Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 11:31:28 -0400 From: Davin Stewart <dstewart@xcelerate.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2745$foo@default> Subject: RE: Bog Garden in NJ
>First, I would make sure that your bog is slightly unlevel (only just a
> <snip>
Susan: Every once in a while my bogs would go anaerobic. I'd dig them up
and have a god-awful smell in the bottom. Does the sand layer prevent this?
Also, would some small water cycling (pumped from bottom to top) have the
same effect?
I grew up in Pitman, NJ, USA and have built a few bogs up there. I never
came across the perfect bog recipe but maybe I can offer a few pointers...
1. I wouldn't reccommend putting holes in the liner for 2 reasons:
- In the wild, bogs naturally vary their water levels and most plants
have adapted to this "feast and famine" environment (within reason).
- During the NJ summer, I needed every drop of water I could get. There
were several years when I had to bring out the garden hose and top off when
things started looking too dry.
2. When building the bog, don't forget about run-off! Eventually there'll
be a solid week of rain and the bog will overflow. When this happens, you
want to be sure that the water is properly channeled out of the bog but
everything else stays in. In my first few bogs, I found
plants/sphagnum/soil washed onto the lawn after particularly heavy rains. I
had to make special drainage points and then "guard" those points with
either mesh or dense-growing grasses or reeds. Another solution is to put
holes in the liner near the top, although drainage is not always sufficient
with this method.
3. You might want to make it slightly raised from the surrounding land.
This allows for easier maintenance and makes it stand out a bit. Also,
grass clippings are less likely to make their way into the bog, guests/dogs
less likely to step in it, etc.
4. I agree to make the bog deep. This becomes VERY important during the
summer.
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