I was asked to start a thread on how to build a bog.
This is my rendition on bog building 101.............
Building a bog:
Before you decide to build a bog, you need to know what you want its primary purpose to be.
Total pond filtration
bog filtration combined with another filter.
If you want total pond filtration using a bog;
By volume, 5-15% the size of the water volume of the pond.
By surface area, 10-30% of the pond surface area.
If you are having a large fish load or koi you would want to have the larger bog size.
My bog is 27% compared to the surface area of my pond. (I love plants and they love the bog). My only filtration is my bog.My bog is deep, most bogs are no more than 12 inches in depth.You want your water level in the bog to be lower than the pea gravel, this will make the water work to get back into the pond, through the plant roots.
If you just have a bog for some filtration (have another filter also) it can be whatever size you would like it to be.Do not pre-filter the water before it enters the bog, this will starve the bog of needed nutrients.
There are multiple ways to build a bog, I have used three different ways in my ponds.
All bog drawings show an submersible pump, I use an external, it was just easier to draw with a submersible. So you can use either a submersible or a external. Have a leaf basket in line with your pump to collect any large debris before it enters the bog.
My current bog is a raised bog.We built a wall between the pond and bog, left one area that is low for a water fall back into the pond.One piece of liner was used for the pond and bog.
This bog has a solid separation between the pond and bog
View attachment 35716
The following three bogs all have blocks, rocks stacked so water will flow through them, porous retaining wall, rock, whatever will keep the pea gravel behind the wall and out of the pond.The water will be pumped into the bog and work out back into the pond through the wall.
A partition bog can be built.Build your pond to the size and shape you want, have the bog in the pond separated by a partition.
View attachment 35717
Or
A border bog can be built.(I have used border bogs, looks really nice.)Dig a border for your pond, 12 inches deep as wide as you want.Porous stones will be placed between the bog and the pond.
View attachment 35718
Or
A island bog. An island of pea gravel, separated from the pond by a porous wall.
View attachment 35719
Once you decide what bog you want the fun begins.
You need to lay out the pvc piping. I use 2 inch below my pea gravel.You can use 1.5 inch pvc if you wish, do not go smaller.This size is to keep the piping from clogging up.
Once you know the lengths you need, the distribution pipe needs to be perforated.We cut ours approximately every 6 inches, due to the size of our bog, we wanted to make sure the water made it to the end of the pipe.
Cut about every 1 to 1.5 inches apart the length of the pipe. If you have a long pipe run make the cuts further apart.Use a circular saw to cut 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the pipe perpendicular to the water flow.If your bog is only 3 feet in width you can get away with just one distribution pipe, wider you should use two.
Lay your pipe in the bog.I laid mine slits down, so whenever I turned the pump off pea gravel would not be able settle in the piping.But I did lay extra liner under the pvc the length of the pipes to protect the liner from the continuous water flow. You could also lay the pvc with the cuts up.
At the end of your pipe run, put in a clean out pipe. I did not put a clean out pipe in this build, it has not been missed.
View attachment 35720
Paint the cap sticking above pea gravel brown to make it less noticeable.
Shovel 3/8 inch pea gravel into the bog.Wash the best you can, but even with washing there will be silt from the gravel; the bog will clean it out.
When building your bog walls, make the walls around 6 inches over the pea gravel level. As the plants grow, the roots grow, the water level will raise. You need the extra wall space to handle the rise in the water level. Two years into having my bog I had to raise the walls about 4 inches.
Plant around 1 plant per square foot.If your pond and bog are new, leave the dirt on the plants roots.There is not enough nutrition for the plants with a new bog.
Be careful what you plant in your bog, some plants are aggressive growers.
Do not leave the plants in their pots, take them out.
plant list:
I plant hardies:
This is what I have currently:
Obediant plant
black gamecock iris
dwarf golden sweetflag
dwarf cattails
varigated snow flake-lily like plant needs to be planted about 14" under water surface.
Water Willow
green creeping Jenny
Marsh betony
4 leaf water clover
fuzzy 4 leaf water clover
mini spearwort
white star grass
penny wort
water mint
blue water forget me not
water iris soft pinkkirk strawn
4 left water clover variegated
Excellent Plants for the Bog may include
from the net)
Arrowhead Sagitaria (zone 4-6) Summer Bloomer. Bulbing root system stores(nitrogen, potassium & phosphorous)
Canna (zone 8-10) Summer Bloomer. A bog’s best friend. This plant is a biomass factory and has amazing beauty and structure. A heavy feeder on (nitrogen, potassium & phosphorous) from April through September.
