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Mikefallen13's Bog Garden!

mikefallen13

Mr. veitchii
Hey guys!

After quitting the hobby a few years back, my withdrawals finally got the best of me! I finally got the yard in half-decent shape and decided rather than going back to growing nepenthes, I'd try my hand at Sarracenia. I always wanted to make a bog garden, and i figured now is as good a time as any! So far it is just a plastic lined, 3' wide, 6' long, and 12" deep hole in my front yard with an inch of sand in the bottom. I'm going to start mixing peat and sand tomorrow, but I have a question. Where is the best place to add drainage holes, sides or bottom? I've heard both and I am kind on uncertain if there is any advantage to either. Also how big should the drain holes be? I'm pretty much a noob at this so help would be awesome!


Thanks!
 
I've never had drainage holes in any of my bogs, several of them have been going for almost 15 years. Never understood the point of poking holes in something that is supposed to retain water.
 
Yeah, I really didn't understand it either but basically every site I read said to add drainage holes. I guess I will start to fill it up tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the help!
 
I too have bogs that I never put any holes in, but over here in the UK where the weather is wetter I found that in some bogs, (generally the larger ones) I had to put a hole in the bottom with a cork in to regulate the water level. The problem was that they can hold too much water in summer after a lot of rain and over a period of a couple of weeks can go anaerobic or cause root rot. Plus in winter you can drain the bog permanently to keep it moist rather than wet, which can cause problems over here, when coupled with cold spells.
So it may be a good idea to have a 'pit' at one end so you can syphon water out or regulate the level should you want or need to.

Cheers
Steve
 
My bog is deep, about 3'. I punched a few holes in the sides about 6" down just in case it does overfill. In retrospect this seems like it will be just about impossible, when I do it again ill likely leave it completely undrained and not quite as deep. I may leave a spot in a corner like Steve suggested where I can dig down a bit to siphon if I need to but it seems highly unlikely even with a shallower bog.
 
Hey Mike,

Long time, no see! I still have a couple of your plants here that are chugging along nicely.

As for the drain holes, I've spoken to a few people who create some type of overflow outlet near the halfway point, or top, of the media. This is really just to prevent anything from floating up during a storm or long periods of rainfall. Granted, I have never built one myself and don't know much about it. Really just wanted to say hi.
 
Hey mato!

I'm glad to hear the plants are doing well, I'd love to see some pictures! Thanks for popping in and saying hi!


I did end up putting a couple holes right at the surface of the media just to be safe. Now I just have to trim the liner and get some rock to cover the edges and I think it will be done! Thanks for the help guys!
 
Just thought I'd do a quick update.

So after many hours of mixing and carrying, it's finally full! I also picked up a mini cattail and a semi-aquatic iris from my lowes bargain shelf and stuck them in there. I am also working on placing an order for some sarracenia, consisting mainly my favorite species, S. Flava. I'll get some pictures once the stone border is in place around the bog.

Also, just a question. Does anybody know if Mike Wang is still active on TF, or have his contact information? I've gotten plants from him in the past and they are some of the nicest I have ever seen. If anybody knows please send me a PM.

Thanks!
 
Update: Let there be plants!

I just received my order from a CP vendor located in North Carolina and I must say, I'm very impressed! All the plants were much larger than I expected. Here's a list of what I got...

1 Purpurea Spp. Venosa
1 Purpurea Spp. Venosa "Veinless"
1 Purpurea Spp. Venosa Var. Montana
1 Minor Var. Okeefenokeensis
1 Flava Var. Rubricopora
1 Flava "LW5"
1 Flava Var. Flava clone 409
1 Flava Var. Flava clone 438
1 Flava Var. Rugelli clone 403
1 Flava Var. Ornata clone 436
1 Flava Var. Ornata clone 431

I'll get some pics tomorrow!
 
  • #10
Man, time flies! I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted. Last summer was pretty unexciting when it came to sarracenia growth, they didn't produce many new pitchers and really just looked pretty sad. We had a (relatively) mild winter but I still lost a couple plants which has me thinking that after this summer I will probably be moving the sarrs into pots so I can bring them into the basement if the weather gets particularly nasty. But all in all, I'm pleased with the growth on the plants! Last year I got 2 flowers, this year well... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves! I didn't check the tags, so I may be off with some of the names!


I believe this is flava LW5, it opens up looking like an ornata but flushes solid red after a while. And it's huge!

A very nice rubricopora, still has a little growing to do.

This is an ornata 'black veins' from Mike Wang

And a veinless purp in bud, I love the color of the flower


I'll get more pictures as new pitchers open! Hopefully I can update this again before next spring LOL!

Thanks for looking!
 
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  • #11
Nice-looking sarrs, Mike! I'm not surprised that the second season looks to be much better than the first. You give me hope for my pot garden, which still hasn't got much in the way of open pitchers though the season here is still pretty early.
 
  • #12
New addition to the bog,

S. leucophyllia 'Splinter Hill'


 
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