Digging a Bog Pond is Fun!
herb_wi
19 years ago
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abgardeneer
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoherb_wi
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP! Don't know what to do about this pond/bog mess!
Comments (3)I will assume that you have an EPDM (soft black rubber) liner. In all cases I think you'll have to empty your pond. Alternatives (easy to difficult): 1) Pull the liner and fill the hole. 2) Fill half the hole with earth (with liner in place) and reuse & put your peat or other bog media in the top half. 3) Cut the liner back a few more inches from where it is being infringed-upon by the irises (this might be on all sides) and get into the irises somehow with equipment, herbicides, or muscle-power so to remove them. Then try a large linear patching job. I have not had reason to patch EPDM but they sell seam tapes and bonding adhesives. This will be tricky, no doubt because I think we're talking about the vertical wall of your pond. 4)And for real work, tear-out and start over. You can have someone with power equipment do this or if you are so inclined you can usually rent hydraulic equipment, even walk-behind types, and do it yourself. Good Luck....See MoreDigging a bog pond is fun
Comments (1)Dang, this was supposed to be a follow up to the end of Herbie's post. People were trying to reccommend mosquito controls, For a bog. The fish, invasives both, can cause a lot of trouble, especially, if they are hardy....See MoreDigging a Little Frog Pond!
Comments (3)It's interesting digging down into boggy ground because you go through layers of different type materials. In my case, first there is a 6" rooty loose peat layer, where the material falls apart and look dark brown and fibery and woody, damp to wet. There is also old pieces of wood in it. Then, below that, is a totally different material thick that is dark gray to black in color, very compressed, almost clay-like, dry yet sticky, and is difficult to break apart. I think it is compressed muck. Then, below that is another type that is different again. It is greenish in color, slimy, wettish again, and has long fibers in it that look like grass or sedge. This looks lower quality to me. I haven't gone deep enough to hit substrate mineral soil, the above is no deeper than about 2 feet down. I'm thinking some of this material must be very old, ancient, and began to accumalate thousands of years ago. No mastadon or wooly mammoth bones yet tho :-)...See Morebog or pond?
Comments (12)Sounds like to me that if you want your grandkids to study fish and frogs then you will have to have a pond of some kind. You did not mention if you are in the city or in the country. But you indicated you have a well so I take it to mean that you are in the country. Eastern Oklahoma?? If Eastern then you may be able to get the soil tamped down hard and tight so that it will hold water for awhile. That way a kid could walk into the pond and explore. Tamping the soil down really does work with the right soil and in Eastern Oklahoma the soil seems quite suitable. However, there is one snag if you are out in the country and less so but possible in the city: moccasins! These and other water snakes tend to be aggressive and have no problem attacking movement of any kind in water. Also if there natural rivers or creeks within 20 miles of you then if you are in the country and there are stands of woods then you are inviting animal guests into your yard with a pool. And with fish and/or frogs will come predators. The "bog" habitat is really suited for just growing plants and unless your interest is keenly on the plants may just prove to become a wet spot in the yard that gets filled in later because your dog gets stuck in the mush! At least at 18" deep it shouldn't swallow up your pets or your grandkids!!! If you wish something for teaching your grandkids about fish and frogs then perhaps you have an unused wash house or smoke house that you can convert into a kids hang-out and to which you could run electricity (a heavy duty extension cord, etc.) and set up some aquariums that will have different native fish and frogs in them as well as terrariums for toads and the nicer snakes like garter snakes. and you could have books on nature and building natural things and then maybe they could help you plant or stock your pool??????? If that is what you decide on. Make it a joint venture with them as to what they would be most interested in. Here is a link that I just googled for you. It has a bunch of links to information regarding education of kids in things natural. Take a look see as I am sure that there is plenty there to provide you with more information on the approaches of teaching children about the natural world. Click here...See Moreherb_wi
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