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Bog Garden and a few questions

We went and done it on a small scale that is.... I picked up one of those smaller cement pans from Lowes today and filled it with peat and perlite to plant about six Sarracenia in. Now a couple of questions, should I drill any holes in the side of the pan in-case it rains really hard? Or in the bottom? Also we are using a terracotta pot to keep the water level up and also to determine what the water level is at any given time, will the one hole in the bottom be sufficient or should I drill more in the side of the terracotta pot? If anyone has suggestion please share and if you have pictures I would love to see them also.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Sarracenia like it wet, so I would drill a few small holes at the top of the pan so you don't lose soil to spill over. You shouldn't need extra holes in the terracotta pot, and it might make a great place to grow an aquatic Utric. In a bog like this it is very important to use very soft water so you don't have alot of mineral build up, otherwise you will have to change out the soil every few years. Good luck, Jack
 
not sure, but wont the cement raise the PH?

seems like it would... but I dunno for sure


Av
 
not sure, but wont the cement raise the PH?

seems like it would... but I dunno for sure


Av

I thought terracotta was a form of clay?? But even if it did raise the PH I can't see it being enough to hurt the plants.
 
Sarracenia like it wet, so I would drill a few small holes at the top of the pan so you don't lose soil to spill over. You shouldn't need extra holes in the terracotta pot, and it might make a great place to grow an aquatic Utric. In a bog like this it is very important to use very soft water so you don't have a lot of mineral build up, otherwise you will have to change out the soil every few years. Good luck, Jack

I haven't drilled any yet but I've been watch it close due to the recent rains and so far all is well. But I know a time is coming when hole are going to be needed. Great Idea about the Utric since the terracotta pot seem to be working out really well might have to try that.
 
I always thought terracotta was a red clay. Unglazed clay pots are usually not recommended for CPs because the clay often contains minerals like salts that can leach out into the water. Have you ever seen the white crust on old terracotta pots or planters? Some of that is from the water, the soil as well.

Terracotta is recommended for Darlingtonia however. The thick walls help to insulate and the porosity helps to cool by evaporation. Mineral leaching is minimized since you should always top water Darlingtonia.

The mineral contribution to your bog container should be very small. It probably means you'll have to replace the media a bit sooner - maybe in 4 years rather than 5. Or no appreciable implact at all. Who knows really.
 
I thought they weren't recommended because they can accumulate and hold mineral salts, not leach them, and because water evaporates faster. I'm pretty sure once it's baked it's inert until you add water with a high TDS.

I've used clay pots for Nepenthes, Cephalotus, Dionaea, etc and it looks great and hasn't caused any problems. I user clay pebbles (baked fuller's earth) for some potting mixes and top dressings.
 
LOL nevermind, read your post wrong

for some reason i saw concrete not cement

LOL, time to take a break from puter
 
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