Start Aquaponics with the Kingro 5-in-1 Indoor Gardening Ecosystem
You might have encountered the word “aquaponics” sometime before, but most of us aren’t as well-acquainted with this idea.
You see, farming has evolved continually since its initial emergence during the Neolithic or Agricultural Revolution. After this, it was considered a societal milestone for humankind, and modern times have changed it for the better.
While it’s basic knowledge that we need water to grow our crops, who knew we could grow our food with just that and without soil? It may have sounded outrageous years ago, but now it suits our lifestyle quite well, making farming an accessible practice for all.
With that said, let’s dive into the basics of aquaponics, and let’s discuss one of the best indoor gardening systems to get you started.
What Is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a hybrid of aquaculture, which involves the cultivation of aquatic animals and hydroponics, which means the cultivation of plants without soil. Generally, this practice combines them in a symbiotic relationship in which these plants consume fish waste as food.
In exchange, the vegetables purify the water that is returned to the fish. Thus, along with the animals, fish waste and the microbiota contribute significantly to plant nutrition.
These beneficial bacteria colonize the spaces between the plant’s roots and turn fish waste and solids into nutrients that the plants can use. The outcome is an ideal marriage of aquaculture and gardening.
With that said, indoor or home aquaponics is the practice of growing plants and rearing fish within a structure or generally under a roof.
Is Aquaponics Better Than Hydroponics?
Basically, both of these farming and gardening practices are effective and sustainable. However, when placed side by side, aquaponics stick out like a champion, and here’s why:
Growth Capacity
Hydroponics, by nature, is an artificial ecosystem that is relatively sterile without intervention. On the other hand, aquaponics is a replication of a natural ecosystem, which makes it fully organic.
It utilizes plant food generated by bacteria by converting fish waste, resulting in increased plant growth and decreased disease. Because of this, it can thrive on its own without the need for regular maintenance.
Moreover, recent research indicates that once these indoor gardening systems are completely established after six months, the gardener can notice significantly faster and more productive plant growth than hydroponics.
Cost of Equipment and Components
A hydroponic system needs either organic or inorganic chemical nutrients to feed the plants. It doesn’t have a natural source, like the fish in an aquaponics system.
These can be costly, with prices constantly increasing due to over-mining and scarcity of the ingredients. Keeping that in mind, aquaponics makes use of natural fish waste.
This is sourced almost entirely for free once you already have your fishes, making it a much more cost-effective method to operate.
Ease of Maintenance
Hydroponic systems come with electrical conductivity, which needs to be tested daily. In contrast, like natural ecosystems, aquaponic systems only require weekly acidic to base balance, as well as monthly ammonia nitrate testing. So, aside from that, you can expect less work with an aquaponics system.
Meanwhile, in hydroponic systems, water must be extracted to prevent the accumulation of salts and chemicalstoxic to plants.
In contrast, aquaponics systems maintain a natural nitrogen balance and never need water replacement. It does, however, the water content has to be replenished due to evaporation.
Working with Aquaponics
Aquaponics holds great promise for organic crop production, aquaculture, and water use that is sustainable. For example, rather than discarding fish waste in the ocean, it is reused as plant fertilizer.
The water is then processed in a closed recirculation system, which reduces the resource’s consumption.
Although aquaponics is not a new concept, it is rapidly gaining popularity alongside ornamental fish-keeping and indoor gardening. Along with its increasing popularity, the number of aquarium manufacturers manufacturing aquaponics systems for the home has increased.
These are usually pre-assembled and include all the equipment you need to begin, including the plants you’ll grow. The market presents a sizable selection of home aquaponics systems to choose from. We have recognized the best one so far.
So, without further ado, here are the reasons why we particularly love the Kingro Gardening Aquaponics System.
What is the Kingro Gardening Ecosystem?
What’s better than growing your own food? Growing it in a system that is self-sustaining and requires little to no work. The Kingro 5-in-1 Indoor Gardening Ecosystem will allow you to do just that, with the help of fish! They’ll provide nitrates for plant growth while providing protein to eat themselves. You don’t need a green thumb, just an interest in gardening and sustainability.
This indoor gardening system is simple to assemble, setup and maintain, requiring no additional watering for up to ten days.
