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Need advice to build portable bog

fdfederation

Confused Magikarp
I ordered some sarracenia and dionaea rhizomes and want to put them in portable bogs. I want to use the plastic pots that look like facsimiles of terra cotta pots. I have peat moss and perlite ready. The pots are 7 inches deep, so do I fill the bottom 2-3 inches with sand and top the rest with 50/50 peat/perlite layer? For drainage, do I cover the holes on the bottom and also, how far down from the top of the peat should I drill holes on the side of the pot? Thanks in advance!
 
Depending on where your level of soil is, 2 to 4 inches would be fine. If you know how to build false bottoms that would probly be your best bet. It would reduce build up of anything and limit them to the bottom of the pot. During rainy seasons they are sometimes completly submerged may only 1 or 2 inches sticking out of the water but water usually resides after a day or so. Even 1 inch below soil level would work well just make sure on size of hole and placement.
 
what is the purpose of the sand?
is it just to fill space?
as per drainage:
bog2.gif

pic courtesy of scottychaos, a member on here
 
Sand? I use light deffuser and really fine mesh. Raised 3 or 4 inches of gravels of all size from sand to a few larger sized pieces. Its the method I use for building all my vivariums and its had a lot of success. I like the pvc idea for checking the water level. The false bottom help me just to make sure any unwanted nutrients or salts settle str8 to the bottom. I've also been working on a flush system for the false bottom layer to drain excess build up after a couple of months. Drains quick enough to flush bottom but not fast enough to drain wet peat layer.
 
If you want a flush system in the false bottom drill a hole for a release valve on the side, close to the very bottom. It'll basically act like a faucet.
 
@cpsammich: The sand was for filling space because the rhizomes don't need the full depth of 7 inches. I found a similar picture, but are there any specific distances/measurements (i.e. water level should be kept 'x' inches below peat surface, drill holes of 'x' inches in diameter a distance of 'x' inches below the top of the peat surface )? I found articles that said Sarracenia tolerate higher water level than Dionaea

@Wire Man: I like that idea of an adjustable valve. I might use that instead of drilling multiple holes near the top.

Edit:
@hazedshaman: I just saw your numbers/distances/measurements after glancing over the topic. :lol:
 
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Based on my experience, I'm not a big fan of perlite for outdoor use. First heavy rain it will separate and float en mass to the surface.

Crissy use to have some really good threads on this very subject.... very detailed DIY's
 
i have grown tired of perlite as well but still use it once in a while. im a sand man now lol it is kind of a slow drainer for alot of my pots and find that the water tends to overflow in even moderate rainstorms. i have experimented with gravel but after a while it all manages to find its way to the bottom. i do have a few pots that i have put a perlite sand mix in but only mixed peat/perlite mix on bottom 1/2 to 3/4 and withe remaining i did a sand/peat mix. tonight is the first night it has rained in a while so i will see how it turned out.... kinda weird saying rained in november almost december when here in ny we usually have 2 foot on the ground by now.
 
  • #10
@kulamauiman: Wow...that tutorial made me ashamed of the plastic terra cotta facsimiles that I was going to use...but it is the way to go! :hail:
 
  • #11
For pots that small (7" deep) I would just use nothing but pure LFS..(Long Fiber Sphagnum)
one "cube" of it from Home Depot or Lowes will fill 5 or 6 pots that size..

No need for sand..no need for perlite..just use nothing but the LFS..it wont fall out the drainage hole on the bottom because it is plenty coarse enough to stay put...then water using "the tray method"..sit the pots in saucers of water..easy and effective..there is no need for anything more complicated than that.

For larger mini-bogs, like this, where that much LFS isnt practical, I use pure peat to fill up the whole pot up to 1" or so from the surface..then use a 1" thick layer of LFS as a "top dressing"..for looks, but mainly to keep the rain from splashing around the pure peat..(pure peat has a fine consistency like mud..a heavy rain will splash it all over..pure LFS on top solves that problem)

I tried a sand/peat mix once..hated it..it got really dense and heavy..IMO pure peat is much better than peat/sand..

I also tried perlite once..hated it..its ugly, floats to the surface, and serves no useful purpose that I have ever seen..

I have settled on only two media types..pure peat and pure LFS..I see no need for anything else, and for VFTs and Sarracenia, I will probably never use anything else..

Scot
 
  • #12
Do you keep Dionaea that live in LFS in standing water? I read Dionaea usually prefers peat-based soil than LFS because of the 'dryer' peat avoids rot. For heavy pots, it could be a good idea to attach casters/wheels, making them mobile bogs? However, I'm not sure having a mobile bog or planter fashion justifies the cost of the casters/wheels. We currently use a handtruck for moving heavy plants (non-CPs).
 
  • #13
Do you keep Dionaea that live in LFS in standing water?).

Yes..not a problem.

I read Dionaea usually prefers peat-based soil than LFS because of the 'dryer' peat avoids rot. ?).

I have never heard that..there is a ton of misinformation on the internet..peat is basically "rotted" LFS anyway! ;) so peat is somehow less susceptible to rot? that makes no sense to me..and "dryer" also makes no sense when both are sitting in the same trays of water..both are equally wet..

LFS is perfectly fine in trays of water..I re-pot once every 2 years, and have never seen "rotted" LFS before..peat also needs to be changed periodically..no matter what media you use, you should repot once a year or once every 2 years..I wouldnt go longer than that.

Scot
 
  • #14
Sorry, I meant to say that I read that the rhizomes of Dionaea are more susceptible to rot in LFS because of the increased water content in LFS. I have also read that rhizome rot can be avoided if LFS is used in a mesh basket.
 
  • #15
Sorry, I meant to say that I read that the rhizomes of Dionaea are more susceptible to rot in LFS because of the increased water content in LFS. I have also read that rhizome rot can be avoided if LFS is used in a mesh basket.

I dont believe any of that..
not sure where you read that, but as I said, there is a lot of misinformation, and myth, and superstition on the internet when it comes to growing CPs! ;)

I still dont understand how LFS can be "wetter" than pure peat, when using the same watering method..doesn't make any sense...and it probably doesn't make sense, because it simply isnt true! myth/legend/something..who knows how these things get started..

and since when is wet media a concern in the first place?
we are talking about VFTs..bog plants..they LIKE it wet!
"too wet" is really difficult to achieve..maybe if you kept a really high water table for VFT's you could get "too wet"..but for LFS in a 7" tall pot sitting in a tray with 1 inch of water, it will never be too wet..it simply cant happen with that scenario..

Wherever you read that, I wouldn't go there for ideas anymore..
For what you are suggesting, small plastic pots, LFS is great..no problems..tried and true.

People make things much more complicated than they need to be! ;)
(not referring to you personally Fed, im just talking about the wealth of needlessly complicated ideas out there)

Scot
 
  • #16
Dionaea are more susceptible to root rot that Sarracenia.. I'm pretty sure that's a known thing.. if not, I'm sorry; but mine definitely are.

A very experienced flytrap grower once told me that Dionaea don't do well if kept too wet for too long, and benefit from the top drying out a little bit, aiming for moist soil, not wet in cultivation. This is true for me, but may not be true for someone else.. I believe that the venus flytrap can adapt to much more than we give 'em credit for.

You might be surprised as to just how dry their natural habitat cab be, though. I've never seen for myself, but a forumer from another forum once posted about their trip to NC and couldn't believe how "dry" the site they saw actually was.

good luck with the bog!
 
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