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Mini bog help?

Fish n Plants

Totally clueless...
Hey all,

New to this forum, so a little background info first: I was really into carnivorous plants about a year ago, but then I got interested in planted aquariums and the plants were neglected. The only plant that survived my abuse is a wimpy Sarracenia leucophylla x oreophila

Anyways, I'm interested in getting back into the hobby with a mini bog. If I used a half wine barrel, would I need some sort of liner between the soil and wood? Also, do I need drainage holes? Any advice would be really helpful!

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
:wave: Welcome to TF.

I think lining it with plastic would be a good idea as the wood would break down with being constantly wet from the soil. For drainage, I would drill a few holes around the sides several inches from the bottom (depending on how tall the barrel is). This will help keep the bog from flooding during periods of rain. For watering, you could put a PVC pipe that goes to the bottom and comes up above the top of the soil. This makes it easy to check the water level also. You want to keep the bog moist, but not sloppy wet.

Others may post with better methods/ideas that have worked for them, this is just how I do it. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the response! Could you explain the PVC pipe more? Would I pour water into the tube? And how would water get in/out of the tube?
 
I put the PVC pipe (2-1/2" outside diameter) down against the side, some put it in the middle. I pour water into the PVC. Some drill holes around the bottom of the PVC to water faster.
 
Okay, got it. One more question, I read that some people put a layer of sand or gravel on the bottom to help with drainage or something. Does this actually help or am I better off using a peat/sand mixture for the whole thing?
 
Does anyone have any recommendations for plant selection? These are the plants I'm sure I want so far:
Sarracenia 'Judith Hindle'
Some other pitcher plants
Various Venus fly trap types
Some sort of sundew

Is it possible to grow Drosera capensis outdoors year-round in zone 9a?
 
No need to put sand at the bottom, your mix is fine; peat/sand or can use peat/perlite.

Any sarracenia will do well outside in the barrel bog year-round, along with VFT, Drosera intermedia, capillaris, filiformis, any of the temperate dews. Temperate Pinguicula will also do well such as P. grandifolia, P. macroceras, and possibly P. primulifolia in zone 9a (but not sure).

I live in zone 8 and grow D. capensis year-round in my in-ground bog. They die completely back on top, but come back in spring from the roots. As long as the roots don't freeze, they will start growing leaves in spring. In your climate, the mass and depth of your barrel bog should protect the roots from freezing.
 
Awesome thanks! Once the bog is built I'll post some pictures :-D
 
Looking forward to pics. :0o:
 
  • #10
Change of plans, I found these smaller white planters, they look about 1 gallon. Is there anything I should do differently? I have two.
 
  • #11
Change of plans, I found these smaller white planters, they look about 1 gallon. Is there anything I should do differently? I have two.

sounds a bit small..
the half-barrel with a liner sounds much better to me!

Scot
 
  • #12
Gallon size too small for a mini bog I would think. Use the gallon pots with soil mix 1:1 peat/perlite or peat/sand and set the pot in a tray of water. Depending on how deep it is, you could use a gallon size pot for one adult sarr, a flytrap, and a dew. Sarrs need room for the roots to grow and I would say a minimum of 8" pot depth, 10" or more is optimal for healthy root growth in the long term.

I am not sure if you are talking about pots or those long narrow planters? The smaller the space, the more concern I would have for root rot in bog conditions. But I have no experience with a bog smaller than the 1/2 barrel size.
 
  • #13
The planters are about 12" deep and 10" diameter. I believe they were once used for trees, but I washed all the old soil out. I was thinking of using these for now and getting my collection started so that when I'm ready for a larger bog I have all the plants ready to go.

I'm also having some trouble finding peat, couldn't find anything but the Miracle gro stuff. I'll check some local nurseries soon and will keep you guys updated.
 
  • #14
Those pots sound great to use. I don't know what resources you have in your location, but here they sell peat in bales at Home Depot and Lowes at a lower cost than the nurseries. The big bales are a better way to go as the small bags often have fertilizer added even though not listed on the package. Good you already know to stay away from Miracle-Gro stuff.

Keep us updated on your progress.
 
  • #15
IT'S DONE! :-D Thanks for the advice everybody!

Picture of the whole thing:

DSCN5722.JPG


Picture of the struggling Sarracenia leucophylla x orephila:-:)

DSCN5723.JPG


I probably need a larger water tray though...:glare:
 
  • #16
I just moved the pot to a sunnier location, I hope it can grow a bit before it goes dormant. I don't know if it's just me, but I think I see some new growth:-D
 
  • #17
Looking good! A larger water tray would make it so you don't have to fill it as often, but what you have will work if you top it off every day. Leuco and leuco crosses produce their best pitchers this time of year.
 
  • #18
Thanks! Hopefully one day my collection will look as good as yours! :hail:
 
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