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Post by lloyd on Mar 24, 2012 22:40:52 GMT -5
I just spent a few days redoing my microbogs. If anybody wants to try it my way:
17" undrained plastic pots (bigger and you can't lift it, deep enough for sarr roots) PVC drainage pipe along the side from the bottom to 1-2" above the medium; wide enough to get a siphon tube to the bottom for drainage (good after a downpour and to be able to lift the pots) Hygroton clay balls (wash the orange dust off first) to about 3-4" on the bottom. Cover the balls with cubes of fluffy mineral wool (sort of yellowy-green fibrous stuff the size of bouillon cubes), about 1-2"-keeps the balls and drainage pipe clear of medium) Wet peat/perlite to get the salt and pepper look that we know so well. Use distilled or other low-mineral water. Pack the medium down well to avoid the medium getting too low after settling and watering. Plant everything, big sarrs in the centre, smaller sarr's and purps to the outside, dews, VFT's and pings around the rim. Use distilled/rain/RO water. Always enough water so that a dipstick in the drainage hole shows some free water at the bottom. Use water siphoned from the bottom to keep the top moist for the dews/VFT's/Pings with shallow roots.
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Post by shoggoths on Mar 25, 2012 8:05:16 GMT -5
I must do mine again this year, it was not great last year Do you have any pics ? Also, do your mini bog stink ?
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Post by peatmoss on Mar 25, 2012 8:20:30 GMT -5
I wish I could do something like this, but I lack a place to provide dormancy.
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Post by lloyd on Mar 25, 2012 18:27:42 GMT -5
I took my old microbogs apart and there was only the wet peaty smell we all love. On a hot day though the siphoned water from the bottom can be pretty vile especially if you siphon up some in your mouth. You do need a place for the winter that is around -3 to +3C for the winter. I didn't take any pictures but it's a pretty simple set up. If you want I can take pic's of the clay balls and mineral wool stuff. The actual microbog pictures are somewhere on the forum and in the Toronto Star article last year.
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Post by Raymond on Mar 25, 2012 21:40:07 GMT -5
Where did you get the containers? Is there bigger sizes?
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Post by lloyd on Mar 25, 2012 21:45:46 GMT -5
Home Depot/Rona/Canadian Tire/Lowes have the 17" undrained pots. If you are going to bury the pots in the ground and mulch them in the winter, you can use bigger pots like the 20" ones. But they would be really hard to move around for dormancy.
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Post by hal on Mar 25, 2012 21:49:38 GMT -5
Home Depot has some nice big plastic pots that are supposed to look like rusted cast iron and the largest size must be close to 24" in diameter. I use a dolly to move the pots from the yard to the garage.
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Post by shoggoths on Mar 26, 2012 9:40:09 GMT -5
Tks Lloyd, it will not be necessary. I remember the pics of last year article.
I've reread your first post and it's alright. I had misread '1-2" above the medium' the first time. I was thinking 1-2" above the pot and I was having difficulty figuring how to keep a good water level this way... My bad.
You must have a drainage hole 1-2" below the media surface, do you ?
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Post by lloyd on Mar 26, 2012 14:28:30 GMT -5
I don't have any drainage holes. Just the PVC pipe as I said about 1-2" above the medium-poking just above the rim of the pot. After a heavy rain the pots flood and overflow into the rolling pot holders. I just use a siphon to remove the overflow and save the water. The plants seem to like the occasional flood even if the lower plants are submerged for a day or two.
On a different note it's supposed to go to -7C tonight and then go back above 0C again. Should I take the plants in for the night? Cover them? Take a chance? Opinions?
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Post by shoggoths on Mar 26, 2012 14:47:34 GMT -5
It's my first year (so I'm not too experimented) and it's going to go down near -16C this night so I'll bring my temperate pings in the garage for the night but will let my sarr. purpurea outside. The sphagnum was still hard frosen this weekend.
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Post by hal on Mar 26, 2012 17:15:51 GMT -5
I'm taking a chance on mine, Lloyd.
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Post by Apoplast on Mar 26, 2012 21:37:09 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - It sounds like you have engineered a great system! I think without burying them to insulate them I'd be unable to provide the proper dormancy requirements. Although, I've wondered about leaving the shallowly rooted plants like pings and dews above ground. They are less likely to be dependent on more uniform conditions. Maybe I'll give it a try when I can source some appropriate seeds.
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Post by lloyd on Mar 27, 2012 10:41:20 GMT -5
I chickened out last night. Just after midnight it was -2C and going down to -6C. The top of the medium was already frozen solid. I brought them in and put them out in the sun today when it hit +2 at around 9:30 or so. The VFT leaves look a bit flaccid and some of the phyllode tips look a bit burnt but otherwise no harm done. I'm going to bring them in again when it goes below 0C which is forecast for some nights in the next week.
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Post by bluefrog51 on Apr 21, 2012 11:14:14 GMT -5
Hi, Lloyd, Do you still have No-Damp available? I'm trying to locate some. Thanks!
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