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Grow bags in a pond?

 
gardener
Posts: 5169
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
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I was looking at the kiddy pool grow bag systems and one mentioned mosquitoes in the open areas of water.
They suggested adding guppies or goldfish.
I'm thinking, aquaponics?

Some grow mediums might foul the water too much.
Using only sand at the bottom of the growbags could alleviate that.
I think it could be a good place for the bacteria to do their thing as well, but I'm not sure.

I think this could be plonked into any pond, kinda like a chinampa, or a floating raft system but not floating.

Will the plants grow better/will this arrangement allow for greater stocking density, or is it too simple to make any difference?

It's missing a solids filter and aeration,plus the bacteria housing might be lacking.
I think I would want to address the first two with a airlift pump and a vermiculture filter.
Not sure about the last one.
 
pollinator
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Location: North FL, in the high sandhills
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I've been doing a sort of similar idea.

Grow bags or pots with fast draining potting soil in shallow trenches lined with plastic. I say trenches but they're only a few inches deep and wide as the plastic will fit. They're easily made by piling up a bit of dirt or whatever (did one with wood chips because they were right there) you have around the perimeter.

The idea was from Professor Kratky's ideas on hydroponics  - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjwBvl5MXuQMziQL2_pQCPA/videos
specifically what he calls sub irrigation. This is just maintaining a water level in whatever the pots are sitting in at an inch or two or lower.  The growing medium will wick up the water while maintint access to air for the roots.

Normally, mosquitos are a big problem here in standing water, and Prof. Kratky went to lengths to prevent them, but I got an unexpected bonus having water accessible in a dry area, negating the need for screening etc....Dragonflies and lots of them.  They took out the mosquitos entirely. It's a beautiful thing to watch a cloud of brightly colored Dragonflies aside from the anti-skeeter benefit.

I have some tropical fruit trees in this setup and they like it. Makes it easy to drag them into the greenhouse come frost time of the year.
Speaking of dragging, here's a good tool for plant/tree moving which could be improvised:
https://www.gardenersedge.com/leonard-gardenglidetransporter/p/AG1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwcu6uq3e9AIVKxXUAR0B0wr2EAQYAiABEgJvqPD_BwE
 
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