Jonathan: Hello sustainable growers.
In this video, we'll see the second part of the interview we had with Mr. Peng, where
he’s going to explain to us what are the best vegetables to grow in commercial aquaponics.
I hope you're going to enjoy this video, but just before, please subscribe to the channel,
and if you haven't done it yet, download your free gift from the description of the video.
Okay, Mr. Peng.
So what is for you the best vegetables or the easiest ones to grow in aquaponics, where
you see a big potential?
Mr. Peng: Okay.
Normally, people tend to grow leafy vegetables at first.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: Now, which is a good idea.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: When you just start out, you grow your small herbs.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: Lettuce, leafy vegetables is good or your bok choy, you know, that kind of thing.
It’s easy to grow.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: And they grow fast.
Gradually, if you are getting more and more knowledge and skill, you can you know, get
into some fruit vegetables.
Jonathan: Yes, such as tomatoes.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, tomatoes.
You know, cucumber.
Yeah, chili, that kind of thing.
And if you have enough space, you grow root vegetables, also.
You can also do that.
Jonathan: But you've got some challenge in there with the media.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes.
If you have a good media, that is loose, then you can grow lots of different root vegetables,
even carrots, you know.
Jonathan: Carrots, yeah.
I tried carrots many times in my setup.
I got a very porous media and those carrots are always – they got these shapes – that
is, you can't work with it, you know.
Then if you want to peel it, you won’t find edges, yeah?
Mr. Peng: Well, the reason for that is the media.
If the media is porous but they are not very fluid, that will be a problem.
You need a media that is very fluid with water filled up, that they’re kind of semi floating
in the water.
Then the vegetable will have a free space to expand.
Jonathan: Exactly.
Yeah.
Otherwise, they can’t move and they got those shapes between the media --
Mr. Peng: Different shapes.
Jonathan: -- which is sometimes very funny.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes.
Jonathan: So okay the roots, they are bit challenging, but you say that you are able
to grow potatoes and carrots.
Mr. Peng: Yams.
Jonathan: Yams?
Mr. Peng: Yep.
But not potatoes.
Jonathan: No potatoes.
Yeah.
Mr. Peng: Chinese yams.
These are supposed to grow more than you know, 50 centimeters long.
Jonathan: Wow.
Mr. Peng: It’s supposed to be that so because for the marketing purpose, actually you don't
have to do that.
You make them grow multiple tubes.
Jonathan: Okay.
Mr. Peng: So each tube is smaller but they grow into a lump.
So this is still doable.
It's very interesting.
Jonathan: All right.
Okay.
Mr. Peng: I'm looking forward to the results.
Jonathan: Why did you plant some?
Mr. Peng: Yes.
Jonathan: When is the harvest?
Mr. Peng: They require the entire circle of the season.
Jonathan: Okay.
The full year?
Mr. Peng: Yeah, the full year.
Jonathan: Wow.
Mr. Peng: At least 8 months.
Jonathan: Okay.
We see.
Mr. Peng: Yeah.
Jonathan: We’re going to watch your video.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
Come back in a month.
Jonathan: Okay.
And in terms of -- I understand.
I think when you start the setup it's good to start with leafy veggies.
Mr. Peng: Yeah.
Jonathan: That don’t require too complex nitrogen, too much nitrogen and not too complex.
And then you can go for tomatoes, those of kinds of things that are a bit more demanding.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes, yes.
Jonathan: But sometimes, I found that if you try chili or other kinds of food, they may
require some minerals --
Mr. Peng: Yes.
Jonathan: -- that are maybe not in good quantity in your growbed.
Mr. Peng: True.
Yeah, yeah.
Jonathan: And sometimes they grow a little bit and then they just die.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jonathan: That’s when you lose them.
Right?
Did you find it as well?
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes, yes.
If you don't have sufficient minerals to sustain the fruit, the flower, then the yield is very
disappointing.
So you need to watch out and do a bit of research.
Jonathan: Yeah, exactly.
Mr. Peng: That kind of thing is kind of very knowledge-intensive.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: It’s not your normal you know, peasant job.
You do need to get into it and get online and do your research.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: You take pictures, you join groups, and you know, find out what's going on and
how to deal with this.
And it won't take too long.
It's very interesting.
By the time of your efforts, your results will be the happiest moment of your life.
Jonathan: Yeah, it's becoming very specific then when you go into this.
Mr. Peng: Yes, true.
True.
Jonathan: But it's very easy to build a setup, I mean, to put a setup in place and to grow
a bit of leafy veggies.
