Learning Hydroponic Food Growing? Herbal Medicine?

[Flolfolil]

Looking for some resources that do more than just scratch the surface in these two areas.  Anyone got any book recommendations?  Websites? I have read so much stuff that says nothing, starting to get irritated

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Looking for some resources that do more than just scratch the surface in these two areas.  Anyone got any book recommendations?  Websites? I have read so much stuff that says nothing, starting to get irritated

 

You might want to expand your investigation into:

 

Aquaponics on Wikipedia

 

In which a symbiotic system is set up that simultaneously raises fish and does hydroponic gardening.

 

Herbal medicine is just too big a field to answer easily, I have experience with Western systems going back to circa 1970 and they can work, but since 1990 I have used Chinese Herbal Medicine pretty much exclusively with excellent results, also it is a living tradition and at a good point in terms of available resources etc., but, at least when I was investigating it, the most interesting aspects of Western Herbal Medicine, the esoteric aspects you might say, were very obscure and hard to obtain good information on.  That situation may have changed some, but it has also been over grown with a lot of new age stuff which would complicate getting to the interesting stuff.  I couldn't give you much to go on in Western now, but for Chinese go to:

 

Redwing Books

 

Where you will find just about everything you could ask for, except of course the right way study it all.

[Flolfolil]

You might want to expand your investigation into:

 

Aquaponics on Wikipedia

 

In which a symbiotic system is set up that simultaneously raises fish and does hydroponic gardening.

 

Herbal medicine is just too big a field to answer easily, I have experience with Western systems going back to circa 1970 and they can work, but since 1990 I have used Chinese Herbal Medicine pretty much exclusively with excellent results

 

Redwing Books

 

Where you will find just about everything you could ask for, except of course the right way study it all.

Thanks!  And I suppose I should have clarified that I do mean western herbal medicine

[redcairo]

I read tons on this over the years. Most has fallen from my brain alas.

 

Hydroponic is cool but a lot of work. A lot of electricity. A lot of chems. I gave in eventually and just bought a bloody Aerogarden instead of dealing with the hassle of it all. Then I bought five more. Because anything worth doing is worth overdoing. I put them all away and then about once every 18 months, I dig them out for 6 months.

 

I do organic gardening, or did until recently when obnoxious health issues started interfering, so it was really only used for soft clean lettuce-ish stuff we made lots of salads with. Tomatoes and peppers, which can be grown in that in limited form, I'd rather grow for real out back since I have two each large 24" and 32" high standing cinderblock gardens. Anything that grows underground is out for hydro of course.

 

The fish idea if you have property and energy for it, is a good one if you're looking for long term. Tilapia are freshwater, tasty white, small, breed insanely (to the point I think it might be against laws to have over a certain number females or something like that), and might be an option. This could help get you part of what's needed for the plants.

 

By far the most interesting thing in this topic for me is the LED approach and an air-spray rather than water. As it turns out, vastly less electricity and light is needed than suspected. You might read up on the vertical LED farms already being used for garden veggies -- you might even be able to visit one, they are around the US too, to see what it's like. This is very different than super bright lights and chemfoods in water like the original hydro stuff.

Edited January 31, 2016 by redcairo

[Flolfolil]

I read tons on this over the years. Most has fallen from my brain alas.

Woah there, super helpful post!!  thanks

 

Does anyone have any foolproof pest control plans?  One thing holding me back is I don't want another apartment full of aphids...mostly on the plants but I'd prefer them not in the house at all.

[zerostao]

http://www.ontcm.com/list-32-1.html

 

edit>> i am interested in any LED reviews, i have read the hype and heard mixed reviews from those who had used LED. but that was over a year ago,,updates?

Edited February 1, 2016 by zerostao

[vonkrankenhaus]

Wondering why you would choose hydroponic method for growing food.

 

"Food" is just the part of the environment that is informing us.

 

But if we abstract that and create a "different" or "artificial" environment, then food is also become "diferent" or "artificial".

 

Plenty of that already in supermarkets.

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[Flolfolil]

Plenty of that already in supermarkets.

I'm trying to become self sustaining so I can get off foodstamps dude.  Get off your high horse...

