What's new
By:
TerraForums - Carnivorous Plant Community

Welcome to TerraForums — a long-running carnivorous plant community established in 2001. Register for free to join the conversation, ask questions, and connect with growers from around the world.

NASC Auction will open in...

Read the rules first :)
NASC auction is OPEN!!

indoor bog garden?

Share this page

E

etcwilliams

i want to do a into bog garden using aquariums, and like could i adapt this for inside, and just use the right type of light system? and what about the sand?
 
It depends on what plants you want to grow. Most of the upright Sarracenia species grow far too tall, even with enough lighting (2 foot+ pitchers). In addition, temperate species will need to be dug out and put in the fridge for dormancy, unless you want to move the whole thing outside for a few months (provided you have cold winters). For most temperate species, you will also need very bright lighting to keep them healthy. Aquariums are also undrained, and the soil at the bottom will probably get anaerobic and mucky very quickly.

If you just want to keep carnivorous plants indoors, that is a completely different story. In that case, name a few of the species you want to grow, and we can suggest some good setups.
 
If you want a setup like that in the house, it will probably be quite messy and a chore to maintain. It's probably possible, but you will need really bright lighting, a place that won't get ruined from the peat and water, and a way to contain the water, among a host of other things.

In any case, what plants do you want to grow in it? You don't necessarily need a bog garden.
 
w03 said:
If you want a setup like that in the house, it will probably be quite messy and a chore to maintain. It's probably possible, but you will need really bright lighting, a place that won't get ruined from the peat and water, and a way to contain the water, among a host of other things.

In any case, what plants do you want to grow in it? You don't necessarily need a bog garden.
Click to expand...

well like to do any way, i would plant a a few cp and a few non ones that are listed on that site. what kind of lighting?
 
Good LED grow lights would be the best. You should expect to need a few tens of thousands of lumens per square meter.

I understand you want to grow CPs, but can you please give an idea of specifically what you want to put in it? (e.g. temperate sundews, venus fly traps, Sarracenia rubra). Different species have different lighting requirements, and some may not even like a bog garden. For example, Nepenthes would very quickly die in a bog garden, but something like Sarracenia purpurea would thrive.
 
w03 said:
Good LED grow lights would be the best. You should expect to need a few tens of thousands of lumens per square meter.

I understand you want to grow CPs, but can you please give an idea of specifically what you want to put in it? (e.g. temperate sundews, venus fly traps, Sarracenia rubra). Different species have different lighting requirements, and some may not even like a bog garden. For example, Nepenthes would very quickly die in a bog garden, but something like Sarracenia purpurea would thrive.
Click to expand...

whatever works
 
Most of the species that like the bog environment are temperates, so you'll need to dig them up or move them outside every year for dormancy. There few tropical species that would survive in a bog, mostly easy Drosera (like capensis), and weedy Utricularia.

Try to avoid the taller temperate species like upright Sarracenia (e.g. S. flava, S. leucophylla). S. purpurea, rosea, and psittacina are probably your best bets for Sarracenia. Venus Flytraps shouldn't have any particular problems. Sundews like D. intermedia are also a good choice (D. filiformis can get tall though). Temperate Pinguicula might work, but many are somewhat difficult to maintain long term. All of these will need very bright light.

I don't have any experience with Bog Orchids, so you'll need to ask other people about that. :)
 
Last edited:
You can get lights bright enough to grow any plant you want indoors. The native bog orchids I keep get full sun, although they will supposedly tolerate a bit of shade. I currently have Spiranthes odorata 'Chadds Ford', and Calopogon tuberosus.In the old days metal halides and sodium vapor lights did a decent job. A 250W MH will light an area 2' x 3' bright enough to grow anything. But they do get hot! LEDs are more efficient, run much cooler, but are more expensive up front (but cheaper in the long run by far). As a rough example my cheap LED provides a comparable amount of lighting to a 20" x 18" area of reef tank 30" deep. And it uses 120W to do it. I'm pretty confident I could grow Sarrs under it and my bog orchids without question. But dormancy is going to be an issue. Better to stick with sub-tropical and tropical plants if you want a reasonably permanent display without having to routinely remove plants. A different approach would be to plan to cycle plants in and out of the display. In the winter remove the temperate plants either outside or into some controlled environment for dormancy, and move in some South African winter growing bog plants such as tuberous Sundews that grow during moist winters but need to be removed to get a dry summer dormancy. Which is when the temperates are doing their thing. I mean who wants to look at the same old plants all year anyway:grin:?
 
Last edited:
I like the idea of tuberous Drosera, they are a very underappreciated group of plants. But for a beginner, aren't they a little bit too difficult (maybe except D. peltata)?
 
well think of it i do have a old aboaned pong out back near the swamp, maybe i can work with that, does it look like it has the right lighting and stuff?

358dgnt.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top