Assistance please on question about bog gardens

[Joel143]

I will be making an inground bog garden using a pond liner or a fabricated pond....undecided as of yet. I will be placing VFT's, a few sundews and mostly sarracenia's. My question is where should I put the holes for the overflow? I know the VFT's can't take as much staying damp or wet as the sundews and sarracenia's....I do not want to lose VFT's. Whether I go with the pond liner or the fabricated pond, the depth will be roughly about 18".

Please any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

Others ought to chime in soon, but I'll tell you about mine.

My bog, is, well... BIG. But the mechanics should be the same. I have the soil level itself at about 18 inches, with a hole drilled.... Hmmm.... I think about three inches below the highest point of soil. The flytraps are kinda mid-way, with my tallest Sarrs the highest, and the S. psittacina being the lowest.

You can see the flytraps on the right here. This is the bog just after I uncovered it this spring. The plants are now growing pretty well.

I had to learn this the hard way with flytraps... Make SURE, absolutely sure, your water is good! You'd be amazed with how fast the minerals can build up like this. Also be pretty vigilant changing the soil. Earthworms will invade your below-ground bog, you can bet on it. They are pretty harmful to CPs, once they get going.

(I gotta get those new pictures uploaded)

 

[seedjar]

Three inches was about what I was thinking too. Some people say less - as little as an inch - but I would much prefer to play it safe if I were building a bog.
~Joe

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

The bigger the bog, the bigger margin for error. The media acts like a sponge, and retains lots of water. The only reason I don't let my water reservoir dry out is to keep the daphnia happy.

 

[Joel143]

Lil Stinkpot...in your pic...is that a cattle trough? I use to have one but gave it away before I even thought about a bog. I think I will look into another one to be sure. For your VFT's did you build up the area for them higher than the rest? Im just concerned due to their roots run about 8 to 10". I really hate to lose them to root rot.
But thanks for the info. Your pic really helps and gives me the idea to go back to a cattle trough rather than an inground bog.

by the way can you tell me, did you use a layer of sand at the bottom?

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

Lil Stinkpot...in your pic...is that a cattle trough? I use to have one but gave it away before I even thought about a bog. I think I will look into another one to be sure. For your VFT's did you build up the area for them higher than the rest? Im just concerned due to their roots run about 8 to 10". I really hate to lose them to root rot.
But thanks for the info. Your pic really helps and gives me the idea to go back to a cattle trough rather than an inground bog.

by the way can you tell me, did you use a layer of sand at the bottom?

It is a cattle trough. Good eye! I got it at a garage sale for $50, on my way to my own wedding. Glad we didn't take the FIAT! I also got an anchor that looked like it would work swell, but it turns out that it just drags.....

I didn't use sand, no. I chose gravel to allow the water to empty out easily whenever I ever wanted to drain it. I have pictures, somewhere, of my re-bogging process. Man, that was a LOT of work!

I didn't mound up the soil under the flytraps. I'll watch them, and if they show signs of distress, I'll move them.

 

[Joel143]

Well you help me make up my mind. Today I went out and boughta cattle trough just like yours for my bog garden. I will take your suggestion and use pea gravel at the bottom because as you mention it will make it easier to drain. I will place a mesh screen over the drainage hole on the inside as well so not to lose the gravel. Hope to post pics soon.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

Make sure of the pH of that gravel! It must be either neutral or acidic. Alkali is bad, very bad.