Bog plans with or without soil/pot

[BeginnerMind]

Hello.
My pond-with-bog is in its infancy. I added plants to the bog, leaving their soil on them. I removed the from their pots, but left most of the soil on them. I purchased them from an aquatic plant place that had the pots sitting in water, so I assumed the soil they came with should stay on them. Did I mess up by introducing soil to the bog? Today I added a hosta and because that isn't a water plant, I removed most of the soil.
In the pond, I've only added one Lilly and I left it in its pot. Is that recommended, or would it be better if I removed it from the pot? If I remove it the pot, should I remove the soil too and put the roots bare in the water?
Thanks in advance for your help. The bog was quite a bit of work and I'm hoping I won't have to redo anything, and am a little nervous about every move I make in the bog.

 

[GBBUDD]

It is best to have bog plants put in the bog without soils. I take the plants and use water gently from the hose to wash off the soil that will fall off anything locked up in the roots won't hurt the bog. plants have microscopic hairs in the roots that do the absorbing. Thus the water to turn soils to mud trying to lessen the damage. put bog plants in the pea stone or larger the roots will make there way through the rocks to the water.

 

[Faebinder]

My experience is the opposite. It's best to leave _some_ soil on. I'm not worried about the water getting soil in it. Trust me your plants will eat it up.

 

[GBBUDD]

This is my recently rebuilt Matrix bog at exactly one months growth with very clean stone, no soils in the stone or around the plants and you can see with these particular plants they grew like a weed.

 

[poconojoe]

It is best to have bog plants put in the bog without soils. I take the plants and use water gently from the hose to wash off the soil that will fall off anything locked up in the roots won't hurt the bog. plants have microscopic hairs in the roots that do the absorbing. Thus the water to turn soils to mud trying to lessen the damage. put bog plants in the pea stone or larger the roots will make there way through the rocks to the water.

Totally agree!

Think hydroponics.

Also:
If you keep tropical plants and you live in a 4 season area, they will die come Fall/Winter. If you keep doing that, over the years your bog will get all clogged up with soil.

 

[GBBUDD]

The whole idea to the bog is to deny the plants what they usually grow in. to make the plant have to take its nutrients from the water and deny soils. trust me in time the excrement from the fish will start to give the plants some soils and strip it of what algae needs to grow.
if you over feed the algae can get enough leftovers from what the plants could not absorb its a balance you have to do your part.

 

[mrsclem]

Agree with @poconojoe and @GBBUDD - The plants will do better with direct contact with the water. I set up a 150 gallon stocktank as a bog. Threw in some plants from my big bog and then tried to figure out how to hide the tank. No worries- plants did it for me!

 

[GBBUDD]

All gone.

 

[BeginnerMind]

Agree with @poconojoe and @GBBUDD - The plants will do better with direct contact with the water. I set up a 150 gallon stocktank as a bog. Threw in some plants from my big bog and then tried to figure out how to hide the tank. No worries- plants did it for me!View attachment 152284View attachment 152285View attachment 152287

Thanks for sharing the pictures. They are very inspiring. In addition to the plants hiding the structure, it looks like you have a rock-looking fabric. What is that and where do I find it? Thanks!

 

[mrsclem]

Rock on a roll. They have a website online. A bit pricey but it lasts forever. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...-a-roll.com/&usg=AOvVaw2kLt5oPvTNArrfsHnrPEW9

 

[BeginnerMind]

Thanks for the response mrslem. I'd see that stuff in a very (10 years) old post and when I visited the website, it looked decades old too, so I didn't trust that it was currently the product people used. You have given me the confidence to try it.

 

[bagsmom]

Thanks for the response mrslem. I'd see that stuff in a very (10 years) old post and when I visited the website, it looked decades old too, so I didn't trust that it was currently the product people used. You have given me the confidence to try it.

FYI, I bought some rock on a roll and used some in my build - but I over-ordered and had lots left over. I took it to my Dad and used it to disguise the cinder block retaining wall behind his pond build. I find that it will never take the place of actual rock, but it is excellent at sort of camouflaging areas that you want to kind of disappear. Just on its own, you might look at it and go "meh." But when you combine it with plants and other rocks and such, it really does a great job!

 

[BeginnerMind]

FYI, I bought some rock on a roll and used some in my build - but I over-ordered and had lots left over. I took it to my Dad and used it to disguise the cinder block retaining wall behind his pond build. I find that it will never take the place of actual rock, but it is excellent at sort of camouflaging areas that you want to kind of disappear. Just on its own, you might look at it and go "meh." But when you combine it with plants and other rocks and such, it really does a great job!

Thanks. I ordered some last night. I'm going to use it to camouflage the area where the water falls from the bog to the pond. The wall between the two areas is a thin vertical wall so it was impossible to use rock there. I'll drape some of the rock on a roll over the wall, so that the rubber liner isn't shining through the falling water. That is the plan. Of course if anyone thinks that is a bad idea, please share.