bamboo fishing pole

Building a Bog

Introduction
Although I make my living collectiong, growing, and selling bamboo I also like many other plants.
When I first began collecting carnivorous plants I kept them in containers with the containers placed in trays of water. As my collection
grew I built a bog using a large piece of pond liner I had along with some scrap wood. This worked fine for the next couple of years
but before long my collection had outgrown the original bog. I dicided to build another bog, applying what I had learned over the first
few years to make improvements. This bog would be bigger, deeper, and have a built in drain.

Construction

I leveled an area about 6 feet wide by 14 feet long. The bog would be 5 feet by 12 feet and 18 inches deep. I used 2x6 lumber for
the ends and sides, stacked 3 high for an actual depth of 161/2 inches. I used PVC pond liner inside the framework. I graded the
ground beneath so that there was a very slight slope toward one end. I placed a piece of perforated drainage pipe down the
middle and covered it with pea gravel. I then put in 6 inches of clean sand and leveled it out. The picture shows the box with black
PVC liner and 6 inches of sand. It took a little over a cubic yard. The lower end is where I placed a draing by drilling a hole at
ground level with a section of pipe coming thru the side with a valve outside.

Adding the Planting Medium

I used the tractor to mix up a couple of yards of peatmoss and sand. The mix is about half and half. I filled the bog almost completely full. I knew it woud
settle a little and I wanted the soil level right up near the top surrounding deck. I wet the mixture down with the drain closed and let it soak
for a couple of days. I added a more planting medium to bring the level up and then wet again. I started transfering plants from containers
and from my very first, crude bog in the ground nearby. Much of the green you see below is Sphagnum moss. This was a big mistake.
I love the way it looks but in our climate and conditions it just smuthers everything but the tall Sarracenia. I kept it under control somewhat
in this bog but had to pull large amounts out. This bog looked really great after 2 years but this year I have to move it. My bamboo nursery
needs more room. We live in a very wooded area and the carnivorous plants need lots of sun. The location of this bog is a prime sunny
spot but the surrounding bamboo plants are shading it out. I have cleared an area of about 1/2 acre on another part of the property
that also gets almost full sun. I have two bogs built in the new area now and plan on a couple more.

Sarracenia – Pitcher Plants

Soil: Sarracenia do best in a mix of one part part peat to one part sand; or one part peat to one part perlite; or two parts peat, one part perlite, and one part sand. Long fibered sphagnum moss is also works great. I buy the big square bales of peat. You really should rinse the sand well with clean water to remove any lime. The soil mix must be nutrient free. Do not fertilize!

Containers: Best in plastic pots or glazed ceramics. They do well in mini-bogs and bog gardens.

Watering: Use the tray method. Keep the soil damp to wet! Use rain water or distilled water. You can also use the drip water from an air conditioner. These plants like an acidic, nutrient free, growing medium. No fertilizer!

Fertilizing: Do not fertilize! These plants get their nutrients from the insects they digest.

Light: Full to mostly full sun is best.

Climate: Warm-temperate plants, Sarracenia need warm summers and chilly winters. Tolerant of light frost and brief freezes. I grow them in zone 7. They sit outside in containers in trays of water. They are grown in a fairly wide range of climates but they do need a cool dormant period.

Pitcher plants lure, capture & digest insects. These plants vary on the way they attract their prey. The tubular type, purpurea venosa and purpurea purpurea, have hairs that face downward & produce a sweet nectar. The vertical types such as flava, rubra, alata, leucophylla, and oreophila have hairs on the underside of the lids which form. These also have hairs which produce a sweet nectar. Their are two oddballs the minor and psittacina neither one of these have hairs instead they produce nectar on the rim of the pitcher luring the insect in. Once the insect is inside the pitcher it is slowly digested as natural nutrients in which the soil is lacking.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS: Keep plant in a container of distilled or rain water. Make sure the soil is kept very wet during the growing season, from May through October. Pitcher plants like warm humid conditions with summer temps between 70-100 degrees. They prefer lots of light, preferably direct sunlight. During the winter months keep the soil just damp and put in a cool area such as a garage, you may want to spray the plant with a fungicide such as benlate to prevent any winter time fungus growth. Winter temps should be between 35-45 degrees. Transplanting should be done in the spring before vigorous growth. Plant in a mix of peat moss and sand. The main pests for these plants are aphids and scale.

New Pings!
I recently made a trade with another bamboo/carnivorous plant lover. I sent him some bamboo and he sent me nine
new carnivorous plants, all Pinguiculas. These are called "Pings" for short and the common name is Butterworts. I have
many species of Pitcher plants, Sundews, and Venus Flytraps but ony one species of Butterwort. These little plants have
a rosette of flat leaves with greasy surfaces. They catch tiny insects that stick to the leaves. The leaves curve up slightly
forming a pool of digestive juices. These are the plants I have the most difficulty with so I'm really hoping these new ones
thrive.

jmbamboo 4176 Humber Rd. Dora, Al 35062 205 283 5638	Carnivorous Plants	Created and Maintained by: Jim Mortensen mailto:jim@jmbamboo.com
Copyright © 2000, jmbamboo, All Rights Reserved Although these pictures and text are copyrighted feel free to use any of the photos here. Life is too short to be stressed over someone using my photos. So feel free to use the pictures with appropriate credit to jmbamboo. As far as the text goes, well, try being a little creative and write your own. Good luck, Jim
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