This method is especially adept at growing a wide variety of plants in a single system. Additionally, it will embrace traditional soil and hydroponic farming methods if you want to move from one to the other.
Features:
- The Kingro Gardening Ecosystem includes two subsystem containers, color-coded for the intended use. First, we have the brown container used for traditional gardening that uses soil. It can be utilized to grow flowers, herbs, and other shrubs.
Then, we have a clear container intended for hydroponic and aquaponic use. Basically, the latter subsystem should be filled with water to raise fishes and other aquatic animals, with the top layer used for growing vegetables.
It comes with a microfiber strip that transports 120cc of water from its built-in hydroponic subsystem into the soil subsystem, hydrating it daily.
- This system is spectrally engineered. It includes an LED lighting system that stimulates and speeds up plant growth while saving energy in the process by consuming 20w of power, which can cost you an estimated $2 monthly energy bill.
- The whisper-quiet filter pump circulates air and water to keep the water healthy, which keeps fish healthy and plant roots firm.
- Finally, it has a sizable growing area. Thus, a single ecosystem can accommodate up to twenty fruits, herbs, or flowers. Therefore, vegetables may be cultivated and harvested more times with the stems and roots retained.
Why We Love the Kingro Gardening Ecosystem
We considered growing indoors when the winter blues set in. However, we no longer yearn for new greens because we have our own indoor mini gardens with the Kingro Gardening System.
We don’t only adore this for its efficiency. This gardening device is also exquisitely engineered and aesthetically designed so that it looks both beautiful and functional.
With it, you can grow both cold and warm crops without the hassle. Here are more examples:
Cold Crops
- Cabbage
- Herbs
- Horseradish
- Beets
- Cauliflowers
- Radish
- Winter Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Sweet Potatoes
Warm Crops
- Cabbage
- Herbs
- Horseradish
- Beets
- Cauliflowers
- Radish
- Winter Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Sweet Potatoes
The best thing about the Kingro 5-in-1 Indoor Ecosystem is that it is intuitive to assemble to use, making aquaponics a worthy venture to embark on.
Beginners don’t have to be intimated by the novelty of innovative farming no longer. People experienced in aquaponic farming, or even in hydroponic and traditional farming, can take this on and find it more efficient to use.
Plant Choices for Beginners
If you’re thinking of just taking things slow with your new aquaponics system, you can go for some starter plants. Certain plants have low nutrient requirements and thrive in a newly constructed aquaponic system.
These make the practice a breeze for beginners. With that said, it is best to start with vigorous, fast-growing plants that need little nutrients.
Leafy green vegetables are a good example of this since they generally grow fast and well, even without the presence of soil. Here are other good examples:
- Kale
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Swiss Chard
- Water Cress
Plant Choices for the Experienced User
While some people are just getting started, a good number of us has had our head in the game for a hot minute. The Kingro Indoor Gardening Ecosystem also works well for old-timers who want to inject a bit of tech and modernity into their aquaponic set-ups.
Then again, these kinds of aquaponic environments differ extremely from traditional farming methods. So if you’re wondering which plants are great to plant with the Kingro Gardening Ecosystem, we got you covered.
Different plants have varying nutritional requirements, and your aquaponic system must be configured to accommodate plants with higher nutrient requirements.
A well-established system contains all of the essential beneficial bacteria and is generally operational for six months. So, if your indoor gardening ecosystem has been with you for a while, here are some plants you can grow:
- Tomatoes
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Berries
- Peppers
Conclusion
In summary, we’ve discussed that aquaponics proves itself to be a viable alternative to conventional farming methods and has the potential to increase food security.
We have only gone over the basics of this new farming method. Still, we’ve also mentioned one of the best indoor gardening ecosystems we’ve encountered in the market.
While there are other choices for these kinds of systems, you have our guarantee with the Kingro Gardening Ecosystem and how well it has worked for us. Moreover, we’ve snuck in some plants that are easier to work with if you’re just getting started in the aquaponics farming practice.
There are several more plants that you can cultivate, and this is just a partial list. However, that is not to say you cannot experiment with other plants.
After all, the best thing about the experience is having fun while experimenting and discovering which plants can thrive in your own home. With that, we hope that our overview on aquaponics can be of help to you. Happy planting!