Aquaponics, are we missing the point?

     Aquaponics, the art of using recirculating pumps to provide habitat for fish growth and nutrition for soil-less agriculture, is commonly becoming available to everyday people via the information exchange on the interwebs. It is potentially a viable gardening technique for apartment dwellers and others who don't have access to even a small plot of semi-arable land, but does require electricity.
     After reviewing systems and advice for days on end, I have decided that aquaponics practicioners are completely missing the big picture...that Humanity needs start utilizing other plant sources more effectively, and that using electricity to run pumps to grow tomatoes IS STUPID. Besides, when have Tilapia ever produced an attractive pumpkin? The answer, of course, is never.
     Cattails, on the other hand, are efficient bog plants that have been staples in Native Americans' diets for thousands of years. Managed effectively, Tilapia could probably make some huge cattails, taro, watercress, duckweed, azolla, water chestnuts...and probably dozens of other potentially delicious yet unexplored margin plants. Even without fish farming, more bog plants should be explored as efficient (space and resource) fodder and food sources.
     The electricity and equipment cost of aquaponics is another factor that is best forgotten until afterward, largely because the majority of people that practice aquaponics seem to be aquarium lovers who want to take their fish raising large scale, or hydroponic plant farmers who want to take their nutrition dollars away from store-bought salts. The pumping power to mechanically aerate and filter the highly stocked tanks will never be cheaper than just buying fish meat, expecially when you factor in fish feed and time. And frequent chemical tests. And the possibility of fish disease ruining your whole crop.
     Just think about it.

     There are very few people working on doing this sort of thing sustainably. Perhaps the best and easiest solution would be custom-built ponds with floating plant beds on the surface, with only inexpensive bubblers for aeration and circulation. There is still the fish feed issue, but perhaps it could be lessened with Azolla, Duckweed, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, and Redworms. All of which would need support systems and engineering, but are currently being done well on the small scale. There is still the solids issue. Solids are not really a problem if you have a garden, which everyone who can probably should have anyhow.

     A few (mostly) sustainable residential backyard aquaponics practitioners:
Garden Pool - eggs, tilapia, vegetables. Run on solar power.
Aquaponics HQ - fish, duckweed, rabbits, Black Soldier Fly.

Zingiber zerumbet, Ornamental Ginger, Pinecone Ginger

Uses: Xeriscaping, Edible, Forage, Medicinal. Native to : India, naturalized throughout the tropics.
     This plant is very striking even in a landscape filled with striking plants. It's no wonder the plant has traveled from India to now exist worldwide in tropical areas. The leaves grow several feet tall even in my shady, rainfall-irrigated  front yard. It does seem to prefer dampish, shady places, and would be a good choice for understory use.
     The leaves die back in the fall, but the plant returns from the rhizomes underneath the soil surface. The rhizome itself is a ginger and can be used in any way the ginger root is used. The leaves can be used as an herbal flavoring for cooked food. The red flower, not shown here, can be squeezed and the juices used as a natural shampoo, as it is high in saponins and smells wonderful.
     Medicinally the rhizome is used worldwide to treat inflammation and indigestion disorders. A good deal of research has been conducted, and the folk uses for soap ginger do hold up to science. Additionally, it has beneficial properties to maintain health, such as tumor and microbial suppression.
     I was unable to locate any research on whether soap ginger greens are safe to feed livestock, but since they are safe for humans, they are a good bet. I have given small quantities, about one leaflet a day, to my rabbits with no ill effects, in fact, even dried they are relished as a tasty treat. One can only assume that the leaves are completely safe since they are eaten by humans. (They ate one of the flowers too, with no problems!)

Common Orange Honeysuckle, Tecoma capensis

Uses : Xeriscaping, Wildlife.  Native to: Africa.
     This is a very easy to grow and maintain shrub which sends up canes. In the winter and early spring orange flowers dominate the scape, as it tends to be one of the few plants that bloom at that time of year. Bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the large, drooping, trumpet-shaped flowers.
     It needs no care once established, other than to yearly trim the canes that appear in unwanted areas. Orange honeysuckle thrives in full sun. It can be seen hanging on fences right next to busy roadways, and is an ideal plant for that situation. It normally will grow about 4 feet tall unless a fence or other structure is provided. It can grow a single can about 12-15 feet with support.
     Because it grows so easily along a fence, it makes an ideal barrier for privacy. It is much much less invasive than bamboo, and has the orange flowers which attract wildlife. The leaves will remain thick and green all year, but the plant may die down during a year of several bad frosts. Doubtless it would grow even better in South Florida.
     Flowers can also be yellow or pinkish-orange, depending on the variety.
     Orange honeysuckle is known to be somewhat salt-tolerant.
     There is very little information on whether orange honeysuckle can be used a forage source, but it is known that wild rabbits do not prefer the other members of the honeysuckle family.

