what to plant in a bog

[MitchM]

Thanks.
You brought up a few factors I had not considered.
My own "bog" is not an upflow design, so when people are talking about these plant filter setups, I'm thinking of something different.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Thanks.
You brought up a few factors I had not considered.
My own "bog" is not an upflow design, so when people are talking about these plant filter setups, I'm thinking of something different.

This is why I really dislike the use of the term 'bog'. It has come to mean anything from an extensive upflow system to a pot of gravel with a fountain head supplying water. A true Bog is nowhere close to any of these configurations. It is an area of constantly saturated, highly acidic soil that has no water movement and is only replenished by rain.

 

[Lisak1]

How about "wetland filter"?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

How about "wetland filter"?

That is, in fact, the correct term for the larger, more common configurations. They are further defined as SF (surface flow), SSF (subsurface horizontal flow), and SUW (subsurface upflow wetlands).

 

[Lisak1]

So I have a SUW - excellent! When we first were researching our "bog" filter idea, it was introduced to us as "like a wetland". In our part of the country wetlands are very well respected and protected, especially around farm land. Many have been reclaimed and restored. So the concept definitely made sense to us in the context of using plants to filter water.

 

[MitchM]

This is why I really dislike the use of the term 'bog'. It has come to mean anything from an extensive upflow system to a pot of gravel with a fountain head supplying water. A true Bog is nowhere close to any of these configurations. It is an area of constantly saturated, highly acidic soil that has no water movement and is only replenished by rain.

Right, and I plan on continuing to point out differences like this in the future so hopefully more people will get involved in the discussion and we can settle on a correct term.

 

[addy1]

This is why I really dislike the use of the term 'bog'. It has come to mean anything from an extensive upflow system to a pot of gravel with a fountain head supplying water. A true Bog is nowhere close to any of these configurations. It is an area of constantly saturated, highly acidic soil that has no water movement and is only replenished by rain.

My carnivorous plants are in a true bog, wet, peat moss/sand mix water by acidic well water or rain.

 

[tom213]

mine will have flowing from the top and in dispersing through the gravel and out through the bottom, whatever type that is i don't know.

 

[addy1]

The only thing with a flow like that (I found out with a previous build) the gravel gets covered with muck and can get blocked enough to over flow, it quits flowing down through the gravel. I found out the hard way, the pond almost emptied!

You might want to have some biggish pieces of pvc, with a lot of holes drilled in them, planted in you gravel (no media in the pipes) so the water can flow into the pipes and out through the gravel. Leave the pipe tops open for the water to flow into them.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

My carnivorous plants are in a true bog, wet, peat moss/sand mix water by acidic well water or rain.

And I'll bet the plants are thriving.

 

[addy1]

And I'll bet the plants are thriving.

They were thriving until my dear honey trampled them working on the windows..........they will come back. They were near end of summer life.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

They were thriving until my dear honey trampled them working on the windows..........they will come back. They were near end of summer life. View attachment 86919 View attachment 86920

That is an impressive stand of plants. There are some really interesting cultivars of Sarracenia available in the present day market.

 

[tom213]

The only thing with a flow like that (I found out with a previous build) the gravel gets covered with muck and can get blocked enough to over flow, it quits flowing down through the gravel. I found out the hard way, the pond almost emptied!

You might want to have some biggish pieces of pvc, with a lot of holes drilled in them, planted in you gravel (no media in the pipes) so the water can flow into the pipes and out through the gravel. Leave the pipe tops open for the water to flow into them.

oh god hope you didnt suffer too many casulties?

i like the idea of the pipes, as im using plant pots there are already holes in the bottom if i can cover them with the pipe i can adjust the water to where i want it to flow.

thanks all i'll keep you updated

 

[addy1]

Luckily no, I had just some small goldfish in it, the water intake line was off the bottom by enough to leave some water for the fish. It was one of my first ponds, YEARS ago lol, 8x2x1.5 feet or so

 

[tom213]

that was a bit of luck then,

and leads me on to my next question, should i have my pump up on an eggcrate or something like that to stop it sucking up sludge?