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Construction of a half-barrel bog garden.


mrbadexample

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Might see you there then Steve. :D

Now then, substrate. I was thinking 1/3 sharp sand (horticultural, not builders, although I'm sure they just wash it then treble the price), 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 peat.

This seems to be a bit heavy on the perlite though. What do you think?

Edit: Just rewound to post #2, where you told me 50/25/25 peat, perlite, sand. That sounds a bit more like it - think I'll go for that. :thanks:

Edited by mrbadexample
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Hi MrB hope you had a good weekend

I would put the slits in the side to prevent permenant innundation and allow oxygen into the substrate, temporary flooding doesnt hurt but semi permenant innundation can lead to smells and plant death due to stagnation and lack of oxygen.

Just thinking about your poly bags and polystyrene foam over the weekend (sad I know). If its not too late I would reconsider that scenario, as the bags I am fairly sure at some time in the future could rupture allowing water in and chemicals out or at best, just filling with water that will then just stagnate and thats asssuming they are watertight to start with (bad knots will leak) otherwise if they are not airtight you will have that problem from day one. Alsio there is a buoancy issue, if airtight will they tend to float up when the bog is full of water, and move the substrate above disrupting the plants and roots? At least with inverted plastic pots they will accomplish the same object of filling volume as the bags, but will also increase your water resevior capacity which is handy. I personnaly would be more comfatable with that.

Cheers

Steve

Edited by billynomates666
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Ok, determined to carry on with the polystyrene idea, I used two bags of very heavy duty plastic:

DSCF3842.jpg

I'm happy that they are sufficiently leak proof to prevent leaching. So, I filled the barrel, having added a layer of crushed granite to cover the bottom couple of inches:

DSCF3855.jpg

and watered generously. I've filled the reservoir until the point it started leaking from the drainage holes between the liner and the barrel. The water level should therefore be up to the slits in the liner - about 4-5" from the top.

I'd been thinking about how I could protect the Sarracenia from the wind. I managed to find a 3m bamboo windbreak in Wilkinsons at a reasonable price. I cut 1m off it (thus leaving enough to replace it twice), and attached to the barrel:

DSCF3857.jpg

Hopefully it will allow some wind to pass through, but not enough to flatten the sarras. Being bamboo, it should last quite well too:

DSCF3859.jpg

So all I need to do now is leave it to settle down a bit, and plant up with the bits and pieces I bought at Mike's on Saturday. I'll have to try to harden off the plants a bit as they've mostly come from inside a greenhouse, and the forecast is shocking. I'm quite pleased with it thus far though.

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I've started planting a few things out, bit by bit, to see how they fare in this lousy weather. Just a couple of VFTs and an unknown sundew that popped up in one of the VFT pots, plus a sarracenia - still in the pot until I know it'll be happy, so I can still take it out and put it back in the greenhouse if needs be.

DSCF3863.jpg

DSCF3864.jpg

When I dug down to plant the sarracenia, I hit water about 6" down:

DSCF3862.jpg

That seems about right to me. The substrate is nicely wet without being sodden. The slits in the liner and drainage holes in the bottom of the barrel are working well. So far so good. :sun_bespectacled:

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Hi MBE

Glad to see its all coming together and is working OK, I wouldnt worry too much about the perlite, it will either blow off the top, or as mine does, go green with algy and blend in, or if you really hate it and cant wait for the moss to grow, just cover with an inch of peat to hide it. Spagnum moss is great on bogs, but with it come huge danger, the birds are, even though nesting is over, still ripping it out of my bogs and just generally throwing it arround the place, thereby taking with it (at last count) 25 darlintonia seedlings at least 40 various sarracenia seedlings and small plants and countless droseras, only the pings seem to be left alone. Bird scarers (CDs on string) and even cats dont deter the blighters.

Nice looking plants, I guess fromn your post that you have more plants hiding in the greenhouse or acclimatising, a productive visit to Mikes then?

The VFT looks good, I have only one red one in my bog the rest being the common or garden nursery bought tissue cultured ones, but they alwas come back every year, so have proved to be hardy outdoors with a minimum of winter protection.

Keep us posted

Cheers

Steve

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Hi MBE

Glad to see its all coming together and is working OK, I wouldnt worry too much about the perlite, it will either blow off the top, or as mine does, go green with algy and blend in, or if you really hate it and cant wait for the moss to grow, just cover with an inch of peat to hide it. Spagnum moss is great on bogs, but with it come huge danger, the birds are, even though nesting is over, still ripping it out of my bogs and just generally throwing it arround the place, thereby taking with it (at last count) 25 darlintonia seedlings at least 40 various sarracenia seedlings and small plants and countless droseras, only the pings seem to be left alone. Bird scarers (CDs on string) and even cats dont deter the blighters.

Nice looking plants, I guess fromn your post that you have more plants hiding in the greenhouse or acclimatising, a productive visit to Mikes then?

The VFT looks good, I have only one red one in my bog the rest being the common or garden nursery bought tissue cultured ones, but they alwas come back every year, so have proved to be hardy outdoors with a minimum of winter protection.

Keep us posted

Cheers

Steve

Birds don't worry me - I've netted the whole lot (primarily to keep the bumble bees from being eaten). :on_the_quiet:

I do have quite a few more plants awaiting transfer - I didn't want to do the lot at once in case it went pear shaped for some reason. This way I can't lose everything. Well, that's the plan. :whistling:

Yes, a productive day at Mike's. Sorry not to see you there, but I was away by 2pm with my haul.

Edited by mrbadexample
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Thanks all - I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to do anything with the Utric? Can I just leave it where it is to get on with it?

2. Can I use the moss that's growing in the old CP mix? It looks good but would like to be sure that it won't overrun the CPs.

3. I've noticed over the last few days that the drosera I've planted out have almost no "dew". Is that something I should be concerned about? It has rained, but even after a dry couple of days there was almost none.

Cheers all,

MBE

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Thanks all - I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to do anything with the Utric? Can I just leave it where it is to get on with it?

2. Can I use the moss that's growing in the old CP mix? It looks good but would like to be sure that it won't overrun the CPs.

3. I've noticed over the last few days that the drosera I've planted out have almost no "dew". Is that something I should be concerned about? It has rained, but even after a dry couple of days there was almost none.

Cheers all,

MBE

I'll try a few answers -

1. I would think so. Sometimes utrics can become weeds in collections.

2. That moss is not sphagnum. Personally I wouldn't use it. When I find it in my pots I pull it out, but I don't know if it's actually harmful.

3. You can always get the dew back on a sundew by increasing the humidity for a while. A plastic bag or half a plastic bottle over a pot can be quite effective. I have D. rotundifolia outside and they're not very dewy either :roll:

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Nice job.

Some sphagnum moss and petrified wood would give it a more natural look and hide that ugly perlite.

Cheers. I don't think there'll be space for wood, as I have more plants to go in yet. I'm hoping the moss will spread from the little clumps that are round some of the plants, as the only other stuff I have is dead, I think.

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I'll try a few answers -

1. I would think so. Sometimes utrics can become weeds in collections.

2. That moss is not sphagnum. Personally I wouldn't use it. When I find it in my pots I pull it out, but I don't know if it's actually harmful.

3. You can always get the dew back on a sundew by increasing the humidity for a while. A plastic bag or half a plastic bottle over a pot can be quite effective. I have D. rotundifolia outside and they're not very dewy either :roll:

Thank you. I think I'll just have to get used to the fact that outside sundews won't have as much dew. Especially if it keeps on raining like it has. :(

If it's not a problem for the plant, it's not a problem for me. :thumbsup:

Edited by mrbadexample
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