within a seal system and resorvoir, containing nutrient rich feeding water. The fine water droplets running down the root system provide feeding solution and aeration to stimulate rapid growth. The mist is applied through fine nozzles in programed intervals.
Fogponics
Through further development of the aeroponic system, it was found that the ideal droplet size for osmotic exchange/nutrient and water uptake, is between 5 and 50 microns. Mister using pressure and nozzles size to apply the mist are considered to be 50 microns and up, where as foggers that use a ultra sonic driver to create fine particles of droplets that are carried by the air stream, as you know it from indoor water falls. Ultra sonic Foggers produce droplet sizes of 50 micron and below by vibrating the water at ultra sonic spreed kicking up water droplet instead of spraying them in form of a mist. As such fog give the plant more spectrum in which it can provide osmotic exchange for ideal nutrient supply. the entire system is contained, water provided by a reservoir and lid, that hold the plants airlocked in place exposing only the root system, or the domed area above the plants to the fog.