Date: Tue, 01 Jul 97 09:59:00 EST From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2523$foo@default> Subject: RE: San Francisco Bog
>About a year ago I posted a request for information on "how to" build a
>Bog. Well, I have successfully constructed my first Bog and thank all of
>you who posted responses and sent me e-mail!!
>QUESTIONS:
>1. My CP plants are sitting outside in a tray of water. Do I take the
>CP's out of their plastic pots, not disturbing the root ball and insert
>into the Bog OR
Yes, remove the plastic pot and plop them right in there. I would only wash
the old mix off if it looks like it has gone bad or smells sour.
>3. What dampness level do I keep the Bog? Should the sphagumn be spongy
>to the touch with visble water when pressed??
This is something I'm still struggling with. In some of my bogs, I've
punched a hole in the plastic container or liner about 6 inches below the
surface. The bog I'm making right now, I've decided to build up above
ground level but just a few inches, maybe 2 or 3 and have rocks lining the
bog's perimeter to keep the mix in. From what I've obaserved of cp's in the
wilds of the southeastern US, they can tolerate being submerged in water for
short periods (days?) but do not seem to grow in pools with standing water
that hangs around for long periods (weeks?). So, my suggestion is to make
sure that the top few inches (say, 3 to 6 inches but I'm guessing here),
cannot become submerged in water for long periods (a week or two, but still
guessing). Hence, my suggestion for putting a hole a few inches below the
surface or building the mix up above the bog a few inches.
In one of my oder bogs, I have an area that becomes dry first and I'm always
concerned that the cp's in that area will not make it through a dry period.
That has lead me to playing around with how deep to that hole in the
plastic and to raising the bog a bit. I haven't lost any cp's in that area
and maybe that's because their roots go down far enough from the surface so
that the roots always have a water source.
>4. Since SF gets no rain for months, should I have my soaker hose over the
>Bog (hose is on a timer 30 minutes twice a day for my garden)?
I suggest not doing this for two reasons. First, if you have hard water
that might not be good for your plants. And second, your bog might not need
it. Observe how your bog does with its moisture content and if it starts to
dry out, then water it. I collect rainwater from the roof in large, plastic
trash cans and use that to tide me over in dry periods.
>I went to all that work to make a Bog and now I am uneasy about putting any
>of my plants into it!
Chuckle, I know the feeling but you'll get past it after you plop some of
those cp's in the bog.
Good luck,
David
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