Although I live in the New Orleans area, I have also been trying in vain to locate pine bark fines. I read a huge thread on garden web about the perfect homemade potting soil and was very intrigued. It was pretty much bark fines/peat/vermiculite.

I find that what comes pre-packaged as potting soil is not very good. When you try to water it, the water doesn't want to drain through, it seems like the stuff repels it. When you finally can get it wet, it stays too wet.

I make my own. I mix about 1/3 cheap bagged potting soil with a couple of handfuls of pine bark mulch (too bad I can't find it ground up smaller), couple of handfuls of coarse sand, and if I have it, a couple of handfuls of composted manure. I also mix in a couple of tbsp. of slow-release. I find this mix works very well. It "wets" easily, the water drains right through, and it retains a slight amount of moisture without getting soggy. You do have to water frequently if the pots are outside, though.

Call/email floridamulchonline, they are the wholesalers of pine bark fines and they told me the closest nursery who carried theirs. For me it was in Sarasota, I'm sure you will have closer ones.
I am thrilled with it as a potting medium as well as a soil amendment.But I am running low on it :-0
At $5 something a 2CF bag it is competitive with much lesser quality potting mix.

naplesgardener, would you mind telling me where you found the pine bark fines in Sarasota? I'm in Bradenton so not too far away.

Suzanne

Am a newbie.. Why are you all so interested in pine bark fines? What all other stuff do u add other than this? Ar eu using this for containers??

Denise - Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I'll go to Sarasota if I have to!

Deepnshallow - check out the link below. Study it carefully and learn from Al's wisdom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container mixes for healthy plants

i've found pine fines at walmart. a couple months ago, they were being sold as 'soil conditioner', but apparently that didn't sell, so last time i stopped by the garden center there, pine fines were being sold as pine MULCH (not nuggets). $2.50 a bag. same stuff, different label. check out your local walmart!

great stuff -- not only as part of a potting mix, but also as mulch. i'm going to buy five or six bags and use it on top of my pine nuggets. it's really very attractive spread thinly in a bed.

Thanks for the wonderful link Tom.
If you're ever in the market for excellent Topsoil, I have a recommendation. We had 4 cubic yards of Black Gold Topsoil delivered in mid May and this soil was "primo". No additives, just pure and soft rich black soil. They charge 24.07/yard, 8.33 fuel Charge and 35.00 Dump Truck Delivery.(Total for us w/tax came to 146.35)
Bill and I called and 2 days later they pulled in. Repositioned the truck maybe 5 times and let out the load where we wanted it. Very accomodating.
Thought I'd pass this info along if you're ever looking for local soil delivery. Their address is 2001 13th Ave N. St. Pete 33713.
Oh, and your plummies that you so graciously gave me are doing wonderfully. Enjoying our daily rainfall and high humidity. Thanks again Tom!
Sue and Bill
http://www.carrollsbuildingmaterials.com/pages/landscape_01.html

Sarasota source: Troy's Tropics on Proctor Rd. It's not a big fancy place but they had it! floridamulchonline.com may be able to tell you a closer place though.

I have checked Walmart for miles around me. Nada.

Green Thumb Nursery on Sheldon Road usually carries bags of bark fines.

Also, the guys there make their own potting soil
and sell it for $1.09 a bag.
It's pretty good stuff.
I buy it and than add some Canadiain peat
and perlite to it - lighten it up a bit for my plants, but you don't have to............cheryl

If you have a Bushel Stop near by, they also have pine bark fines.

Thanks naplesgardener, I've tried to e-mail floridamulchonine but no luck on getting through for some reason. No luck with Wal-mart either, I think the garden manager at each one gets to make the decisions about what to carry.

Suzanne

I'm not sure what you have in mind for using the potting soil exactly, but I have my own special mix made that I use for my rare cycads. With plants that are worth what these are worth, getting the best soil is well worth the extra money. You mentioned drainage, well, that is the most important thing in growing cycads. That, and having a mix that doesn't break down real fast and get mucky over time. Also, I don't want insects getting in my mix (ants and termites love pine bark)and I don't want my pH to go acid in a year. My mix is mainly Canadian peat, well point sand (very coarse sand, almost small rock)I do use cypress saw dust and also perlite. If you can't find anything good, I am 2 minutes off I-4 in Lakeland and have my soil professionally made for me by a place that has a computer mixing it and I buy 30 yards at a time. If you are just wanting to put up some things, I could spare 1/2 a yard or something like that.

Suzanne
their toll free # is 866-796-8524. when I called there was no phone tree just a guy who answered and knew who they sold to. I get the feeling it's a small company. the website needs work.
Denise

cycad
your mix sounds very similar to Al's (tapla) from the Container forum with 2 differences: he had stopped using peat (earlier recipes include it) and doesn't used cedar because it possibly inhibits growth.
If your mix ain't broke don't fix it :-)
Denise

P.S. hope this doesn't post twice, my first reply didn't show up.

he was showing me this pile of potting mix he uses for his plants and it looks like great stuff. He was it by the yard or something like that.

The name of the nursery is Hazel's, if you are interested in asking him where he gets it...not sure what his name is, but if you pay him a visit, he's got really great tropical plants of all sorts.

teeka

My b-i-l had a soil mix made for his gardens, it was 25 yards I think he said. That's a LOT of dirt when it's in a pile waiting for you to shovel it somewhere else. But I'm not sure how much I've used and will use lately either so that might not be such a ridiculous idea. Most of my potting is for plumerias and I want fast drainage and no water-retention. I've been mixing lots of perlite into Fafard 3P and the mix I bring home from "the pile" in Tampa.

Been wanting to try "Al's mix" in a smaller way but haven't found the right ingredients easily yet.

Suzanne

I just LOVE this container mix and use it for all my plants. I learned it on the container forum and was labeled affectionately as "AL(Tapla)Soil mix. I have my Hoyas, desert rose, succulent,jades,potted fruit trees, tropicals, etc...It drains perfectly and the growths that I've been getting since I switched to this mix has been fantastic. But you definitely have to water more often especially when it has been so hot and dry. But the rewards are worth it...

You might want to call Kerby's in Brandon. I am pretty sure they carry it.

Home Depot will order pine fines for you. Don't know the cost, but they've ordered it for a neighbor. It comes in 2 cu. ft. bags, like mulch.

Thanks everyone for the responses. At least now I know there are several places where I can get it locally.... Gonna have to check out this stuff cycadjungle is using too.