FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So, I had an idea the other night.

I can't say no to free industrial scraps. My girlfriend loves this character quirk. . So where I work, we always have a supply of free plastic 55 gallon barrels, and 275 gallon plastic Chem totes (the kinds with the metal cages around them).

So, I started an experiment to see if the 55 gallon barrels would make a suitable bog garden for sarrencenias, vfts, American sundews, etc. I didn't like the idea of, "barrel+plants= " mostly because I would be sleeping on the couch for having chopped up plastic barrels all over the yard with crap growing out of them. And rightfully so. So,I got creative. I saw a post on here a while back about installing bulkheads into plastic pots and using a pvc gravity tube as a water level regulator. Idea seems legit to me. So, I chopped a barrel lengthwise, and did this to it.
More photos to follow of the drain system!

A few pictures of the paint job and unfinished water level regulator. Bottom is getting filled with lava rock to just over the drain tube, and a layer of landscape fabric adhered across the whole bottom to keep the soil from leaching down and clogging the works.

The interior, complete with drain/water level regulator

Incomplete regular. Ball valve will be on the end. Or just a threaded cap. Not sure yet.

What about the big like 1 gallon waters where you just pull the little thing on the bottom and it pours, just an idea


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bijillon wrote:What about the big like 1 gallon waters where you just pull the little thing on the bottom and it pours, just an idea


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Thought about it, but I want to be able to snake out the tube just in case it clogs with sand or peat. I was initially planning on turning a 90 at the end of the tee, but decided against to allow a snake up in with ease.

Cool! I wish I had industrial scrap.

How are you planning on filling it, will you start with rocks then peat?

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I'm curious for an update on how this is working. I'm In a similar place where I almost have enough material laying around to build a similar setup.

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Update!

Project is working WONDERFULLY. It managed to coax two of my sarrs and all of my VFTs into blooming. Also, once everyone laid down fresh roots, and Pittsburgh stopped having 40 F weather in late May, I only noticed one design flaw, and that is in watering.

In the fall, I am going to partially uproot the garden and run a corrugated tube around the perimeter, just under the soil surface, between the barrel and the liner, so that I may water everyone without disturbing the soil as much as can-watering currently does. For now, the watering can making passes over the surface tends to make the peat and sand separate, and it turns into a bit of a uncontrolled beach-bog. Some areas end up sandy, and others wind up buried in peat. The only way this does not happen is from natural rain, or if I sit there and trickle water into the overflow by hand.

As a side note, the Mrs and I were watching hornets become sarr food the other morning, and she did ask me how easy it would be for me to mass produce these for sale. In all honesty, with the availability of the barrels, I could churn one out every week or two without much trouble. The only problem would be shipping them, and what my demand would be. But, it seems that there is a giant, gaping hole in the horticulture market for off-the-hook bog planters, and I am curious to see if this would have any success.

Thoughts?

Close-up

That setup looks fantastic! Would work really well for us growers who don't have much garden room. Plus its a bog setup that's easy to move if your plants need winter dormancy. I would strap 2 wheels on the bottom just to make that easier to move, but that's just me. if it helps I would be interested in one. ignoring shipping for now how much would you sell them for?

That looks great. Question for you as I'm near Harrisburg and outdoor bog garden is my next project. What will you do with it during the winter, if anything at all?

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