It's easy for anyone, but then going into specific fruits and having a good yield –
Mr. Peng: It’d need a bit of skill.
Jonathan: -- is another story.
Right?
You need a bit more experience because if you look at hydroponics, they just put the
nutrients into the water, that are specifically adapted to one species of veggies.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes.
Jonathan: But here in aquaponics, we try to grow different species with the same water.
Mr. Peng: Yeah.
Jonathan: So you can't have the water specifically good for one species.
Otherwise, it's not going to be good for the others.
Mr. Peng: No, no, no.
Jonathan: We try to have a range where everyone is happy.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes, yes.
It's a compromise.
Jonathan: Yeah, a compromise.
That’s the word.
Exactly.
We try to compromise.
So that's a bit of big difference with hydroponics, I would say.
Mr. Peng: Yes.
Oh you mentioned hydroponics so I want to say a few words to beginners.
Jonathan: Yeah?
Mr. Peng: If you have a limited space –
Jonathan: Yep.
Mr. Peng: -- and you do not have enough experience in dealing with the fish, you might as well
start with a small hydroponics system and get yourself used to the procedures --
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: -- the knowledge, that kind of thing.
Then you have enough confidence you can convert your hydroponics system to aquaponics to give
you more pleasure.
Jonathan: Yeah.
With the difference that in hydroponics, we don't play with bacteria.
We don't work with bacteria.
Mr. Peng: No, no, no.
Jonathan: So it makes a big difference.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
You need to learn more, yeah.
Jonathan: Yeah.
But still yeah, it's a –
Mr. Peng: It’s starting point.
Jonathan: Yeah, exactly.
Mr. Peng: That can give you a bit of stimuli to your interest.
Jonathan: Yeah, yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah, that’s the first step.
Yeah.
Okay.
And what about beans?
Do you grow beans?
Mr. Peng: Oh, yes.
Yes.
You can grow beans.
Jonathan: Yeah?
Mr. Peng: And I'm going to tell you the advantages of aquaponics over hydroponics.
Jonathan: Okay.
Mr. Peng: You know in grow media environment, you can grow beans and
fairly fantastic results from aquaponics with you know, a good amount of fish.
The thing is this.
The water is still relatively pristine.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: But you still can't grow heavy crop, but not in your hydroponics.
Hydroponics, if you want to grow proper beans in hydroponics, the reading of
parts-per-million –
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: -- requires a fairly high range up to thousands --
Jonathan: Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Mr. Peng: -- to sustain beans.
You check on the material.
They will tell you.
You have a list online.
You tell you want to grow beans.
The parts per million can be over a thousand.
Jonathan: Of what specifically?
Mr. Peng: For the solution.
Jonathan: Yeah, but on that –
Mr. Peng: They give you – none of that.
Yeah.
They give you – they sell the mixed ones.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: You need to add, add, add until you check the solution –
Mr. Peng: -- the concentration.
Jonathan: -- lots of chemicals.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
Then you find out it’s over there.
Then you can grow, but that kind of concentration will not happen in aquaponics system.
If it does, the fish will suffer.
Jonathan: Yeah, yeah.
Mr. Peng: So this is very interesting.
Right?
I found that aquaponics in this aspect is a far more healthier in the natural.
Jonathan: Yeah, yeah.
So that’s always – I mean, I think it’s completely magic to close the loop and to
work with a full cycle and to –
Jonathan: Yeah, exactly.
It’s just that.
Mr. Peng: Magic.
Jonathan: Yeah, it's magic.
I think as well.
Yeah, yeah.
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes.
Jonathan: Okay.
So we went up.
Are you growing some flowers as well?
Ornamental flowers?
Mr. Peng: I grow flowers.
It’s called lily.
Jonathan: Lilies?
Oh, yeah.
Mr. Peng: Lily.
But we grow lily for two reasons.
One for the flowers -- pretty flowers.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: Then for the tube.
The tube is edible.
Jonathan: Ah, all right.
Mr. Peng: Oh, yeah.
It’s a type of a protein.
Jonathan: So when you talk about lilies, are you talking about the aquatic lilies?
Mr. Peng: No, no, no, no, no, no.
Jonathan: Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Are you eating the tubes?
Mr. Peng: Yes, yes.
Jonathan: Wow.
Okay.
I didn’t know that you could –
Mr. Peng: There is a lot of fantastic fruits.
Jonathan: Oh, okay.
And so can you -- have you tried to evaluate your projection during the year like in terms
of kilos?
