My add-on bog build

[poconojoe]

Another bog loving convert!

I resemble that remark!

 

[Jhn]

Huge improvement in your pond, it looks great.

I need to get some up to date shots of my bog/pond, put so many various species of plants in there, which have taken off. In another few weeks won’t be able to see the gravel in the bog.

Only thing that is not doing well in my pond is the water celery. It got something on it, that is turning the leaves yellow in spots (maybe a fungus or something), but it is inhibiting it’s growth and letting the fish decimate it( normally the fish can’t keep up with it spreading. Instead the parrot feather took off this year, which I have had to pull out weekly by the bucket full.

 

[GBBUDD]

If your water has cleared to a degree you can see a visible difference that would definitely lead me to think some plants that prefer heavier nutrient load may not do as well as they had and for others to thrive that may had only been marginal at best.Makes sense to this Pollock

 

[poconojoe]

If your water has cleared to a degree you can see a visible difference that would definitely lead me to think some plants that prefer heavier nutrient load may not do as well as they had and for others to thrive that may had only been marginal at best.Makes sense to this Pollock

Clearing to a degree of visible difference is a tremendous understatement. I have never had water this clear in over a decade. The only time I can recall the water being this clear is the day when I filled the pond for the very first time. Which of course didn't last very long due to new pond syndrome!

I'm not sure of your deduction in comparing different plants. All the plants I added to the bog are thriving. None have depleted in any way.

 

[snoozer]

May i ask where you purchased the liner for the bog? Is it lighter, weight wise, than EPDM? I am looking at installing a bog. I can manage the rocks and wheelbarrows of gravel but a 15x20 liner is just over my limit.

 

[poconojoe]

May i ask where you purchased the liner for the bog? Is it lighter, weight wise, than EPDM? I am looking at installing a bog. I can manage the rocks and wheelbarrows of gravel but a 15x20 liner is just over my limit.

The liner is HRDPE the "R" meaning reinforced.
Yes, it was less costly, less weight than EPDM and doesn't require an underlayment in most cases. It was stiffer to work with than EPDM, but not that bad in my opinion. EPDM can be a pain when dealing with corners too. For the corners, I just folded it until I got it right. I would definitely use it again.
I bought a 12 foot X 20 foot piece and it was $146.64 ( U.S.) . I bought it online and the shipping was free from American Talapia.

 

[yorkshire pudding]

hi poconojoe, can i ask what size holes did you put in the pipework in the bog and what distance between holes ? thanks

 

[poconojoe]

hi poconojoe, can i ask what size holes did you put in the pipework in the bog and what distance between holes ? thanks

I did not drill holes in the manifold pipes, I cut slits with a sawzall. I think slits are better since they are long and less likely to get blocked by the pea gravel. I cut the slits 1-1/2 inches apart from each other. The slits were cut down through the PVC pipe 1/3 of the pipe's diameter. If I were to do it again, I think I would use a thicker blade than a sawzall blade. (Less likely to clog). Maybe use a cut-off wheel on a grinder. Something just a little thicker than a sawzall blade. You don't want the slits to be too thick as to let small stones in though....obviously.

Every once in a while, maybe every two months, I see a slow down in the water returning to the pond. Here's where the clean-out stacks come into play. I just turn off the pump, unscrew one of the caps and turn the pump back on. The water shoots out black for a few seconds, then clears. I shut off the pump, cap it back up, then do my second one. I direct the water with an 1-1/2" hose into a nearby flower bed. Good fertilizer!

Some people face the slits down, some up. It seems to be personal preference. I faced mine up. I was thinking if any silt or muck did possibly build up over the years, maybe facing them up was better. So, it's up to you.
Zoom in on the pictures of my manifold pipes and you'll be able to see the slits.

Hope this helps.

 

[yorkshire pudding]

hi poconojoe, thanks for your reply , yes that does help im hoping to start my mini bog next week which i hope to post on here just getting everything in place before i start and trying to cover all bases and hopefully the weather gods will be in a good mood ! happy bogging

 

[poconojoe]

hi poconojoe, thanks for your reply , yes that does help im hoping to start my mini bog next week which i hope to post on here just getting everything in place before i start and trying to cover all bases and hopefully the weather gods will be in a good mood ! happy bogging

Awesome! Happy to help.
If your mini bog is large enough for the size of your pond, you shouldn't need any other filtration. The consensus is your bog surface area should be 30% of your pond surface area. If not, you may need additional filtration. Those numbers are for a pond with significant fish load. So, if your fish load is minimal, your bog can be smaller. The idea is to hopefully have the bog as the only filter, since there is little, if any maintenance with a bog.
When you start the bog build, start a new thread with pictures showing your progress.

 

[addy1]

Enjoy the build!

I put my slits down and also did not use epdm. I used something similar to poconojoe, but mine was one huge piece for pond and bog. I put them down so nothing would get into the slits and plug them up. Been 9 years and still doing fine. I did put pieces of scrap liner between the pipe and the main liner.

 

[TJeep_1999]

Can you recommend any shade plants I could use in the bog that wouldn't have aggressive growing roots? It looks like you have a fair number of trees and might be working in the same shade conditions I am.

Other than the 2 month back flush is any other maintenance required?

 

[poconojoe]

Can you recommend any shade plants I could use in the bog that wouldn't have aggressive growing roots? It looks like you have a fair number of trees and might be working in the same shade conditions I am.

Other than the 2 month back flush is any other maintenance required?

Any plants that I stick in the bog have thrived. I haven't had any plants suffer or die off, except for when the Winter comes. Some people grow vegetables in their bog, but I think they would need more sun than I get.

The only maintenance I do is periodic flushes, maybe once every 2 months. I actually think things would be OK, even if I didn't flush it. Some people don't even have the clean-out stacks. When I built it, I figured better to have them than not... and I do use them.

 

[addy1]

I don't have clean out pipes and don't back flush, so far no issues 10 years down the road.

 

[poconojoe]

I don't have clean out pipes and don't back flush, so far no issues 10 years down the road.

Yep, perfect example.

 

[Tula]

I've had a few plants that didn't make it in my bog. Arrowhead and Marsh Marigold , both didn't thrive or return the following year.

 

[GBBUDD]

Marsh Marigold

DONT BE SO QUICK TO COUNT MARIGOLDS OUT THEY DID THAT TO ME THEN THE NEXT YEAR THEY WERE BACK IN FORCE

 

[Lisak1]

Marsh marigold dies back here once the heat hits and then comes back the next year.

Impatiens do great in the bog, are shallow rooters, and you yank them out at the end of the season, so no worries about them overtaking your bog in year two. Watercress is another one - grows great in the bog and dies back in the winter. Easy to pull out and it's a great filtering plant.

 

[poconojoe]

My Marsh Marigold has done fantastic in the bog. In fact another one popped up on the other side of the bog on it's own. They are both huge. The same thing happened in the pond. My original one is on a shelf in the pond and another one just popped up on the other side of the pond.

I have both tropicals and hardy plants in the bog.
Here are some:
Papyrus and umbrella plants, but you have to watch them, they make some crazy roots.
Three types of iris.
Fiberoptic plants.
Mini cat tails.
Forget-me-nots.
Marsh Marigold.
Creeping Jenny.
Some type of grass, I don't know what it is.
Hosta.
Creeping Jenny.
And a few I can't identify.