CONTAINER BOG, INSIDE THE POND...MAYBE?

[Mmathis]

I didn't plan for a bog, though really want one, or at least would like to keep marginal plants -- but my pond isn't configured for sinking pot supports, so had this idea. Do you think it would/could work?

How best could I set up and plumb a container as a bog and have it inside the pond? I found some large square pots [LOWES] the other day. They're about 16" square [they're called 18" pots, but some of the size is actually the lip], and 16" or so deep. I bought 4 of them. Would like to set them up, in-line, with 1 1/2" PVC pipe connecting them at the bottom. The PVC pipe would [with connectors] be continuous, through the 4 pots, coming directly from the pump.

Basically, I was trying to pattern the idea based on other bogs, with the water coming in through the bottom, perculating up through pea gravel, then overflowing back into the pond. Since the pea gravel needs to be above the water level, can't figure out how to configure an overflow so the water can go back into the pond. Had a wild idea that I could kill 2 birds with one stone: would like for the discharge to drain back via the "turtle" side of the pond [the bog pots would be set up on the other side of the "turtle" fence] so that the extra water flow would help stir up and circulate the "turtle" water. Guess what I need to do is come up with a weir-thingy that would exit the pots and drain into the "turtle" side [again, just inches away from each other, only separated by a cedar picket fence].

But if the water level is lower than the pea gravel.....how would I do that? Would installing a shower drain, but leave the grate in place....

And since it would be a "container" bog, would I need the same amount of water flow going through it that you would have on a regular bog?

Any suggestions, hints welcomed! But please, no comments on why I didn't build a bog in the first place

 

[buckry]

Pretty cool idea, but I think you need to connect the top of each pot to the bottom of the next so the water flows from bottom to top to bottom to top to bottom etc.

Of course the easier idea is just to use pond containers with lots of holes and let the natural circulation of the pond feed them. No extra filtration going on here just the benefit of having plants. I dug my pond deep with no shelves and I've found it very easy to hang pots against my liner with black rope. I even have 2 suspened from rigid stakes right at the surface of the water, these are for my cattails which have very heavy rocks in them to support the height of the plants.

 

[addy1]

The water does not have to be below the pea gravel it can be above the pea gravel level

 

[fishin4cars]

I didn't plan for a bog, though really want one, or at least would like to keep marginal plants -- but my pond isn't configured for sinking pot supports, so had this idea. Do you think it would/could work?

How best could I set up and plumb a container as a bog and have it inside the pond? I found some large square pots [LOWES] the other day. They're about 16" square [they're called 18" pots, but some of the size is actually the lip], and 16" or so deep. I bought 4 of them. Would like to set them up, in-line, with 1 1/2" PVC pipe connecting them at the bottom. The PVC pipe would [with connectors] be continuous, through the 4 pots, coming directly from the pump.

Basically, I was trying to pattern the idea based on other bogs, with the water coming in through the bottom, perculating up through pea gravel, then overflowing back into the pond. Since the pea gravel needs to be above the water level, can't figure out how to configure an overflow so the water can go back into the pond. Had a wild idea that I could kill 2 birds with one stone: would like for the discharge to drain back via the "turtle" side of the pond [the bog pots would be set up on the other side of the "turtle" fence] so that the extra water flow would help stir up and circulate the "turtle" water. Guess what I need to do is come up with a weir-thingy that would exit the pots and drain into the "turtle" side [again, just inches away from each other, only separated by a cedar picket fence].

But if the water level is lower than the pea gravel.....how would I do that? Would installing a shower drain, but leave the grate in place....

And since it would be a "container" bog, would I need the same amount of water flow going through it that you would have on a regular bog?

Any suggestions, hints welcomed! But please, no comments on why I didn't build a bog in the first place

LOL, Ok I won't say I told you so. Really a bog can be added at any time. As Bucky stated for best results you'll need to plumb from bottom in to top out on each one. now for growing marginals ouy can simply flow water into the pot and lt grain back to the pond, They don't have to have the water flowing through the container to grow the plants, That's only needed as the filter process. I'm afraid small pots aren't going to do much for filtering.
Here is a little more simple idea I had while reading. Try a step down flow through design. Set up the pot closest to the pond to drain back to the pond itself. then raise each pot about 1-2" so that there is a stair step effect. a small sumbersible pump pumping water into the top of the highest pot and connect each pot with a overflow to the next lower one. One thing though, You will need to make sure you have a way to keep the connection from pot to pot from clogging, also make sure and use pipe that is at least twice the size of the pipe going in. This is very important to allow for the gravity feed to be large enough to over ride the pump in prssure. A small pump will be fine. all you need is enough water movement over the plants to keep them from going stagnant.
Something else that some did last year that I though was cool. they made a PVC rack that went in the pond so that the pots could sit in the rack and they adjusted the height so that the pot was at the right depth. this provided refuge for small fish. Made a island effect in the pond and the PVC was a lot safer than a cinder block or other materials used to raise the pots off the bottom.

 

[Waterbug]

The biggest benefit to bogs are their huge size. Scaling down and splitting into 4 parts you lose almost all of a bog's settling ability, and that is mostly what a bog is, a settlement chamber. A large bog can also be pretty darn good as a bio filter. Bogs are low O2 so that's a big minus for bio, but they're so huge they can still hold a fair amount of bacteria.

If you configured these 4 containers as Trickle Towers, which is easier, you would convert these to a high O2 environment and greatly increase the bio filtering ability at lease.

If you want these just to grow plants then that's even easier. No water flow is really needed, just water. Many plants suck up a lot of water every day and that draws in new water. So the plants themselves are the pump.

 

[Mmathis]

If I put holes in the pots, should I line the pots with anything?

(DARN! I kinda liked my idea, but too much trouble to go through if no real benefit as far as filtering.)

LARKIN -- I do still plan for a bog in the future. The biggest headache I had with my "turtle" pond section was coming up with the fence. Now that that's figured out, maybe NEXT spring will be a big conversion.

 

[Waterbug]

I don't know of any reason to line the pots.