AJ pond build

[AJ1500]

Thanks Maria

well I know it doesn't look like it, even I was shocked but here is what 1 1/2 tons of pea gravel looked like in the back of my pickup
also here is the bog with the liner down ready for all that pea gravel
I'm not sure which one was more wrong , me with my measurments or the guy where I got the gravel but I'm glad one of us was off
looks like I only need about another 1/2 ton to finish filling the bog

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Thanks Maria

well I know it doesn't look like it, even I was shocked but here is what 1 1/2 tons of pea gravel looked like in the back of my pickup
also here is the bog with the liner down ready for all that pea gravel
I'm not sure which one was more wrong , me with my measurments or the guy where I got the gravel but I'm glad one of us was off
looks like I only need about another 1/2 ton to finish filling the bog

Hope that you have not put the gravel into the "bog" yet. You need to add more laterals to the supply line. Your present configuration may promote 'channeling'.

 

[AJ1500]

what do you mean
what is channeling
I have already added the gravel and as of this morning the bog is running
I will say, not sure if this is important but I did it on purpose
the end where you see the upright for cleaning, that is deeper, the bog is ever so slightly slanted
the end at the waterfall back into the pond and along that wall is 16 inches deep
then it graduates to 20 inches at the clean out, it also slopes from the opposite side of the rear wall toward the cleanout pipe. every bit of the piping on the bottom is slotted every 6 inchecs and it cut almost 1/2 throught the pipe. if I made a mistake it's too late now, so all I can do is hope for the best.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

'Channeling' is the action that water takes when it follows the path of least resistance through any filter media. It may be caused by clogging of the voids between the filter media particles and/or it may be caused by uneven water pressure across the media footprint.
Here is an example of the accepted grid construction configuration.

 

[AJ1500]

looks like I will just have to hope for the best on this one. if I see it's a problem later down the road then I can dig it out and redo the piping
but for now I'm just gonna go with it

we decided to dig up the bush that was beside the waterfall, it is one of those that shed year round. also it was so big it was detracting from the pond. I moved it into the flower bed area beside the pond and replaced it with a single clump of tall monkey grass
Wow what a difference that made, now we can sit on the steps and see the whole pond and bog area

question about the bog and plants, is it a good idea to have a area with water or is that just a choice based on personal preference
I have seen pics of both ways with and without water showing
I ask because I have an idea of what I want to do but it seems I still have a lot to learn here

 

[Meyer Jordan]

question about the bog and plants, is it a good idea to have a area with water or is that just a choice based on personal preference
I have seen pics of both ways with and without water showing
I ask because I have an idea of what I want to do but it seems I still have a lot to learn here

It really depends on your choice in plants. Individual species have preferences as to depth of water. This information is easily found on-line at aquatic nursery sites under 'culture' information.

 

[AJ1500]

OK

so I put the little plastic gator in the pond and the funny thing is the fish seem to love it, it ends up all over the place because they will swim under it and rub against it and move it around, then it gets in the current I created with the way I designed the ponds water flows
and gently glides to the other end, then it will get caught up in the slight swirling created by the small filter pump at the far end and the fall from the bog. at some point they will move him around again because he ends up back where he was just off the waterfall
even the little guys seem to like it

 

[addy1]

Most of my bog plants grow in water or out of water. It does not seem to matter to them

 

[AJ1500]

I didn't ask that the way I meant but I got my answer, Thanks

so today I picked up the last of the pea gravel I need, at least for now that is. I got another 1/2 ton but I got some with some larger rock mixed in, I'm going to use a rake and pull the larger stuff to the top once it's in the bog
I want to make like a little pocket at one end of the bog and then like a creek or river thru it to the spill over
I'm thinking I will use the larger rock to sort of line the creek to control the water movement better
the bog is not that big so this may not work but I thought it would look like a natural spring popping up and running to the pond
pics to follow

 

[tbendl]

Hmmm if I understand you, you want to channel the water in the bog? From what I understand that is exactly what you don't want. You want the water to fully percolate up evenly through the bog to allow it use the entire bog and it's bacteria to clean as much of the water as possible, once you have channeling, it essentially renders the rest of the bog useless for water treatment.
Again, this is my understanding, if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will weigh in.

 

[AJ1500]

I get what your saying and I would like to hear more, I'm only talking about making it about 3" deep and about 4" wide, just for aesthetics you know
if this will cause the bog to not operate correctly then I won't do it. I was just thinking as I have seen bogs that have a foot of water over them, almost like another pond altogether that it would be OK

 

[tbendl]

Once you get plants growing in the bog it won't matter about the creek, you won't be able to even see the gravel. Mine is about the size you're talking and so full right now I can't see stones.

 

[addy1]

I make a cute little channel in the spring within a month can't see it until fall when the plants die off.

 

[AJ1500]

OK that makes sense


speaking of fall and or winter, what do you do when your plants start to die off
do you just go pull them and leave the bog as is or are there some good year round plants to use
can you tell I haven't got to the plant part of planning yet, I figure I will let my wife handle most of that since she is our gardener
I just dig the holes

 

[tbendl]

Well since we are in the same zone, I didn't do anything last winter except pull dead leaves off when they died, some stuff stayed green and some died back but all of them came back so just keep the dead stuff cleared out of the bog and you should do fine. What are you planting in the bog?