HOW WE GROW
THE PLANTS
Seeding
First we place our potting medium, which is a vermiculite and coco coir mix, into trays of 50 pots. The trays are seeded and irrigated using aquaponic water. For most crops we use pellet seeds which sprout within 2-4 days.
Irrigation Tables
Germinated trays are placed on irrigation tables for 10-14 days. The tiny seedlings receive natural sunlight and a controlled amount of nutrient rich water.
High Density Rafts
The small plants and their potting medium are transplanted into the grow beds via floating rafts. This gives them unlimited access to the nutrient rich water. The high density rafts are 2ft x 2ft and hold between 40 and 60 plants, depending on the crop. The small plants are left to grow for 10-14 days depending on climatic conditions.
Final Grow Out
The now larger plant is moved to the final low density grow out raft which allows the plant to obtain maximum light for its size. Our final grow out rafts are 2ft by 4 ft and have between 16 and 42 plant spaces depending on the type of crop. The plant will remain in this raft until harvest. Most crops, like basil and bibb lettuce, have a 6 week total cycle. Chard and kale are a ‘cut and come again’ and can spend up to 16 weeks in the system before been harvested.
Harvesting
We harvest on a daily basis for the freshest product possible. The produce is then moved to our packing room.
Packing Room and Delivery
Inside our climate controlled packing room we carry out our final quality control and ensure only the best quality product goes to market. Once packaged and boxed the produce will be chilled to the correct temperature and stored in one of our cool rooms until delivery.
Fish Feed
The fish are supplied a commercial aquaculture diet. Our feed sizes are powder, 0.8mm,1.4mm, 2.4mm, 4.8mm. To improve sustainability we are exploring the use of vegetable based proteins. Ziegler makes a very good product for tilapia, which results in a 10 percent decrease in growth rate compared to traditional diets containing fish meal.
Processing
Our final product is sold either live or as fresh fillet.
THE FISH
Fry to Fingerlings
In our hatchery area we raise Red Tilapia. They are stocked at a weight of 0.5g and take appox. 3 months to reach 50g.
Juveniles
At 50g the juvenile tilapia are transferred to a grow out system where they are feed until they reach 200g.
Final Grow Out
Our final transfer is into our main tank. They spend their final grow out inside this tank, before being harvested 700-800g. The total growth period is 9-10 months from 0.5g fry to harvest weight.
The System
Monitoring
Daily water quality monitoring to ensure the fish and plants are happy and they are receiving a well balanced diet. We adjust our parameter for optimal growing conditions for the fish and the plants.
Backup systems
Regular power outages are part of island life. Our system has an extensive backbone. We have twin backup generators. Air pumps are protected again by power inverters using batteries that will keep our pumps running for 24 hours in case of generator failure. We then use audible alarms, cellular and landline autodialer to alert us if a problem occurs.
