I really like your bog garden. A very good concept that I may have to try this summer. I apologize, but I have a question about the oxygenation of the roots. I may be getting to technical (sometimes my chemistry and physics degrees get in the way of my thinking
). I understand the roots need some air (oxygen) to keep them healthy and prevent bacterial growth and rot. I also understand how water oxygenates when it becomes agigitated or falls through the air. I also understand that standing water in the pot becomes stagnant and can eventually lead to rot.
My questions are:
#1. Does the circulation of the water allows the water and gaseous air to pass over the roots?
#2. Does the circulation of water allows it to be in contact with the surrounding air and preventing the formation of the "bad" bacteria from developing?
#3. Or, do the roots use the dissolved oxygen in the water?
What I'm not sure about are that the roots are like the gills of a fish or the inside of our lungs (or the skin of an earthworm).
The fish's gills can extract the dissolved oxygen from the water so that it can survive. This is the reason if you have a bunch of fish in a tank, you need an aerator(sp?) to help increase the dissolved oxygen levels in the water.
The inside of our lungs has a thin film of water on them (or similar to the skin of an earthworm). That film of water is not necessary to become oxygenated, but it allows oxygen to pass from the air through the cell lining of our lungs. Even if you pump a lot of oxygenated water into our lungs...you'll still drown. The same is true with earthworms. When it rains, the worms' holes become flooded and the worms leave their holes so that they won't drown. Their skins must be moist and exposed to the air for them to survive, but once you remove the water or if they have too much water, they die.
Sorry for the questions. (It's past 3:00am, I've been recovering from a migraine, had 4 cups of strong coffee, and I can't get to sleep
)
Again, the setup is great. I can't wait to do the same. I just would like to know more of the biochemistry of the roots.
Have a great day!
Dwight