Living may be Hazardous to your Health

The Raccoon

I set up my first attempt at a biosand filter last night. Alas, it isnt flowing well, so I see minutes, even hours, of playing in the sand, trying to rectify this situation. Shucks...

In the mean time, I went to the internet, to see if there was a quick explanation of why things arent working. What I came across was information that fine sand (3.5-1.5 mm average size, with a reasonable amount of uniformity) should work.

But I also came across big red additions to one page, warning that you can never know if water from a personal biofilter is actually really safe, particularly if it sources from a roof. The most worrisome issue for the webmaster, it turned out, was the tiny eggs that are found in the leavings of raccoons.

Coons have it great. There is a nematode/worm that lives in their gut (70-90% of coons are so affected). The coons arent apparently bothered by this worm, but other species who ingest the eggs can suffer weakness and even death. Which means good eating for the fortunate coon that is able to overpower a weakened animal.

Sometime in the mid 1900s, a scientist opined that it would be possible for humans to be affected by this parasite. Since then a dozen or so cases of the illness have been documented, along with five deaths (according to Wikipedia) - allegedly all from toddlers who had played directly with raccoons or raccoon fecal material. It takes a couple of years to kill, but cannot be prevented unless treatment starts within 1-3 days of ingesting the coon poop.

Its a terrible thing for a small child to become weak and slip into a fatal coma. Because this is possible, should all people of all ages across the entire country eschew nature? No home gardens, no playing in the yard, no camping or walking or breathing? Thats what it would take to completely and entirely avoid any consequences of injury from nature and the pollutants we humans have introduced to the natural environment around us.

Five deaths were caused by these raccoon-native nematodes over the past forty years. By contrast, road accidents kill about 40,000 people in the US each year. Falls kill 13,000. Drowning kills almost 4,000. Shall we therefore avoid roads, gravity, and water?

By all means, if you find your toddler playing pat-a-cake with a coon or munching on coon scat, do take them to the doctor. Wash their hands after theyve been playing in the dirt. Explain to them that sucking on their filthy hands might cause slow brain death, so youd rather they didnt do it.

But the chances are pretty low of your child getting to be one of the USs 2,000 annual toddler deaths (ages 1-5). And at that they are a thousand times more likely to die from the flu than from coon worms.

In the mean time, I am reminded of Jesus saying, "Blind guides - you filter out gnats, but swallow camels!" [Matthew 23:24]

And tonight Ill work on why my sand filter is filtering so thoroughly that its only passing a few ounces per hour, instead of the 10-20 liters per hour that is supposed to be possible.

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Your Local Grange

Until I read this story about the [California Grange being sued by the National Grange] I never gave a second thought to the Grange.  To me it was just a big building where they held square dances, but this article  [ What is the Grange?  ]  gives a much better description.

Gwen Schantz is chief operating officer of the Brooklyn Grange rooftop commercial farm in Long Island City, Queens.

According to this article, the California Grange has begun to attract "family sustainable farming".  Im guessing we backyard gardeners might fit that description.   The California Grange has also taken a stance against GMO.
Rick Keel, a spokesman for the California State Grange recently said this “For lack of a better term, it seems to be ‘foodies’ who care about community today and see the Grange as a way to provide community service,”

"Since 1873 the California State Grange has championed the interests of farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans. The Grange stresses community service, and its Youth programs are open to all, urban and rural alike. There are over 185 chapters across the state.  For more information contact the California State Grange at (916) 454-5805. " - California Grange

With the Farm to Fork movement catching on; aquaponics and the local Grange may be a very good combination.   Id like to encourage you to look into your local Grange for services.  It may take a while to bring the National Grange around to supporting sustainable farming, but it has to start somewhere.  The aquaponic and home gardening community have become forces of significant proportion.  I think we can make a difference.

If you are already a member I hope you will vote Ed Lutrell The National Grange Master out of office in November because he strongly supports GMO.

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Theres still time to plant your winter crops

 Redwood Seeds has these to offer
 &
Johnys Select Seeds recommends these winter vegetables.

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What I Learned From My 2014 Summer Garden

I wanted a record of this years garden.  The foliage grew so thick in the hydroponic section I was unable to track down a leak.  Usage became ridiculous and I ended up filling the sump twice a day with water rather than waste the hydroponic fertilizer. 

The bioponic systems did well.  Summer heat put a damper on everything including the tomatoes.  Even the squash seemed to regain vigor once the 100+ days passed.  Bell peppers in the hydroponic system did well, but failed due to blossom end rot in the bioponic systems.  I found [this article about Blossom End Rot] that may be helpful.

One Earthan bed became clogged by a root and I lost all the flowers on my Tomatillo, but even though a second set of flowers came back, I doubts I will get a crop.

My wicking barrels did not wick quite as well as I would have liked.  So Ill adjust the soil mix.  These barrels did not get enough sun in this location, so I will have to find a different location.  That is one of the best attributes of this simple low cost design.  Relocation is not a problem.

The vertical section will get a modification to the water supply.  I plan to install a check valve after the pump and a high pressure connection after that.  When the 1/4" tubes clog I will simply give it a blast of fresh water.   In fact this is how I will maintain the level in the sump tank.  Each time I fill the sump I will be clearing the 1/4" lines.

The 8W Earthan Bed system performed well over the summer.  Water usage was extremely low in both the wicking barrels and the 8W Earthan Beds.  Without a doubt I feel these two systems hold the most promise.  But one thing Ive learned is that any garden that relies on a mechanical system is prone to some type of failure which places the wicking barrels squarely in the best position.

I began the season using weed teas, fish emulsion, and kelp in the 8W Earthan Bed and the Vertical Garden, but the Vertical Garden was abandoned due to high maintenance (clogging).

