Lana'i urban farming systems

07/28/2025

Anyone who cares enough should watch "Epstein: Filthy Rich" (Netflix) to get a clear picture of Ghislaine and Trump's buddy Jeffrey Epstein's ruthless exploitation of marginalized minor girls. Does this dirt bag deserve a pardon? Is our "President" serving the best interests of the Country or himself (again)? I would bet $$$ she'll be out of jail before you can say "Ole Ketchup Ear strikes again!" This is a dark time for America, unless of course you're in the circle of a billionaire s*x deviant. Disgraceful.

Lawyer for Epstein accomplice filed a brief with the Supreme Court but made a direct appeal to Donald Trump.

05/10/2025

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/05/bagged-romaine-lettuce-food-safety/682734/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Food safety in America is under attack.

03/20/2025

A little care goes a long way with your aquaponic farm! Water testing often, care used to minimize pests organically, keeping water flow clean and clear, monitoring amounts of fish food to keep them fed without polluting your water with too much food, and keeping starters going to replenish eaten vegetables, are all part of a successful farm experience.

02/16/2025

Testing the water on a recently rebuilt Aquaponic system at my place. Doing well!

01/19/2025

This is my second post today. This is the sample results from my aquaponic system stocked with tilapia.
pH 6.8 base, good
Ammonia 0, excellent
Nitrite, low, good, the conversion to Nitrate is working
Nitrate, rising, somewhere between 40-80 ppm. I want to see number rise to 80 ppm because that is where the aquaponic process is delivering ample nutrients to my leafy green crops.

Good responsible aquaponics founded with solid water tests done frequently will deliver results. There are many factors in growing plants. Sunlight, rain, wind, temperature. The one thing you have the most control over I would argue is water quality.

Test and test often!

01/19/2025

I'm hyping again today on the importance of testing your water. The photo on this post is from my 25 gal water tank with 5 small koi. There is no grow bed attached and the aquarium filter attached is just starting to do populate with microorganisms so the fish are vulnerable to swings in ammonia levels, which are toxic.

High pH, good, not acid

Ammonia on the higher range, not so good. A balanced aquarium, aquaculture, or aquaponic system will have very low or no ammonia

Nitrite and Nitrate ok for a non-aquaponic system

So what to do about the ammonia? There are additives to neutralize ammonia but the quickest, easiest (for a small outdoor tank) is to change out most of the water. The koi loved it.

The long term solution I put on yesterday is a secondary bio-filter which I will share in subsequent posts.

Test your water often. You'll thank me for that later.

01/13/2025

Test your water! I recommend the API kit. A little pricey but accurate and relatively easy to use. This is where you want your water sample results to be:

Neutral pH
Zero Ammonia
Very low Nitrite
High (over 80 ppm) Nitrate

Water testing is the way I keep an eye on my aquaponic system’s health. Do it weekly!

12/27/2024

Brewing essential microorganisms for our Aquaponic and land-based flower garden. Esssential microorganisms clean the earth and help bring nutrients to things that you’re growing. Happy 2025 folks. More videos to come I promise!

06/29/2024

Some of my latest Lana'i based paintings offered at Mike Carroll Gallery right now, check 'em out!

05/04/2024

Happy Aloha Friday Everybody,

Just wanted to share a few I've been working on these past few weeks. Crazy busy with work and limited time to do my painting. nonetheless, got a few down. Let me know if you're interested in any of these. Please visit Mike Carroll Gallery here in Lanai City or online for more of my artwork. The focus as always, our beautiful island and the little things I see each day. God bless and have a great weekend!

12/23/2023

Each year my family and I are blessed with a wide assortment of Christmas cards from friends and family all over the world. My favorite this year comes from Niu Valley neighbors where I lived prior to moving back to Lana'i 12 years ago. It appears a chicken is now visiting their home each morning and depositing an egg for them to enjoy as one had when I lived across the street.

Here is the card and message I received. Also included is my account of the chicken so many years ago "delivering" an egg to me each day! God bless and love on your families this season. May the chicken deliver to your home in the near future too!

Aloha Charlie

https://youtu.be/Ngi_evus0MM