Guide to Breeding Rabbits

American Poultry Advocate, Jan 1918.

   It's almost a sad shame that our government and non-governmental organizations are not publishing literature like this, but that all the really good stuff about small livestock comes from the "third-world". This brochure was written in 1992, but the information is just as accurate now as ever.

Guide to Breeding Rabbits

Pictures and techniques for sexing the rabbits. More information about breeding, with pictures.

Antique Research on Floridian Rabbit Forages

    A biology research paper, written in 1934, and published in the Journal of Mammalogy in 1936, discusses the diets and habitats of the Florida Marsh Rabbit. Unfortunately the paper is not available for public viewing, but I would like to share with you the information gleaned from the rabbits.
     About 9 rabbits were captured from Newnan's Lake area, east of Gainesville, Florida, and fed plants found in the surrounding habitat. Sixty-four different species of plants were offered. Some were eaten right away, others eaten only when hungry, and others were not even on pain of starvation (yes, bunnies died during this experiment).

Trees and Vines Eaten Readily

French Mulberry (Callicarpa americana)

Dwarf thorn (Craiaegus uniflora)

Blackberry (Rubus betulifolius)

Dewberry (Rubus continentalis)

Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Common elder (Sambucus canadensis)

Red bud (Cercis canadensis)

Ward's willow (Salix longipes)

Yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempivirens)

Water oak (Quercus nigra)

Groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia)

Saw brier, Green brier, wild bamboo, jackson brier, sarsparilla (Smilax spp.)

 

Herbs and Small Plants Eaten Readily

 

Centella (Centella repanda)

Marsh pennywort (Hydrocotyle spp.)

Cattail (Typha latifolia)

Rush (Juncus effusus)

Arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia)

Smartweed (Persicaria hirsula)

Ground cherry (Physalis floridana)

Nightshade (Solanum sisymbriifolium)

Water hyacinth (Piaropus crassipes)

Ruellia (Ruellia parviflora)

Golden club (Orontium aquaticus)

Violet (Viola esculenta)

Yellow woodsorrel (Xanthoxalis langloisii)

Sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

Golden fumeroot (Capnoides aereum)

Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

Chain fern (Woodwardia arealata)

 

Eaten when no other food was available : Saw palmetto, Lizard's tail, Hackberry, Cabbage palm, Water starwort, mushroom

Absolutely refused : Papaw, Wild plum, Poison ivy, Persimmon, Magnolia (grandiflora), Holly, Muscadine grape, Red mulberry, Wax myrtle, Gallberry, Deer tongue, Spanish Moss, Bonnets, Pokeweed

You are the zombie apocalypse

Hernando County to finally allow chickens in backyards

     In an amazing victory for personal liberty the other day, commissioners voted unanimously to allow backyard chickens in residential areas of Hernando County. Areas which have additional zoning restrictions such as named or incorporated areas with HOA's still have their own problems.
     There is going to be some time taken to decide how many chickens and where coops can be located. I'm unclear on exactly who is deciding these issues, also it brings up more questions like chicken culling on your own property. Cleanliness. Size of fencing. Proximity to easements. Animal control.
     So when can I get my duck?  :)

Hernando moves forward on allowing chickens

Preparing to Raise Rabbits in Florida

     As we try to move toward a more sustainable urban landscape, we will be putting rabbits in the backyard. We decided to try rabbits because fowl are illegal in this suburb. There are a lot of great reasons to raise rabbits though, and a huge one is that eat leafy stuff that we cannot, and turn that leafy waste into very usable fertilizer.
     Not a lot of information can be found about heat stress in rabbits, but the conventional wisdom says that too much heat decreases their productivity and can lead to dying off. We may have to implement a rabbit free summer zone if the heat is too much for them.
     Rabbits need protection from the sun and rain, and should not be allowed to stand on wastes.

     Traditionally rabbits should be given five square feet of cage space. We have turned some sturdy, large dog crates into rabbit cages by lining the floors with a mesh that should provide adequate drainage and feet protection. Chicken wire is not recommended for rabbit cages due to the larger size and feet damage issues, and that rabbits have been known to escape through it. Our cages are tied down to concrete block, for now, and secured with locks to prevent theft (after the break-in a few years ago, I'm not taking any chances).
     At about 5-6 months old the doe can be bred. Conventional rabbit raising call for putting the doe in the bucks cage and then watch the first mating to be assured everything is going well, then afterward to return the does to her pen for an hour. Then let them be together again for another round. This is to ensure ejaculate quality and to prevent territorial fighting.
     Palpate the does 14 days after breeding to check for pregnancy. At 28 days after breeding, provide a nesting box for the little mama.  20” long x 11” wide x 10” high. Wean the kits at 6 weeks old and separate them from their mother. She can be re-bred at this time. At 10 weeks they should be fryer sized, and a few more weeks longer and they should roaster sized, which is not quite full-grown.
     Rabbits need a diet with about 15% protein for adequate growth and to avoid problems during gestation and lactation. Full grown adult rabbits need only about 13% protein. Most pellets provide about  13-18% protein. Rabbits also need long fiber, which is not adequately supplied in pellet form but is provided with the addition of regular grass, which most breeders recommend at about 2 cups per 5 pounds of rabbit per day. Beyond fiber, protein, and vitamins, rabbits do not need the addition of grains or fruits or vegetables, though these are okay to give in small quantities.
     The rabbit manure, which looks like little round pods, is pH neutral and can be applied directly to the garden or mixed into a manure tea. Some raisers use it for vermicomposting.

How to build a nest box out of plywood

Greening the Suburb

Bean seedlings surrounding an Agave near sidewalk in suburban garden.

     Victory Gardens are an important part of our cultural heritage as Americans, though largely unknown nowadays. During World War II, the government encouraged Americans to grow, hunt, and forage as much as they could in order to save domestic supplies for the war effort. Domestic supplies being food and other parts of the gross domestic product. Of course, times are different now. We export and import food like nobody's business, and indeed, people ignore food like it's not their business.
     I live in a food desert, and you probably do too. What would happen if there was no food at the grocery store, or if there was no grocery store? How long would it take for your family to be hungry? What would happen if Florida was cut off from the rest of the USA? How long would it take our population to feed itself, if we even could?

With the beans harvested, nothin' but Sorghum growin' on.

     Food production is a noble endeavor that should be embraced by the 99%. Humanity should take back the wasted space occupied by that unproductive grass and put in some plants more useful to us. Reclaim public grounds. Schoolyards could be growing greens for healthy kid lunches. Grassy pastures at parks and government buildings could be providing food for public food pantries. Prisoners could be providing their own fare and not draining on taxpayers.
     There are ways to do this sustainably without draining the aquifers and the taxpayers. But it has to start with one person at a time. Perhaps with your very own Victory Garden.

Bidens alba, From Worthless to Wonderful

Uses : Wildlife, Forage, Xeriscaping, Edible, Medicinal. Native to : Unknown, found throughout the tropics and subtropics.
     It wasn't very long ago that I used to detest this very prolific weed. It is a plant sexaholic, constantly spreading its genetic information all over my grass. I'm not a huge fan of grass, but I'm also not a fan of the place looking untidy, which is what Beggarticks does for you. It's a perennial that freezes to the ground every year and will spring up from its roots to shower your lawn, your neighbor's lawn, and the family down the street's lawn with seeds.
     In the past I removed this plant with impunity. It has a tiny shallow root system which makes it easy to pull out. Once removed, I hoped that a more beautiful or useful plant would find its way into that empty space, and within two seasons was somewhat successful. Four O' Clocks found their way into the entire front yard, covering the place with pink fragrance. But how I wish I had known that Spanish Needle would have been better to leave in place...
     Why the change of mind, you ask? This weedy herb is a favorite of butterflies and bees, but more importantly, rabbits love it. They eat Beggarticks before they eat the grass mixture, long before they go for the boring pellets. And if a plant is useful and invasive, please invade!
     It's edible by humans, too. Eat the leaves raw or cook away, and you'll have a nice green for the dinner table. Or add to smoothies, as I do.
     Medicinally it, and its cousin Bidens pilosa, are used in Peru to reduce inflammation and protect the liver. A study done in 2011 confirmed the hepatoprotective effects of Bidens pilosa in mice.
     A study done in 2011 in South Africa states that the crude protein content for Bidens pilosa is 19%, making it an excellent herb for growing rabbits to nosh on. It is also high in vitamins and antioxidants. They recommend it be eaten more and used more medicinally by humans.
     These plants were sustainably harvested early in the morning from above a storm water drain down the street. A lot of organic matter catches near the drains, and people tend not to try to hard to mow down into the mouth of the drain. Sustainable harvest implies that most of the plants were left to reproduce, and only a small fraction were taken. The whole time I was convinced someone was going to yell at me or at least question why I was carrying around weeds, but thankfully, I escaped un-reprimanded.