Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 08:06:44 -0500 From: "Susan Farrington" <sfarrington@ridgway.mobot.org> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2750$foo@default> Subject: Re: Bog garden in NJ
> 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?
Davin,
Having water cycling through the bog is definitely the ideal, and I wish
I had done something like that. A little pond with the bog can provide
a source of water to recirculate via a pump to the top of the bog,
slowly filtering through and down it, back into the pond. This would
definitely be the best for the plants, but involves electricity, etc.
The sand layer should help somewhat with filtering the smelly gunk,
but I'm sure it doesn't solve the problem completely. John Green
suggested adding some horticultural charcoal to the sand (not the kind
you grill with), and I think that's a good idea most likely. Atlanta
Botanical Garden uses a very deep layer of sand, but they are also
able to water their bogs with their tap water: it is great water in that
part of the country. That's impossible for me out here in Missouri,
where our main geology is limestone, and our tap water is at least a
pH of 8 to 9, sometimes 10! Since ABG can use a soaker hose, they
can build their bogs on a slight slant, and soak the bog for quite a
while, allowing the water to slowly soak in and drain out the lower
side, preventing build up of stinky stuff. I don't have that luxury, and I
need to preserve water, so I only have about 4" of sand in the bottom.
My little bog has done very well this first summer, and the plants are
looking great, but I've also been watering it DAILY to keep the
sphagnum moss green and happy (it seems to turn white and dry out if
not sprinkled daily.) I would love to figure out how to keep enough
water in the bog to keep the sphagnum happy without having to
pamper it so much... perhaps it will be better established by next year,
and won't need daily attention.
Susan
Susan Farrington
Missouri Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 299
St. Louis MO 63166-0299
susan.farrington@mobot.org
(314)577-9402
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