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  • From: "Adriana" <gutierrez-lagatta AT charter.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Water spinach
  • Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 14:51:44 -0500

Nan

I had conversation today at the university with a botanist re: the Ipomea aquatica ("sea spinach") that I was growing in a bucket using some fish emulsion.
That is interesting and disturbing about fish emulsion containing heavy metals. You might contact the producers of several brand names of fish emulsion and ask if they have an analysis of heavy metal content of their product and how they assure consistency from batch to batch....

There are some organic hydroponic nutrients but they tend to plug up emitters, etc., becuase they build up filamentous bacteria quickly. Others tend to ferment and smell AND plug emitters. One option is to set up an aquaponic system with tilapia or koi in high density tanks. Then you can run the fish effluent through growing beds. I know of people who have grown water spinach in this type of system with great success. Email me if you want more information. But ...there's a BIG BUT that you need to consider:

THE BIG BUT:
Water spinach is considered an invasive species by the federal government - it is illegal to possess it in Florida, Alabama, Texas and North Carolina and penalties are stiff.

At the federal level, the regulations state "No person may import or move any noxious weed identified by regulations of the Secretary into or through the U.S. except in compliance with the regulations, which may require that permits be obtained. No person may knowingly sell, purchase, barter, exchange, give, or receive any noxious weed moved in violation of these provisions or deliver or receive for transportation any advertisement to sell, purchase, barter, exchange, give, or receive a noxious weed whose movement is prohibited. ยง 2803. "
Defintion of "move? "Move": deposit for transmission in the mails, ship, offer for shipment, offer for entry, import, receive for transportation, carry, or otherwise transport or move, or allow to be moved."

I would do some homework on this before doing any commerce in this product - some growers ARE producing it but they have applied and received permits from the USDA. For more information go to http://ipl.unm.edu/cwl/fedbook/fedweed.html.

Adriana



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