starting an above ground bog

[CPsInAtl]

37ppm... dang. I live pretty much down the street from Brooks and I was in the 50's. Still not bad I suppose.

So, Wes, are your 2x4 steaks just a 2x4 cut to a certain length and just buried?

 

[bucky78]

Yeah, the stakes are 2 x 6s with a v cut so they go into the ground easier and I screwed them to the sides of my beds. They are probably 6-8" in the ground I would guess. There is no bulging on the sides so it must work!

 

[Pyro]

When I was in Atlanta last year to visit Brooks, I tested Atlantas water and the TDS was 37ppm!! I couldn't believe how low it was.

Why is it all these people have been here and yet no one wants to visit me LOL??

37ppm... dang. I live pretty much down the street from Brooks and I was in the 50's. Still not bad I suppose.

Pretty much anything below 100 is considered okay, below 50 is great.

 

[mcantrell]

Decided to buy a gallon from one of those water-spigot-station... things.. at the local Winco. Got it home and tested it. 005 (FIVE!) TDS, not bad! Going to buy a 5 or 10 gallon jug of it one of these days. Definitely makes it possible to do the mini-bogs outside I wanted to do.

 

[bucky78]

Travis, next time I am in Atl I would like to visit with you! If you are ever up this way you can do the same.

 

[CPsInAtl]

Ok it's done.

Made out of 3 2"x10"x8' boards (one cut in half), a layer of 6mil heavy duty construction plastic, and 1"x2" along the top nailed down to keep the plastic mostly in place. I put some 2x4s buried almost a foot down to support the sides.

Behold... my new grave! er Bog!

 

[bucky78]

WOW! That looks really nice! I like the idea of the 1" x 2" to hold the plastic. Very neat. Make sure to overfill the beds with peat 'cause it will settle quite a bit. Also looks like you have a lot of room to expand!!

 

[CPsInAtl]

yeah I am going from two half barrels to this.

I am going to let this sit as is for a while and just let rain do its thing before I add the soaker hose. Whatever settling happens I'll fill back in with the peat from the barrels.

 

[Trigon]

Those are nice Bucky78!
Here is a less sophisticated set-up
<a href="http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/matopis/Carnivorous%20Plants/?action=view&current=sarraceniagrowoutcontainer1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/matopis/Carnivorous%20Plants/sarraceniagrowoutcontainer1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I bought 3 2x4's, a heavy pond liner from the garden store, and some u-shaped nails.
I filled it with water and plants - and there you have it!

Would things like dust, topsoil or other unwanted mediums get into the bog? would it be a problem if too much unwanted gunk got into the soil?

Also would it be a good idea to add a pump so that the water is flowing? might stop algae growth, evaporation and unwanted bugs living in the water.

 

[matopis]

yeah a re-circulating pump might be nice, but I enjoy the low maintenance / low energy approach. I just hose it down and scrub it clean about once a month during the growing season.