Tula's BBB ( baby bog build )

[Tula]

We have a 1700 gallon pond with four adult koi. We want to add a small bog to provide more filtration then our sand & gravel filter. I'm also excited to have somewhere to grow marginal plants, as our pond has straight drop sides.

To begin, I've cut back and removed a huge, old hydrangea .

 

[Tula]

Got it out, no easy feat. Hubby helped

 

[j.w]

You did it and it sure looked like a monster plant. All ready to start your bog now and I will be watching

 

[Tula]

I don't know if these pictures turned out very well, but I'm hoping they show an overview of the pond area. I'd like to have the bog spill back into the pond.

Hubby has been reading a site ( think it was Nelsons in TX ) that discusses elevating the bog. Will my hardy marginals survive in such a setting in one 6 A?

 

[Tula]

You did it and it sure looked like a monster plant. All ready to start you bog now and I will be watching

Thanks @j.w I could not figure out the showcase section, so moved it here

 

[Tula]

Any suggestions on how to proceed are most appreciated. I envisioned a small bog with perhaps a small connecting stream spilling back into the pond....just stumped on how to make this happen...or is it possible?

 

[Lisak1]

Absolutely possible! You could do an elevated bog with a bigger spillway or a mostly ground level bog that just flows back into the pond. I have no carpentry skills, so I can dig, so I'd be more inclined to stick with ground level but that's just me.

How much space do you have to work with - it's hard to tell from the photos.

 

[addy1]

Hubby has been reading a site ( think it was Nelsons in TX ) that discusses elevating the bog. Will my hardy marginals survive in such a setting

Make sure the water stays in the bog over winter, if the water drains back out and the bog dries up the plants will die. Mine freeze up every year and come back gang busters in the spring.
Mine does drain back by about 2-3 inches but right below the pea gravel surface is water.

 

[addy1]

Absolutely possible! You could do an elevated bog with a bigger spillway or a mostly ground level bog that just flows back into the pond. I have no carpentry skills, so I can dig, so I'd be more inclined to stick with ground level but that's just me.

How much space do you have to work with - it's hard to tell from the photos.

Dig down for some of the bog depth, use that dirt to make a berm to raise the edge as high as you want it or run out of dirt lol. My down slope side of the bog is nothing but dirt I built up to make a level spot in our yard. Around 7-8 feet tall.

When you run your piping, put in a ball valve so you can keep water in the bog over winter. My bog gravel is contained in its own space.
The water that is fed into the bog is via piping that is higher than the bog surface so when I turn off my pump for the winter the bog stays full. It does not back drain out.

 

[Tula]

Absolutely possible! You could do an elevated bog with a bigger spillway or a mostly ground level bog that just flows back into the pond. I have no carpentry skills, so I can dig, so I'd be more inclined to stick with ground level but that's just me.

How much space do you have to work with - it's hard to tell from the photos.

I will measure tomorrow, it's not a big space.

 

[Tula]

Dig down for some of the bog depth, use that dirt to make a berm to raise the edge as high as you want it or run out of dirt lol. My down slope side of the bog is nothing but dirt I built up to make a level spot in our yard. Around 7-8 feet tall.

When you run your piping, put in a ball valve so you can keep water in the bog over winter. My bog gravel is contained in its own space.
The water that is fed into the bog is via piping that is higher than the bog surface so when I turn off my pump for the winter the bog stays full. It does not back drain out.

I really want the water to remain in the bog over the winter so I can overwinter hardy bog plants.

 

[Tula]

I took these pictures this afternoon when the sun was hitting the space. Maybe you can see the space better....I'll measure tomorrow.

 

[Tula]

@addy1 , hubby said to ask you for pictures of your bog berm and pictures of overall area, if you have some, please

 

[addy1]

Here is the bog wall between the pond and the bog. The red arrow points to the back side of the dirt berm.

The bog surface is around 6 inches above the pond surface, the bog wall is about 12 inches above the pond surface.

I dug the upper edge of the pond down by 3-4 feet built the downside slope up by 7-8 feet. I can't find any shots that show the dirt berm. The red arrows show the back slope and the drop. you can see how our yard slopes down by looking at the fence,

 

[Tula]

@addy, is your bog below your pond...on the lower side of the yard slope? In the first picture you posted, which side is the bog on?