Potting soil

[maps]

Can you by any chance make a fake bog with potting soil. Would it be dangerous

[Fred588]

I dubt it would be dangerous unless it contained fertilizer. Then it might depend. However, I think it is likely that over a fairly short period of time all the sand in the potting soil (about a third, usually) would settle to the bottom and the organic material would rise toward the top. The net result would probably be a shallower range of sinkability than expected.

[maps]

What would be the cheapest, and best stuff to use

[Fred588]

I assume you mean "... instead of the potting soil." Your question is impossible to answer in a simple way because you have two, largely contradictory, requirements when you say cheapest AND best. The two "best" materials, in my opinion, are clay and peat, but best is a matter of preference and application. You can get bentonite clay in 50 pound bags. Depending on location and how many you buy the price will probably be around 6.50 per bag. It took over 150 bags to fill the clay pit at Studio 588. Peat comes in bags of just under 4 cubic feet and are usually about 9.00 or 10.00 each.

What would be the cheapest, and best stuff to use

[Robert]

Peat comes in bags of just under 4 cubic feet and are usually about 9.00 or 10.00 each.

The demand for peat will no doubt be up a bit in the spring so the garden stores like Stien's, Home Depot, etc will have the prices up. If you can wait a while they go on sale.

Peat will expand a bit as well when saturated with water so you will have to experiment a bit as to how much to use. The peat pit at Trollwood is 6ft deep, well over the heads of the models. We have tweaked the amount we have in there several times.

Good luck!

[nachtjaeger]

In my personal and professional experience, the commercial packaged "potting soil" has all manner of nasty (expletive deleted) in it that you don't want your body exposed to.

If by "fake" bog you mean something indoors in a bathtub or water trough, then clay or peat would be a good choice (remember not to flush the clay and peat down the bathtub drain and clog the entire neighborhood's sewers, or ruin your septic system).

If by "fake" bog you mean something outdoors, a cheap method is to use what's already there. Get a few 2x4s and a roll of hardware cloth and make yourself a grizzly: http://www.homeimprovementsdepot.com/ho ... th-wheels/

Dig your pit, screen all the rocks and debris out of the soil, fill pit 1/2 with water and put the screened soil back in. Unless you have unusual soil that is pure sand, pure gravel, or mostly rock, this should work well. You can always add a bale or two of peat to the mix to improve your bog.

Oh, and remember- CALL BEFORE YOU DIG! The neighbors tend to get upset when you dig into the gas main (BOOM!) or cable TV. Plus, if they mark out the underground utilities for you and you hit them somewhere else, you're off the hook.