Here’s how bioponics is similar to both hydroponics and aquaponics:
- Bioponics is soilless, utilizing one or more of the following techniques; FD -flood and drain or EF ebb and flow with media beds, NFT-nutrient film technique in trickling troughs, DWC-deep water culture on floating rafts, and the ALT air layer technique on stationary rafts with EF ebbing and flowing water levels.
- Bioponics is 100% organic. No manufactured petrochemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
- With bioponics, fish are optional. Herbivore fish such as tilapia and crawfish do particularly well in bioponic systems, as they are treated more like pond fish, deriving nutrients from biomass teas and aquatic organisms including algae, microbes, and duckweed. Raising fish is encouraged but dependency on fish waste is an aquaponics approach, not bioponics.
How is it different from organic hydroponics and aquaponics?
- ‘Organic hydroponics’ is rarely 100% organic. When organics are used they are done so with additional inputs from mined minerals and or adjusted pH with chemicals etc Typically hydroponics does not have enough biofiltration or appropriate plumbing to support an entirely organic fertilizer.
- Fish are not necessary with bioponics. The reason is that both systems start with one form of organic biomass as the source of nutrients. With aquaponics, inorganic nutrients are produced from fish urine which is produced after fish consume the organic feed. With bioponics, the same inorganics are produced entirely from microbes. Bioponics encourages microbes that convert the organic carbon from biomass fertilizer into inorganic minerals and into CO2 (just like fish).
- Aquaponics almost always requires additional minerals, typically inorganic from salt mines. That is because fish foods, and fish, do not contain high levels of minerals needed for growing most heavy-feeding and flowering plants. For this reason, aquaponics typically use ‘base tanks’ that are maintained in addition to fish tanks. Base tanks contain alkaline minerals that are infused into the grow beds, in combination with the ammonia and nitrogen from the fish tanks.
Making fertilizers for bioponics
The nutrients obtained from plant-derived biomass are of higher quality compared to fertilizers made from petrochemicals and mined mineral salts.
Bioponica has created a method for manufacturing liquid fertilizers that can be used instead of fish waste and hydroponic nukes. This method entails incorporating both anaerobic extraction and aerobic biofiltration, combined with vortex aeration.
This process is known as nutricycling, as it aims to produce extracts that are highly beneficial for plant growth. Unlike aquaponics fish foods, which are geared towards fish growth, nutricycling optimizes the nutrient levels of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) specifically for plants. Additionally, biomass can be combined to create different NPK levels, along with other naturally occurring nutrients present in the biomass.
Bio-ponics, by definition, is a form of cultivation that is centered around the biological aspect. The advantage of this method lies in the exclusive use of organic nutrients, which promotes the colonization of helpful microorganisms on and near the plant roots. This colonization aids in both biofiltration and the enhancement of nutrient absorption during fertilization. Unlike hydroponics, bioponics strictly prohibits the utilization of chemical fertilizers and focuses instead on a soilless approach that primarily employs inorganic fertilizers.
Bioponics is a sustainable alternative to aquaponics and hydroponics because plant-derived biomass leachate contains an optimal mix of trace elements, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, enzymes, and plant hormones. In addition, there is no accumulation of electrical conductivity in bioponics due to the absence of chlorides exceeding the plant’s needs. This lack of excess chlorides eliminates the need for water discharge to maintain balance in bioponics. The ability to control NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) levels, organic fertility, and the absence of toxic residue further showcase the viability of bioponics as an environmentally friendly option.
If growers want to grow hydroponically using organic fertilizers, they need to take steps to aerate and/or biofilter organic carbon to prevent the hydroponic environment from becoming anaerobic and causing harm to plants. The Biogarden, a Bioponica growing system, provides ideal conditions for organic plant growth, whether with or without fish. Additionally, it produces liquid fertilizer from biomass teas by utilizing the forces of the vortex to oxygenate the enriched water and a combination of blended grow media microbes for biofiltration.
Bioponics, like proper soil care, focuses on feeding the various living organisms that help plant roots. In organic gardens, the most prevalent and vital microbes are nitrifiers, decarboxylators, rhizobacteria, microrhizomes, protozoans, nematodes, and earthworms. These organisms are essential for the food web as they convert nutrients from plant-based organics into plant-ready inorganic substances.
Plant roots are supplied with trace minerals, vitamins, hormones, and growth factors through plant-derived organic fertilizer teas used in bioponics, resulting in a healthy dosage.
Bioponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics share a similarity in that they are all soilless methods. Aquaponics has proven that plants can be grown organically without soil. However, bioponics surpasses aquaponics in terms of nutrient availability due to the wider range of nutrient inputs available, beyond just fish feed and waste. Additionally, a bioponic system can handle higher nutrient concentrations like ammonia and BODs without endangering the oxygen-dependent fish.
Bioponics, like hydroponics and aquaponics, encompasses different soilless environments for cultivating plants. These include DWC (deep water culture), flood and drain or ebb and flow media beds, and NFT (nutrient film technique).
Fish are suitable for bioponics, as they are encouraged and require less attention compared to raising fish for fertilizer production. It is interesting to note that herbivorous fish like carp, tilapia, and crustaceans can be raised using carbon-rich leachates obtained from the biomass anaerobic extraction process. When growing plants and fish together, biofiltration removes carbon, resulting in reduced biofiltration usage.
