Plants

Questions and Answers about Plants in Aquaponics

If the new leaves on my green plants are yellow what can I do?
If your plants are starting to go yellow it is most likely because your system is low in Iron. Add some Chelated Iron to your system. A teaspoon of Chelated Iron mixed in a bucket of water and added slowly into your grow beds should do the trick. You might notice your system goes black or very dark in colour after you do this. That is fine, don't worry about it and it will clear in a few days.

Why can't I use chemical pesticides?
Most chemical pesticides will kill the fish.

How can I control Caterpillar's?
A bacterial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is used to control caterpillars in some commercial and experiemental systems. Yates 'DIPEL' product contains the bacterial. Garlic spray can be used as a repellent and to kill caterpillars if you do not want to use Bt. Also there are many other 'organic' methods that you can try.

How can I control Powdery Mildew on my Tomatoes?
We find that removing the effected leafs and spraying milk on the remaining leaves works very well for us. The milk spray is 1 part fresh milk and 4 parts water. It will help control the fungus and will not kill fungus eating Lady Birds. You may need to spray weekly.

Photos are of aquaponic systems built and/or maintained by Martin and Kerri