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
You can do it.
It's -- once you set up a particular crop, because when you set up the crop you need
to figure out how many weeks does it require to mature?
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: So you allocate a certain amount of growing space for the entire circle to
run you know, continuously.
So you can figure out how much money you can make in this kind of you know, the circulation.
Yes.
I'll give you an example.
Say for instance, we’ll grow garlic and chives.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: Garlic and chives is a common vegetable for Chinese dumplings.
So they need quite a lot.
Jonathan: Yeah, yeah.
Mr. Peng: Every four weeks you can cut once.
Therefore, you figure out and you see that you need about at least four lots to have
the food on production running.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: So every time you cut this and sell it you know, okay, for the four lots every
week you can make that much amount.
Jonathan: Ah, yeah.
Yeah.
So you know exactly.
I mean, approximately for species of vegetables what you will produce.
Mr. Peng: Yes.
Jonathan: if you were converting your whole setup.
Mr. Peng: True, true.
And with the growth of the crop because all over winter, normally you don't cut it.
You let it regenerate.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: Become more dense, you know.
So next year you can cut a bit more.
So anyway, this requires a bit more skills for management.
Jonathan: Okay.
Mr. Peng: This is my experience.
Jonathan: Yes.
Mr. Peng: Unless you just you know, don't really care.
You know, just go with the flow.
Jonathan: Yes.
You do it for fun.
Yeah.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, for fun.
If you want to run you know something that can really produce something, and at least
to pay itself, paying for itself, then you need to be a bit – a little more management-conscious.
Jonathan: Okay.
So I don't know if you have done these studies so far, but what kind of crop would you grow
now, if you wanted to produce the more possible like –
Mr. Peng: Oh, okay.
Jonathan: Yeah, what kind of -- what would be the maximum production you could have with
what kind of crop?
Mr. Peng: Okay, so far I realized that in my particular situation –
Jonathan: Yeah?
Mr. Peng: Leafy vegetables are the easiest variety to make money quickly.
Jonathan: Okay.
Mr. Peng: Okay.
These are -- the next thing is chili.
Chili and beans because they continuously produce.
Tomato is another case.
It depends on the variety.
Some variety will have continuous growth, but they occupy too much space.
Okay.
Jonathan: It will take a lot of light.
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
The next thing would be one type of cucumber.
Jonathan: Oh, okay.
Do you produce cucumber?
Mr. Peng: Yeah.
Cucumber.
This is the Chinese variety.
It does not grow very big.
They only grow that big, but very flavoursome.
Strong.
with very strong aroma.
Jonathan: Okay, okay.
Mr. Peng: So many people just eat it raw, eating raw.
They don't cook it.
So and it grows so many of them.
One single crop, if you take care of the crop properly, I calculated roughly.
One single crop over one season is more than 200 of them.
Jonathan: Wow!
And what is the weight like 200 grams each?
Mr. Peng: 200 grams.
Yes, yeah.
Jonathan: Wow.
All right.
Yes.
Mr. Peng: That’s amazing, man.
Jonathan: That’s serious.
Mr. Peng: Just every day you come in you find new cucumbers come on.
So this variety is amazing.
It’s very suitable for that kind of system --
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mr. Peng: -- apparently, you know.
There’s constant supply of water, nutrients, sunlight, heat.
Jonathan: Ah, yes.
I understand.
So I imagine you also went -- you found maybe some species that you couldn't really grow
in aquaponics because they had some specific requirements that we couldn't meet.
I found the same thing.
Sometimes you got some vegetables, probably they don't like moisture.
Mr. Peng: Yeah.
Jonathan: Or maybe they got specific requirement in terms of pH that we don’t cover
Mr. Peng: Yeah, yeah.
Yes, yea.
Jonathan: -- and you can't really grow them.
Mr. Peng: No.
Jonathan: But maybe, in another system, someone has got another system.
It will maybe grow because every system is completely different.
Mr. Peng: They are very specific.
Yes, yes.
Jonathan: So yeah.
Another question I really wanted to ask you because I find it's a big challenge for me
and for a lot of people that I know.
How do you fight or not fight -- but how do you deal with pests like insects?
Mr. Peng: Oh, yes.
It’s garden nuisance.
The common damage done by insects is –
Jonathan: If you are watching this video on YouTube, you will see that on the description
of the video just below, you will have access to some free gifts.
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Bye-bye.
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I really hope to see you soon, and I wish you a fantastic success with aquaponics.
Have a good crop.