Cattails (zone 3-5) Summer Bloomer. are vigorous growers and have deep roots.
Creeping Jenny (zone 5) Spring Bloomer.
Daylily - Spring through Summer Bloomer. Surprisingly, water is the best fertilizer for daylilies. They are an excellent nutrient feeder and grow well in the shallow areas of a bog garden. Daylily come in a variety of colors and blooming times for a long lasting color in your garden.
Eyed Grass (Yellow & Blue) (zones 5-7) Spring Bloomer.
Iris - (zones 4-6) Summer Bloomers.
Common water iris. (Louisiana Iris) Great variety in colors and styles. Plant habit is spreading and untidy appearance.
Japanese variegated water iris is a strong grower late spring through fall. Iris are good at removing both nitrogen and phosphorous.
Siberian Iris are preferred for their strong, clumping habit. Most growth spring and summer but use potassium and phosphorous in summer and fall for energy storage for next year’s bloom.
Kaffir Lily (zone 7) Fall Bloomer. A bulbing lily with watermelon red flowers. Grows in cooler temps of spring and fall. Small top growth controlled.
Lobelia Cardinalis (zones 5-7) Fall Bloomer. Beautiful late summer bloom. Nice color diversity. Heavy potassium user.
Marsh Marigold (zones 2-4) Spring Bloomer. A fast growing cool temperature plant. Begins growing very early in spring producing flowers by early March and continues through April, often re-blooms in the fall when weather cools. Medium root depth and actively feeds when most plants are dormant.
Pickerel Rush (zone 3-6) Summer Bloomer. Strong summer growth and bloom. A spreading habit with a shallow root system. A strong feeder on the total nutrient system. Blue Pickerel Rush is very hardy in our area, with a long bloom season.
Rain Lily (zone 6) Fall Bloomer. Late summer and fall grower. This bulb plant has a small controlled top growth but a dense vigorous root system with storage bulbs. Strong user of phosphorous and potassium.
Rush - Variegated Striped Rush (zone 5-6) Summer Bloomer. Evergreen and continues to grow almost year-round strongest growth in summer. Roots are shallow and need oxygen. Open habit allows for under story growth.but has a large vigorous root system feeding its bulbs. Very
Slough Sedge (zone 4) Very prolific, yet clumping. Grows to 5’ high in bogs. Deep rooting habit. Bio-mass. Strong user of potassium, sulfur, calcium and sodium. Somewhat salt resistant.
Society Garlic (zone 7) Summer Bloomer. Strong summer growth. Love phosphorous.
Star Grass (zone 7) Summer Bloomer. Very controlled, medium root depth, summer fall growth. Grasses are strong feeders of potassium and sulfur.
Thalia (zone 6) Summer Bloomer. Very deep rooted. Open stem structure allows for very diverse under story growth. Summer blooming. Large storage roots.
Water Forget-Me-Not (zone 3) Spring Bloomer. Vigorous low grower. Shallow rooted. Easily pruned. Blooms from March through October.
Yellow Monkey Flower (zone 6) Spring Bloomer. Early spring growth and bloom. Deep root system.
Bog Plants:
Arrowhead
Assorted Taros
Bog Lily
Cannas
Chinese Water Chestnut
Creeping Jenny
Dwarf Horsetail
Dwarf Papyrus
Dwarf Variegated Sweetflag Giant Melon Sword
Japanese Iris
Lizard's Tail
Lousiana Iris
Pickerel Rush
Red Stemmed Sagittaria
Ribbon Grass
Ruby Creeper
Ruby Eye Arrowhead Sensitive Plant
Siberian Iris
Spider Lily
Spike Rush
Star Grass
Thalia
Variegated Spider Lily
White Bull Rush
Zebra Rush
Plants that are invasive in the Bog (Think Twice Before Planting)
Horsetail
Aquatic Mint
Chameleon Plant
Parrot's Feather
Red Stemmed Thalia
Cattails
Umbrella Palm
Yellow Iris
ok brain and fingers are tired, if there are any glaring goofs will fix .....................
