Pine Bark Fines Substitute?
johnweh
13 years ago
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johnweh
13 years agoabnorm
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Pine Bark Fines Substitute
Comments (10)kiropod - I have a hard time finding appropriate PBFs in my area, too. None of the big box stores around here carry the soil conditioners that are apparently common in other parts of the country. For my containers, I generally use about 1 cu. yd. each year. I've resorted to buying pine back mulch and then running it though a chipper/shredder. If you don't have one, you can rent them from most rental outfits. I've had good luck with this routine but, of course, it assumes you need enough PDFs to make it worthwhile. I'd happily pay a steep premium to get something that's good-to-go out of the bag....See MorePine Bark Fines Substitute
Comments (4)If you don't wanna go broke, look for pine bark mulch. Pine bark fines does get funny looks, because most people haven't heard of that before. But, pine bark mulch comes in many different sizes, from chunky, regular shredded bark, to double shredded, or even triple shredded. I used to get mine from a nursury, in 2 cubic foot bags, for $5. It was great stuff, mostly fines, with some pieces that were bigger, that I just picked out. Unfortunately, they chose to stock huge flippin nuggets this year. So, I searched the web, and called ALL mulch suppliers who had pine bark mulch and asked about the size. I found one with double shredded, so I went this morning. It was just "ok", with quite a bit of larger, useless stuff, but also a LOT of fines mixed in. I filled two 55 gallon barrels for $12, and simply ran it through 1/2" hardware cloth to sort the fines out. I got about half of it as really nice fines, and the rest is going to be run through my mulching mower when mowing season is over (so I can sharpen the blades in spring). I will then put the shredded stuff in a pile to compost a bit until next year. By the way, it is in a pile right now getting started. Oh, and a tip, if you choose to go this route, you'll most likely be shoveling out of a large pile. If that's the case, shove the top away, and go for the stuff towards the bottom. Naturally, the rain pushes the finer stuff towards the bottom, and it starts decomposing, making it ideal for what you need. Joe...See MorePine Bark, Fir Bark, Orchid Bark fines
Comments (24)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....See MoreHow Fine Are Pine Bark Fines?
Comments (4)You find this discussed in great detail over on the Container gardening forum In fact you'll find a great deal of info on your non-tomato questions discussed there as they focus on container gardening. Check out this discussion of bark fines. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Container gardening discussion on bark fines...See Moremeyermike_1micha
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