After the other bioponic Earthan Bed clogged I began to fear that the system might become clogged, but I now feel it would have been okay since it was a root not muck that caused the problem.

But this caused me to switch the 8W Earthan Bed over to plain well water with an occasional slurp of fish emulsion and liquid kelp plus a little Fe DTPA, MgSO4, and HCl after only a few weeks.  My goal for this system was to use no urine.

Clogging is a concern I will eventually have to face with all of the Earthan Beds as I doubt even the worms will be able to keep the rock bed clear forever.   The advantage is that the water stays well aerated which should increase plant vitality and vigor. 

Water use was extremely low in this systems even though I top watered every few days.   

Im still enjoying handfuls of cherry tomatoes from every section of the garden everyday The soil less section of the bioponic system produced more cherry tomatoes than we could eat. This and the hydroponic section were the best performers.  I credit this to aeration and high nutrient levels.  The main bioponic garden (not the 8W garden) received about 50% of my fresh urine plus fish emulsion, kelp, Fe DTPA, MgSO4, and HCl.

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Tilapia Legal in Your Town

98% of America can legally raise Tilapia

I can legally raise tilapia at home. It just takes a couple of inexpensive permits.

Many members of my family live in Utah, where it is completely illegal to raise tilapia. That puts a big damper on enthusing about my latest project in family circles.

So I got curious - where in the US and her territories may tilapia be raised in a closed loop system?

So far, the only states that appear to prohibit tilapia entirely are Utah (0.9% of the US population), Nevada (0.8% of the US population), and Maine (0.4% of the US population). Utah and Nevada make a big point of prohibiting tilapia. Maine merely fails to list tilapia as one of the myriad species allowed (and all not on the list are prohibited).

Tilapia appear to be allowed in all other states and territories, or the other ~98% of the US population. If I found something in a somewhat believable website that explicitly stated no permit was required for an indoor, closed loop system, I colored that state green. However laws change and the websites I found might be wrong. You should contact your local Department of Natural Resources (or whatever its called in your state) to make sure what kind of permit(s), if any, are required for you to set up a home-based, indoor, closed loop aquaponic system. You may also find that your "favorite" kind of tilapia are prohibited, but some other variant is not on the prohibited list.

Relatively few places in the US permit uncontrolled outdoor use of tilapia, especially where there is risk the fish could get into public waterways - another reason US folks are unlikely to be able to set up tilapia-based aquaponic systems in their backyards.

If you find out my map is wrong, let me know and Ill update it.

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Mycorrhizae

I attended a class put on by Santia Morganics about Mycorrhizae.  I learned about how mycorrhizae is colonized.  These are my notes.

There are 3 major types of mycorrhizae.
(1) Endo or Arbuscular mycorrhizae (which exist on 85% of the plant families),
(2) Ecto mycorrhizae (which exist on 10% of the plant families (mostly woody plants), and
(3) Ericoid mycorrhizae (which exist on less than 5% of the plant families).
There are several other more obscure forms of mycorrhizae, but they are highly specific and not used from a commercial perspective.

Some producers grow all of their types together whereas Santia Morganics grows each isolated from the other and combines them in exact proportions when packaging the final product.  This assures that their product contains a controlled proportion of each type.  Growing several types together will allow a few to dominate the mix.  Each type has different preferences such as pH, and therefore its impossible to level the playing field for each when grown together and some types may fail to grow.

The reason so many types are sold together is to provide one that will find your soil adaptable.  So its important to have a a good assortment of different types.

Santia Morganics also grows their mycorrhizae  in vivo where as some other manufactures grow in vitro.  In vivo means that its grown in live plants and soil.  In Vitro is grown in a sterile media.  By growing in vivo the mycorrhizae become more adapted to interacting with actual live plants and other microorganisms.  The in vitro grown mycorrhizae fail to replicate the precise cellular conditions of an organism, particularly a microbe.

Santia Morganics sells mycorrhizae for soil and another for hydroponics. 



The later is finer and water soluable, but the process of reducing the size destroys some of the mycorrhizae so it will contain a little less.  These two mycorrhizae products already contain sufficient amounts of nutrients to help the mycorrhizae become established quickly, but they also make a couple additives that will and promote the growth of mycorrhizae.  One is made for soil and the other is made to dissolve into water so that it can soak down into the root zone or be used for hydroponics.  These additives contain no mycorrhizae. 


 

 The Myco-Fusion line consists of all three types of mycorrhizae, as well as Rhizo-Charge and Bio-Jolt companion products, both which are designed to maximize yield.

The relationship between plant and fungi evolved to help the plants access low levels of phosphorus in the soil but after adding mycorrhizae phosphorous should be avoided for as long as possible because mycorrhizae do not grow and colonize roots when the phosphorus level is high.  Therefore it is best to let the relationship become established before adding phosphorous.

Mycorrhizea can survive for many years as long as it is not subjected to heat over about 120 F.  It will lay dormant until the conditions are right and a host root becomes available.  It is okay to store your mycorrhizae in a warm greenhouse so long as it is kept dry and below 120 F.

Endomycilium is the type we vegetable gardeners want unless we are growing hardwood plants such as blueberry in which case we would want Ectomycilium.  Endomycilium grows inside of the vegetable roots and sends Hyphae out to feed the plant with water and nutrients.  One cubic centimeter of rich organic soil may contain 1 km of fungal hyphae. 

The mycorrhizal fungi become the interface between the soil and plant roots: the fungi colonize the roots internally, and the soil externally. Internally, the fungus becomes the interface where nutrient exchanges occur between the fungus and plant by direct contact of the fungus with the root cells: carbon energy moves from the plant to the fungus, and soil nutrients moves from the fungus to the host plant.

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