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Container Gardening

A question about pine bark fines..........

14 years ago

Hello all,

I've been to 4 Lowe's and 3 HD's in the Richmond area. I can't find PBF anywhere. Today I found a soil conditioner 2CF bag which is 50% bark and 50% compost. The stuff looked and smelled good. Problem is I don't know what the compost is composed of. My questions are -

1. Has anyone in the Richmond/Central Virginia area found PBF and if so where?

2. What brand name is considered good quality PBF?

Thanks,

DL

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Comments (7)

rnewste
14 years ago
DL.

Ideally, this is what you are looking for (at some Home Depot):

{{gwi:681}}

Particles should be in this size range:

{{gwi:682}}

If you need a relatively small quantity, Reptile Bark will work well.

Raybo
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
14 years ago
Ray,
those particles are quite large.
The optimum size for bark is between 1/8 - 1/4 inch.

Josh
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Doesn't hold the plant roots in very well, a sudden wind can lift the entire plant and roots out of the pot as most of the bark is left spread about. Is a PIA to break ( even after soaking) by hand for more favorable and still usable size. Second: it may hold to much moisture if to big in size not very critical but could rot a root here and there. If it's all you can find and can bare breaking it down to a smaller size it works fairly well as part of a mix in areas of tropical cacti.
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esox07: Just went on the computer and read your posting. I hope that you found what you need. Please let us know if this bark product can be used to make the quick-draining, gritty-planting medium....the '"bark-fines" part. I guess the price is not that high considering the Repti-Bark is $20.00 a bag... and you can always use the leftovers in the future if you make too much potting mix. Just a bit more information....There's a product called: "Micro Bark" made by GreenAll but it's mainly found only on the West-Coast, and a few other states. This might help others who live in these locations. No distributors/retailers in NYC area! Why???? Who knows? Bruce,...Good luck with the peppers. I hope I helped you and others. In addition: Some posters on this thread chose to misquote and misrepresent some of the information which I posted ... especially about the subject regarding the gritty-mix, potting mediums. The purpose of these forums is to openly exchange opinions, information, and ideas... and to do so without invective, and snide recommendations, if you happen to disagree with that posted information.
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To get the best answer regarding the pine fines, I would ask Al, tapla, over at the Container Gardening Forum. He would know the best answer to that question. He's very knowledgeable, and very helpful... I'm sure he'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I grow my bulbs indoors all year 'round... most of my bulbs share an unobstructed east facing window, and have supplemental lighting to help. A few of my bulbs, the ones that won't fit into the east window alcove, share the south window, which is shaded all summer and fall by two huge Sycamore trees... I trade them out with bulbs from the east window every once in a while, so everyone gets decent amounts of light. Hippeastrum bulbs require tons of light, and while an unobstructed south window would probably be best for indoor growing, a summer outdoors in the garden would be even better... a shaded south window with supplemental lighting would be fine, too. My advice would be to give your indoor bulbs as much light as you can. I keep my bulbs in their pots, and only take them out to re-pot into the next size larger, or to change soil after a year or two... I treat my bulbs like houseplants, and I don't force them to bloom out of their natural season. I give them as much light as I can, water and fertilize as they need it, and keep a close eye out for pests and other potential problems. There are a few different ways to treat Hippeastrum bulbs... you can grow them indoors all year, summer them outdoors and bring them in before frost... you can force them to rest, and have them bloom on your schedule, or allow them to keep their own schedule... different growers treat their bulbs differently. I'm not sure if I've answered all of your questions... I've only explained how I treat my bulbs... after you've read about and understand the different methods for growing these beauties, you'll no doubt choose the way that works best for you. Keep in mind that Hippeastrum bulbs are sort of like batteries... they expend a lot of energy blooming, and they need lots of light and to be fed well so they can recharge for the next bloom season.
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ferretbee
14 years ago
If you need partially composted pine bark fines for 5:1:1 mix Fafard Aged Pine bark can be ordered through:

Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies, Inc.
5612 Pride Road
Richmond, VA 23224-1028
Tel: (804) 233-3454

They might not order less than a pallet of 36 for you, but it doesn't hurt to ask. They will deliver and Price was $10.33/ 2.8cuft bag.

Ray can get away with larger pieces since he's using it as an amendment to bagged potting mix. Since the primary component (potting mix) is made up of fairly fine pieces, uniformity of the other components isn't as important.

For gritty mix, it's important that the components all be of nearly uniform size.

My Home Depot doesn't carry that EarthGro product. I saw some some EarthGro mulches at a local K-Mart, however they did not have the product Raybo recommends and there was nothing appropriate for either Gritty or 5:1:1 mix.

Be careful what you buy, as products can vary by region even if the item numbers and packaging are identical.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
14 years ago
I wasn't sure if Dancing Lemons was filling a self-watering container or building mix
for traditional containers.

I assumed traditional container.

I screen the bark for both the Gritty and the 5-1-1 mix.

The difference is that I keep the stuff that falls through the 1/8 inch screen for the 5-1-1.

Pieces that are significantly larger than 3/8 of an inch are best for mulching garden/beds.

Josh
emgardener
14 years ago
I go to the landscape supply companies that have large outdoor concrete bins of different soils, compost, bark, rocks,... and just buy the mini-bark. In the bay area the mini-bark is from redwood trees.

This spring the bark was well composted compared to previous years when I've bought it. Business is probably slow due to the recession and they've been sitting on a big pile of the same bark all through the winter rains.
dancinglemons
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks one and all!! I will contact Griffin and see if they have a bag or 3 they will sell 'alone' :-)

I will be mixing it with ProMix BX. BTW called the 1-800 number on the bag of 50/50 and they said they "think" the compost portion of their soil conditioner is from municipal waste and they would not comment on if it is safe for growing veggies.

DL
jaclyn6bva
14 years ago
DL,
I had great success dealing with Griffin last year, but as of last spring, they didn't carry the Fafard any more, unless i wanted the whole pallet. Perhaps we can find a few more people in the richmond area interested in splitting a pallet? I know I'd go in on one! I'll be at Griffin tomorrow picking up pots for my vineyard and will check in with them to see if they have it this year again.
Jaclyn

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