05-20-2013, 08:31 AM
Small fruit trees standing in the middle of a cleared area (typically $35 ea. or more) become prime targets for a group of young boars. We've had several young fruit trees damaged or destroyed by this activity. This can be avoided by fencing off the young trees. I’d say we have had 20% of our starter trees attacked. I have one neighbor who hasn't lost any, "yet". He also uses lots of insecticides and fertilizers etc. This sort of hog activity will be determined on how successful you and your neighbors are in controlling the local hog population. The better you are at controlling the population, the less you will experience in crop destruction by "hogs".
Aquaponic pumps don’t need to cycle 24/7. The systems can be set up several different ways. Off-grid systems are not beyond reach or impractical, nor do they need to be difficult to make. In the end, a mediocre designed aquaponics system, no matter how large or small, will yield far more than pot and soil and or open air earth gardens around here. No thrip screen use is best and can be limited to use around the more sensitive plants within a general shade cloth house. In any case, a small well made aquaponics screen/green house system will yield far better results than a large unprotected garden here in Puna. The variety of plants possibly grown also increases many fold. My advice to anyone who is serious about growing their own food or even commercially is a no thrips protected aquaponics setup. Personal time spent growing will be decreased substantially and the yields far greater.
Anyone who has made a serious effort to grow in Puna knows how many issues there are in trying to grow most anything here. In most cases, people eventually realize it’s a futile effort and give up, growing only a handful of select things now and then, maybe.
I started out making a medium greenhouse 30x40 with shade cloth walls. We had half the greenhouse filled with plants - it was a major PITA with all sorts of issues. I also figured from the start it would need to be outfitted with aquaponics or hydroponics in the end. That I knew after looking at all the abandon greenhouses and screenhouse around here, only one in use of 25 or so. At shis time ours it's pretty much empty until we modify it for aquaponics. The garden became a nightmare of endless weeds and insect attacks. That's the reality here.
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.
Aquaponic pumps don’t need to cycle 24/7. The systems can be set up several different ways. Off-grid systems are not beyond reach or impractical, nor do they need to be difficult to make. In the end, a mediocre designed aquaponics system, no matter how large or small, will yield far more than pot and soil and or open air earth gardens around here. No thrip screen use is best and can be limited to use around the more sensitive plants within a general shade cloth house. In any case, a small well made aquaponics screen/green house system will yield far better results than a large unprotected garden here in Puna. The variety of plants possibly grown also increases many fold. My advice to anyone who is serious about growing their own food or even commercially is a no thrips protected aquaponics setup. Personal time spent growing will be decreased substantially and the yields far greater.
Anyone who has made a serious effort to grow in Puna knows how many issues there are in trying to grow most anything here. In most cases, people eventually realize it’s a futile effort and give up, growing only a handful of select things now and then, maybe.
I started out making a medium greenhouse 30x40 with shade cloth walls. We had half the greenhouse filled with plants - it was a major PITA with all sorts of issues. I also figured from the start it would need to be outfitted with aquaponics or hydroponics in the end. That I knew after looking at all the abandon greenhouses and screenhouse around here, only one in use of 25 or so. At shis time ours it's pretty much empty until we modify it for aquaponics. The garden became a nightmare of endless weeds and insect attacks. That's the reality here.
E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.