When engaging in fish farming using bioponics, there is a wider selection of biomass products that can be utilized to nourish the fish, making it simpler to opt for an organic feed. Although aquaponics can be labeled as “organic,” the fish themselves do not gain that classification unless they are nourished with leachate derived from organic biomass.
Herbivore and omnivore fish in a bioponic growing operation can be fed duckweed and earthworms, along with the leachates and detritus from decomposing grasses, biomasses, and food discards.
The difference between aquaponics and bioponics is a key distinction that often confuses many proud aquaponics farmers.
Based on my personal experience, it is not practical to raise fish for the purpose of feeding plants organically. This is because fish thrive in an alkaline environment, while plants prefer a more acidic one. In aquaponics settings, fish experience stress due to overcrowding and the competition for periodic feedings. However, when fish are fed leachate from biomass extraction, the liquid in the water provides a non-competitive feeding experience. Feeding in carbon-rich water tanks, fertile ponds, and marine environments occurs simply through swimming or the movement of nutrient-rich water through the gills.
Aquaponics fertilizers
Hydroponics is a complex subject, especially when fish are involved in the system. Applying fertilizer directly to plants is not feasible as it would affect the fish water, with uncertain consequences.
If your fish tank water contains an abundance of the elements that your plants require (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.), fertilizing would not be necessary in an ideal system. However, it is rare for any system to operate at optimal levels. If you have been testing your water and discovering deficiencies in essential elements, it is advisable to consider fish-safe fertilizers.
If you focus on the essential minerals, there are several natural choices available to modify your water levels.
If you lack nitrogen, you simply require a higher quantity of fish. With a sufficient population, there is no need to supplement nitrogen. During the initial stages of your growing system when your fish are small, it might be necessary to introduce seaweed extract or a general fertilizer suitable for ponds. Nitrogen plays a crucial role in promoting leaf growth.
Adding extra phosphorus, along with calcium, to your water is typically done through the use of bone meal in liquid, powder, or bone form. The presence of phosphorus is essential for promoting abundant flowers and fruit growth in your plants.
To introduce potassium into your grow beds or pots, you can follow the traditional approach of burying a few banana peels. Once the peels turn fully brown, remove them. Alternatively, you have the option to utilize commercially available fertilizers that contain potassium for a more regulated method. Potassium serves as a versatile mineral that promotes overall vigor and health in your plants.
You can consider exploring numerous brands of aquaponics-specific fertilizers, which are different from regular fertilizers as they typically exclude nitrogen and pose no harm to fish.
One method commonly used for natural fertilizing involves using worm castings, also known as worm poop. Whether you opt to purchase the castings or keep a few buckets of worms to collect their organic waste, you can create a highly nutritious and natural fertilizer by soaking the castings (which resemble coffee grounds) in water.
More about hydroponics and aquaponics vs. bioponics
Hydroponics is a well-liked method due to its ability to save water by using soilless recirculating growing techniques. Additionally, the optimization of plant growth is achieved through the management of NPK and PPM levels in chemical fertilizers. These are the main advantages of hydroponics. However, to control the electrical conductivity (EC), it is necessary to eliminate chloride contaminants from manufactured mineral elements used in the system and release them into the environment. In contrast, bioponics does not result in the accumulation of EC or the discharge of water.
Aquaponics, which is also a soilless system, is effective for green leafy plants by using fish feed and fish urine as nutrient inputs. However, it is not as successful for fruiting or heavy-feeding vegetables and herbs due to the challenge of balancing the environmental needs of plants and fish. Fish thrive in alkaline water, while plants require more acidity. Additionally, the alkaline pH environment does not produce enough potassium and phosphorus, which are necessary for optimal plant growth. Furthermore, regulating the concentration of fish urine nutrients to meet the varying needs of plants throughout different stages of growth is challenging.
The concern with hydroponics growing is primarily related to electrical conductivity. This issue arises from the use of chemical fertilizers that contain chloride salts. The presence of chloride contributes to a constant negative ionic charge, which increases the electrical conductivity of the hydroponic solution. Chloride accumulates in the solution because plants do not significantly absorb it. When there is an excessive buildup of chloride or an increased electrical conductivity, it becomes difficult for plants to absorb the essential fertilizer nutrients. In fact, when the electrical conductivity rises to a point where chloride’s osmotic forces draw water from the plant roots, the plant becomes dehydrated and wilts.
Potassium, calcium, and magnesium that are obtained from mines or produced artificially have chlorides, which contribute to an increase in electrical conductivity (EC). These chlorides are the main factor why hydrochloric acid (HCl) is not advised for pH reduction in hydroponic systems.
Reverse osmosis is the treatment employed to decrease chloride buildup in hydroponic systems, but this becomes costly for larger systems, whereas periodic water discharge is both ineffective and harmful for the environment.
The absence of high chlorides in source water ensures no increase in EC electrical conductivity in bioponics. This is due to the fact that plant-based potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which are obtained from organic extracts, have minimal chloride content, only what is required by the plants. As a result, the EC electrical conductivity does not accumulate in bioponics. Consequently, there is no need to discharge fertilization water, making the management of fertilization easier and more environmentally friendly.
