This is a catnip cutting I planted about a week ago. I’ve tried to strike catnip from cuttings a few times in the past, but they would always fall over and shrivel up in a few days.
Those previous efforts were planted outside in pots with soil as a growing media. This one is planted in hydroton (expanded clay) in an aquaponics growbed, in my lounge room.
Aquaponics is a system where fish and plants are grown together in a symbiotic relationship. The fish eat their food, which is converted to waste and then processed by nitrifying bacteria to become nitrates, which is basically plant food.
The first aquaponics systems are believed to have come from either China or the Middle East and could be thousands of years old.
The system i’ve built features a 220L fish tank with a 50 litre growbed. It is inhabited by 3 convict cichlids, 2 Jaguar cichlids, 1 bristlenose catfish and 1 albino sailfin pleco. The catnip shares the growbed with a mint cutting that is not doing so well. I planted some broccoli seeds today, so I can hopefully harvest some broccoli sprouts in a few days. In future I plan to strike more cuttings to grow into mature plants which I can sell or trade, or just use in the kitchen.
I’ve only just begun my journey in the world of aquaponics and would like to share it on this amazing platform.
