Lets talk bogs...
- Thread starter Sib
- Start date
Vince.ep3
Carnivore
Lets face it, plants in the wild dont get r/o or distilled water, they grow where its acidy, peaty and sandy (for most).
I do get that they wont grow just anywhere either since they do need ideal humidity and water conditions.
I would consider it safer to say, anywhere from 0-160ppm, and this may cause and be controversial.
Water with the lowest ppm content is always best for sure, but rain water is what 100-160ppm..? So why wouldn’t it be safe to use otherwise also?
That being said, if your tap water is under 150-160ppm, I would say its “safe”.
I personally use bottled water (distilled) and rain water. However seeing the Sarracenia growing bt the pond by my moms, i’m curious to check the ppm content, may have a great source all together right there!
Cheers!
I do get that they wont grow just anywhere either since they do need ideal humidity and water conditions.
I would consider it safer to say, anywhere from 0-160ppm, and this may cause and be controversial.
Water with the lowest ppm content is always best for sure, but rain water is what 100-160ppm..? So why wouldn’t it be safe to use otherwise also?
That being said, if your tap water is under 150-160ppm, I would say its “safe”.
I personally use bottled water (distilled) and rain water. However seeing the Sarracenia growing bt the pond by my moms, i’m curious to check the ppm content, may have a great source all together right there!
Cheers!
Rain water in Toronto has a TDS of zero PPM.
Toronto tapwater has a TDS of 140 which is mostly calcium and magnesium which I suspect would kill sensitive plants pretty quickly.
You could check your local water. I would be cautious above 50 PPM, and prefer below 20.
The meters test conductance only. So a high TDS could be due to organic acids which CP's should be fine with. You could check by evaporating a sample and see what's left. Salty residue would be bad and dirty looking would be Ok.
Toronto tapwater has a TDS of 140 which is mostly calcium and magnesium which I suspect would kill sensitive plants pretty quickly.
You could check your local water. I would be cautious above 50 PPM, and prefer below 20.
The meters test conductance only. So a high TDS could be due to organic acids which CP's should be fine with. You could check by evaporating a sample and see what's left. Salty residue would be bad and dirty looking would be Ok.
FlyTrapKing
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I plan to make 2 large bog pot planters this spring. Ive already made them and filled them i am just gathering plants for them. So if ya got any lmk ill post pictures when its done
Won't take long.
Amanito Virosa
Carnivore
...here's what I got.
...in front of the house. I put the bog inside a raised flower bed that I put together. It was done very quickly with leftover stone I had.
...nothing special. It should look much nicer in a couple of months. COME ON SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy growing.
G.
...in front of the house. I put the bog inside a raised flower bed that I put together. It was done very quickly with leftover stone I had.
...nothing special. It should look much nicer in a couple of months. COME ON SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy growing.
G.
I'm hoping to put in a bog in my new place. It will be a mix of sarrs and perennials that love it wet. I'm going to try Gunnera again. I don't care if I have to put a Styrofoam box and heat pad over it all winter. I want those 10' diameter dinosaur leaves!
FlyTrapKing
Carnivorous Plant Addict
Brian
Sprout
Just to recap, my bog garden is unlined, kind of a free range thing. I was lucky enough to have a shoreline next to a soft water lake so I just scooped out the sand down to the permanent water table and packed in wetted peat moss. The advantage was that I do not have to ever water the thing.
But, what I would do differently would be to create a separate bog for the little guys. The pings did OK, the sundews fluorished and the VFTs, although diminuative, actually self seeded and made little babies. The first problem was the deciduous autumn leaves. A few would fall on the bog and freeze to the ground. It only takes one huge maple leaf to cover a winter bud and cut off any spring sunlight. If I was lucky enough to be up there in late winter, I could try to peel each off but I would likely pull up the tiny plant roots with it. The second problem was the grass creeping in plus the weeds and even tree seedlings. At that point, the roots are so well established that weeding pulls out a big clump of peat taking the tiny roots with it. And of course, as the sarrs grew bigger they shaded out everything else. I could not be up there often enough to give the whole thing the TLC it needed.
So, I would build a second smaller bog for the little guys. Small enough so I can easily reach any weed sprouts in the summer. I would recess it into the ground like the sarr bog but line it with edging deep enough to keep the lawn grass from creeping in. Maybe about six inches below grade. Then I would cover it with a heavy gauge screen, rigid enough to keep the leaves and snow from collapsing it in the winter, but with about a cm of mesh size to let the flowering stalks poke out in the summer. This way, whenever I do actually show up in late spring, I would merely lift off the screen and bang off any shading leaves without disturbing the wee plants, then replace it for the summer.
Maybe when I retire…
But, what I would do differently would be to create a separate bog for the little guys. The pings did OK, the sundews fluorished and the VFTs, although diminuative, actually self seeded and made little babies. The first problem was the deciduous autumn leaves. A few would fall on the bog and freeze to the ground. It only takes one huge maple leaf to cover a winter bud and cut off any spring sunlight. If I was lucky enough to be up there in late winter, I could try to peel each off but I would likely pull up the tiny plant roots with it. The second problem was the grass creeping in plus the weeds and even tree seedlings. At that point, the roots are so well established that weeding pulls out a big clump of peat taking the tiny roots with it. And of course, as the sarrs grew bigger they shaded out everything else. I could not be up there often enough to give the whole thing the TLC it needed.
So, I would build a second smaller bog for the little guys. Small enough so I can easily reach any weed sprouts in the summer. I would recess it into the ground like the sarr bog but line it with edging deep enough to keep the lawn grass from creeping in. Maybe about six inches below grade. Then I would cover it with a heavy gauge screen, rigid enough to keep the leaves and snow from collapsing it in the winter, but with about a cm of mesh size to let the flowering stalks poke out in the summer. This way, whenever I do actually show up in late spring, I would merely lift off the screen and bang off any shading leaves without disturbing the wee plants, then replace it for the summer.
Maybe when I retire…
Yukondave
Carnivorous Plant Addict
This looks familiar, pretty sure I drove past your house today on White Church Road.
Amanito Virosa
Carnivore
...those pics are from April 13, there is already a lot more going on in the bog/bed.
G
G
Amanito Virosa
Carnivore
...here's some more pics...
...nothing special, Flytraps look nice. Soil level has compacted quite a bit. Thanks for looking.
G.
...nothing special, Flytraps look nice. Soil level has compacted quite a bit. Thanks for looking.
G.
Where’s the dew’s!?
It does look great! Better than mine... set this up in the corner of my greenhouse to try for next year.
Amanito Virosa
Carnivore
...no guarantees here. Que sera sera. Cheerio!
G.
G.
porcorosso
Carnivore
What I used to do was drill some weep holes around 1" - 1.5" down from the surface if I was using a submersed tray into the landscape.
I also do this for my " oil pan " bogs so that if I am away and it is raining tonnes nobody drowns.
Submerged rubbermaids I find also work quite well, also with the weep holes.
I love the submersed Kiddie pool idea. Sweet ! If I had the space ..........