How many inches of extra bog wall above the water level do you recommend to minimize the chance of an overflow out the side as the plants mature and roots lift everything up?
I have a bog being built that is 10 feet by 4 feet by 21-26 inches deep. I asked for 4-6 inches of wall/side above the water level. But it is currently much less (2 inches in some areas).
I think he is counting the extra inches from the added stonework rim as the extra inches to get to the 4-6 inches I asked for. But I am doubting myself. Is 4 inches above water level enough?
The outflow edge is 5 inches from the top before the added rock work.
The builder believes water will follow gravity and 2 inches plus the rock rim is enough. But he does not have experience with bogs. So he built it more like an upper level pond. And he is used to building so the water comes to the top. So 2 inches below is different from his usual.
I agree with a water pond, the water level is flat. But in a bog, it seems the water can get higher in areas depending on how thick the growth is. (Does this defy the laws of physics?)
What is a good amount of inches above the water level for the bog side walls?
Do you have water over your gravel or gravel above your water?
In my container bogs, it started with gravel over the water, then ended up with areas of gravel over and areas of water over. I have had to dig down streams to keep the water flowing, especially as the roots lifted the gravel and the plant stems made dams.
Here is a pic of the raised bog being tested for being water tight. It does not have pea gravel yet or the stone work on the top edges and front. The stone work around the top of the bog will raise the walls ?3-5 inches and can be cemented in between so it raises the water containment area.
I can take off the top 5 inch brick of the waterfall side. That would give me 5-7 inches to spare of raised wall on the other 3 bog sides. Or I can raise the bog wall a bit before the stone work.
Here is the bog, it will waterfall back into the pond. The inflow pipe has a one way valve. It will be cut shorter and be rocked around so it is more hidden.
Here is the bog being filled by the slit pvc for the first time. The clean outs will be cut shorter. There are some cross pieces in there as spacers, not connected.
Here is another pic of the pond in the other direction. Note the pond was full to the top of the concrete, and filling up the bog dropped the level to this lower level. When up and running it will be full to the top and the top will have stone work so it looks a little more natural.
My first choice was a liner pond. But I was not able to get a contractor to give me an estimate.........these guys gave me drawings and an estimate right away and have worked regularly since they started. But I did have to wait 8 months until they started. The steps are not as planned.......things got a little hectic and disorganized during concrete pour and I lost the deeper step on one side (they just made one shallow step on that side even though it was rebarred and shaped for 2) . But it is still going to be awesome compared to my current tiny less than 2 foot deep pond.
Exposed concrete and blocks will be covered with stonework. The dirt areas will be landscaped and graveled. Skimmer will be covered with a fake rock cover. It was their first time ever making a bog. Overall the team has been wonderful to work with.
I am open to any comments, suggestions.
I have a bog being built that is 10 feet by 4 feet by 21-26 inches deep. I asked for 4-6 inches of wall/side above the water level. But it is currently much less (2 inches in some areas).
I think he is counting the extra inches from the added stonework rim as the extra inches to get to the 4-6 inches I asked for. But I am doubting myself. Is 4 inches above water level enough?
The outflow edge is 5 inches from the top before the added rock work.
The builder believes water will follow gravity and 2 inches plus the rock rim is enough. But he does not have experience with bogs. So he built it more like an upper level pond. And he is used to building so the water comes to the top. So 2 inches below is different from his usual.
I agree with a water pond, the water level is flat. But in a bog, it seems the water can get higher in areas depending on how thick the growth is. (Does this defy the laws of physics?)
What is a good amount of inches above the water level for the bog side walls?
Do you have water over your gravel or gravel above your water?
In my container bogs, it started with gravel over the water, then ended up with areas of gravel over and areas of water over. I have had to dig down streams to keep the water flowing, especially as the roots lifted the gravel and the plant stems made dams.
Here is a pic of the raised bog being tested for being water tight. It does not have pea gravel yet or the stone work on the top edges and front. The stone work around the top of the bog will raise the walls ?3-5 inches and can be cemented in between so it raises the water containment area.
I can take off the top 5 inch brick of the waterfall side. That would give me 5-7 inches to spare of raised wall on the other 3 bog sides. Or I can raise the bog wall a bit before the stone work.
Here is the bog, it will waterfall back into the pond. The inflow pipe has a one way valve. It will be cut shorter and be rocked around so it is more hidden.
Here is the bog being filled by the slit pvc for the first time. The clean outs will be cut shorter. There are some cross pieces in there as spacers, not connected.
Here is another pic of the pond in the other direction. Note the pond was full to the top of the concrete, and filling up the bog dropped the level to this lower level. When up and running it will be full to the top and the top will have stone work so it looks a little more natural.
My first choice was a liner pond. But I was not able to get a contractor to give me an estimate.........these guys gave me drawings and an estimate right away and have worked regularly since they started. But I did have to wait 8 months until they started. The steps are not as planned.......things got a little hectic and disorganized during concrete pour and I lost the deeper step on one side (they just made one shallow step on that side even though it was rebarred and shaped for 2) . But it is still going to be awesome compared to my current tiny less than 2 foot deep pond.
Exposed concrete and blocks will be covered with stonework. The dirt areas will be landscaped and graveled. Skimmer will be covered with a fake rock cover. It was their first time ever making a bog. Overall the team has been wonderful to work with.
I am open to any comments, suggestions.