[thelerner]

At Burning Man a guy gave a long speech along with video's on his aquaponics.  He was pretty sophisticated, growing vegetables on top and trout(!) on the bottom.   A constant balancing act.   He could defray some of the food costs by getting throwaways from local fishmongers.

 

Youtube has many video hydroponics from enthusiasts.  I forget which one, but one of the best and simplest systems I saw the guy used a bubbler (like in fish aquarium) to move water up, ie bubbles in a tube pushed up water.  It made for a quieter less energy intense system. 

 

Please give us links to any youtubes or sites you find the most promising.

[zerostao]

i like growing in dirt. but, one has to have dirt, or rather some land for that. perhaps there is a chance of local coop.

hydroponics also allows one to grow year round, if i remember correct, i think flo is out in arizona?

the aquaponics idea is appealing to me. again one needs land. i kinda have a fantasy of becoming a trout bum myself. 

i will have about 19 weeks off from school beginning May 22,(altho, my courses are online i could travel now) and may venture off to some pure water looking for brook trout and i have never fly fished before, anyways before i stray off topic. i am just saying i wander off into adventures sometimes, like going off trout fishing for the summer, when perhaps i should also go into intensive gardening outdoor for the summer and then transition into a hydroponics model myself as the summer winds down. aquaponics maybe, that is a longer term strategic idea imo. and it is an excellent idea.

flo mentioned the foodstamps, so perhaps his budget is at the shoestring level. regardless where there is a will there is a way. best of luck to you flo. i wouldnt be in such a hurry to get off those stamps, wish i got them myself. i think they can be used to buy starter veggie plants too and maybe even some herbs. i am not much of an expert with desert herbs and desert plant life.

Flo, whichever state you are in there will be resources available for you. some university agriculture dept or the state ag dept.i would like to try bees too.  

if i remain in ol' kentuck my pond would likely be stocked with bluegill and bass

 

http://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/Managing-Your-Farm-Pond.aspx

 

http://articles.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/3/38/MtGPondsSmallLakesKentucky.pdf

[ralis]

Woah there, super helpful post!!  thanks

 

Does anyone have any foolproof pest control plans?  One thing holding me back is I don't want another apartment full of aphids...mostly on the plants but I'd prefer them not in the house at all.

 

The best thing I have found is 'Safer Soap' and various oils that can be purchased at any nursery. At this moment I can't remember the formula for the oils but I have used it with good success for roses that are infested with white fly, aphids and spider mites.

[Flolfolil]

i like growing in dirt. but, one has to have dirt, or rather some land for that.

hydroponics also allows one to grow year round, if i remember correct, i think flo is out in arizona?

flo mentioned the foodstamps, so perhaps his budget is at the shoestring level. regardless where there is a will there is a way. best of luck to you flo. i wouldnt be in such a hurry to get off those stamps, wish i got them myself. i think they can be used to buy starter veggie plants too and maybe even some herbs.

Yeah I'm in AZ

 

I live in a cheap apartment with hardly any window light.  I snuck in a quail farm a couple years ago but the plants in the closet didn't do so well  

 

I hate relying on the government.  I don't feel entitled to it, or like its really hurting anyone because the country is screwed anyways and everyone is sucking the system dry just as bad as I am...its just the principle of the matter.  I'd like to be more self sustaining.  Also, yeah they let you buy plants on EBT so there is that.

 

I am pretty good at manifesting the little things I need though.  Met someone in the past year that says he can teach me to make LED lights so that is why I am starting to invest more thought in this project.

[Flolfolil]

The best thing I have found is 'Safer Soap'

That is what I tried my first shot at it and it didn't really work.  The aphids just kept attacking all the flowers of my fruiting plants until they fell off.

[vonkrankenhaus]

Re:

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"I'm trying to become self sustaining so I can get off foodstamps dude.  Get off your high horse... :huh:"

-----

 

Economically, growing in soil is cheaper.

 

Health-wise, growing in soil is more natural.

 

For economy, think about using less and doing less - and working with nature.

 

Nature is very powerful and competent.

 

And is there for all to see and learn from.

 

Including the way plants grow.

 

My horse is not on any medications.

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus