Aquaponics is simply amazing technology, and an aquaponics system is thoroughly enjoyable to operate, so it is unsurprising that we easily get carried away when growing crops using this methodology.  There is also the commercial imperative to produce as much as possible from our systems, and for both reasons we find at times that we plant, or permit, too much growth in our systems.
 
This can be as a outcome of planting the seedlings too close to each other, which results in the plants competing for light and growing vegetatively without much fruit set.  It could be as a consequence of not pruning old growth regularly or completely removing plants once they pass their stage of maximum output of harvestable material (either leaves or fruit).  Vine crops tend to remain in the beds for several months and there is a temptation with them to plant the replacement seedling at the base of the old vine during the last few weeks of harvesting from the mature plant.  As there is no need for crop rotation in aquaponics, this may seem like a good way of gaining growth time in the beds, but in reality is not a sustainable plan.
 
It could even just be a poor choice of variety i.e. using a variety that is not well suited to growth in aquaponics.  The classic example here is an extremely vigorous variety of golden cherry tomato which we tried (twice!) and found to be such a productive grower that it smothered everything around it (both times) with the result that pruning was nearly impossible and effective spraying with (organic) pesticides was rendered impossible, resulting in a pest population explosion (again – both times!).
 
The trouble with permitting over growth is that it reduces the open spaces between plants, restricting air flow, permitting fungal infections and pests to establish.  Compounding this, pest sprays are less effective, bearing in mind that virtually all the sprays we use in aquaponics are gentle, contact treatments with no residual action.  Under these conditions plants fail to thrive, and such over growth therefore actually has a detrimental impact on productivity.
 
The solution therefore is to remove the old plants before planting seedlings, only plant varieties well suited to aquaponics, prune frequently and plant at the correct spacing.  When we follow these basic rules we can continue to enjoy farming in aquaponics.
 
This truly is a case of less is more.
 

Our latest Aquaculture videos have been uploaded to YouTube.  Remember to subscribe to be automatically informed of future videos.
 
We have also loaded our training material to the online shop for self study purposes.  In this way you can purchase the chapters you want to increase your knowledge in specific areas.
 
 
 
2nd Hand Equipment For Sale
 
We are selling a selection of fibreglass and plastic fish tanks, Dutch buckets, heat pumps, blowers and other items from our farm in Grahamstown.  These items are displayed on our website and interested parties can email me for more information - first come first serve.
 
 
 
Aquaculture Farm for Sale
 
The Aquaculture Academy, Grahamstown is for sale.  The farm of 4.4ha has excellent quality water and has permits to farm trout, nile tilapia and catfish.  Currently we also farm cucumbers and other crops organically on the effluent water from the fish.  There are several bee hives, hand tame chickens and many pecan nut saplings.
 
The farm has a 5-bedroom main dwelling, a bed sitter and a large lecture facility / office complex.  Although currently zoned for agriculture, the site lends itself to being sub-divided for residential plots and the Makana Municipality have given verbal support for this.
 
The excellent schooling in Grahamstown is a huge drawcard as this farm affords an opportunity to live the lifestyle whilst your children obtain top schooling 1.3km from the farm.
 
Interested parties are invited to contact me on 083 4060 208.
 
 
Aquaculture and Aquaponics  Courses

 
The following Courses are scheduled to be held in Pretoria and we are offering Lockdown Relief Discounted Prices for the remainder of 2020.
 
Commercial Aquaponics 16 & 17 November 2020
 
Aquaponics Introduction 31 October 2020
 
Fish Farm Management 18 to 20 November 2020
 
Practical Aquaculture Course 30 November to 4 December
 
Grab this opportunity to learn the practical aspects of fish farming; the doing rather than just the theory.
 
To obtain further information email us on info@aquaafrica.co.za.
 
 
Aquaculture Products for Sale
 
We offer a wide range of products to the Aquaculture Industry.  These products can be viewed and purchased from our secure online store at Aquaculture Store.
 
We are currently offering the following special whilst stocks last:
 
Blower 1.1kW: at the special price of R4 300 plus Vat ex-Grahamstown.
 
Aeration Diffusers: we have several sizes of Aero Tube diffusers available - check on online shop for further information.
 
If you need anything that is not listed, drop me an email and I will attempt to source it for you.

Goldilocks, a golden cherry tomato variety that grows so rampantly in aquaponics that it smoothers neighbouring plants and blocks the pathway, even when being pruned heavily