Time to Change The Way You Look at Garden Watering Systems

Time to Change The Way You Look at Garden Watering Systems

Of all the different types of garden watering systems there are, almost all of them are highly inefficient. From sprinklers to drip systems and flood irrigation, almost all of the water is wasted. Only a small amount is used by the plants, while most of it is absorbed into the ground or evaporates. But one water delivery system uses as little as 2% of the water and takes care of all the organic nutrients at the same time.

Soil free gardening or hydroponics promised to do this long ago, but has failed to catch on as well as many people expected. Partly because of the difficulty of maintaining nutrient levels in the water. And many people are turned off by the chemical nature of hydroponics, especially organic gardeners. But there is a more natural alternative that is both practical and highly effective.

Aquaponics is a form of hydroponics, but without the chemical fertilizers and the high maintenance. It can actually be less maintenance and work then growing plants in the ground. Aquaponics uses a fish tank to supply your plants with a garden watering system that is full of organic nutrients from the fish wastes.

Fish are easy to keep and require only a small area and little care. They produce massive amounts of free organic nutrients directly into the water through their gills and excrement. Instead of growing your plants in the ground, which can be a lot of work, you grow them in a grow bed that has fish water being pumped through it. The roots can hang directly into the water, or you can have gravel or another similar medium for them to grow into. No soil is used at all.

The fish supply the plants with all the water and organic nutrients they need, and the plants supply the fish what they need too. Fish wastes will eventually become toxic to the fish if they are allowed to build up. This is why fish tanks need to be regularly flushed with fresh water or filtered. But with an aquaponics system, the plants filter the water for the fish. This is why this system is so efficient. The fish and plants take care of each other, and very little water is consumed. Systems can be built so that there is very little evaporation, and most of the water lost is that which is actually consumed by the plants.

Unlike conventional hydroponics, aquaponics is 100% organic, and it shows in health of the plants and quality of vegetables. It allows you to grow many times more in a much smaller space and with less work. Unlike traditional gardening where you have to constantly water, weed, fertilize and battle with slugs, snails, gophers and other pests, with aquaponics your biggest chore will be feeding the fish. For many people, that is one of the most enjoyable parts, but it can also be done with automatic feeders for those who are just too busy.

The other great part of aquaponics is, you not only grow high quality organic vegetables, you also can grow high quality organic fish. Food fish like tilapia, bass, catfish and many others do great in this kind of system. You can more than offset the cost of fish food by eating or selling the fish. And if you grow your own fish food, there is no cost. And most of all, many people are finding out this is the most fun way to grow a garden.

Learn more about aquaponics and how you can build a simple and low cost aquaponics system with this aquaponics how to guide.

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