Slump...

[jfowler]

I've put images of my front yard bog garden in this discussion group for the past couple of years. The bog garden is pretty old (8 years, maybe). But now I'm noticing something quite strange. The entire bog garden has lost about 4" in height in the past year. It is 18" deep and is buried not raised.

Last year, we had a long period of drought, and I watered it at least once a week with water from two, 65-gallon rain barrels. This year, it is doing as well as ever -- all of the plants are blooming and are in great shape.

All I can figure is that somehow the sides or bottom have split, and the peat/sand mixture is leaking out. I used a thick, black pool liner which should not have "decayed", I think. When I built it, I did place some slits in the sides about 6" under the surface.

Any ideas from the experts out there?

[meadowview]

Hi Jim:

There is a good possibility that your peat moss has simply decayed and disappeared as CO2 gas. How much peat did you use (50:50?). If half your volume was peat you easily could have oxidized this organic material. Unless the bog was saturated and anoxic you would have decay and loss leading to the "SLUMP".

Best,

Phil

[jfowler]

Thanks, Phil. That makes some sense. Now I have the problem of what to do to return it to its former glory, or just accept that it's much lower now and live with that fact...