Measured 5 Gal dry in wheel barrel

5 Gal bark with 1 Gal Perlite

5 Gal Bark, 1 Gal perlite and 1 Gal peat moss

5 Gal bark, 1 Gal perlite, 1 Gal peat, 7 Tablespoon's Domolitic Lime

5 gal bark, 1 gal Perlite, 1 Gal Peat, 7 Tablespoon's Lime and 2 Tablespoon's Osmocote slow release fert's

All mixed together

Final product in a 5 Gal cat liter box. man was this a lot of work and honestly very time consuming. After all said and done I got 12 Gal out of my sifted bark. I also made 10 Gal of 1/2" to 3/4" mix.

I am debating on whether or not to make a batch using 1/16th-1/8th" as I have about 8 gal of it or use it for seed starter next year. Thoughts on that?

I would like to thank everyone for the advice and input on the entire 5-1-1 subject. This is for sure not my mix and I take no credit for it, I just followed directions lol...

Since I only had enough bark for basically 10 plants total, I am going to try another mix using MG Organic Coice with some MGMC. Also I will be doing some containers with just MG potting mix and some inn the ground as well. 10 plants down, 60 to go....

THANKS ALL,

Bill

That's a lot of work and I hope you reap all the benefits now, Bill. Go get 'em!

Bill, looks great to me...but what do I know. So, how much bark did you start with compared to how much you actually end up with? Oh, and I like the idea of using the smallest waste bark for seed starting next spring...I may have to look into that.

Bruce

The only thing I'd add is water ;-)
Moisten that mix a little at a time and churn it all together, evenly distributing the ingredients. Given how clean the bark is, I predict it will be a very fast-draining mix, and so encouraging the mix to "bind" as much as possible before planting is a good idea.

Josh

According to the 5:1:1 FAQ thread in Containers, the desired particle size for drainage and aeration is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/8" or > (I don't recall exactly).

Your little stuff would make a good starter mix, but with 8 gal of the it you could use some of it to stretch the mixes you have now.

Thanks guys.

Bruce, I brought home about 25 Gal of rough bark. Anywhere from dust to 4-5" pieces. I just grabbed handfuls out of a pile at work. By the time I did my first sift I would say I had about 10 usable Gals. The very large stuff I put in a pillow case (Don't tell the wife) and ran over it a few times in my truck to crush it, worked great. All in all out of 20 Gal or so I have about 16 usable however, I still have one 5 Gal container of the very large stuff I still need to crush/sift. Trash wise, out of all this I did not even get 1 Gal of "junk" Very little waste.

Josh, So if I am understanding you correctly, you are saying basically to dump my mix back out into the wheel barrel and spray lightly with water then put back into the container and plant? As of this writing I have not put any plants in the containers. I wonted to get all the dry mix done first.

Dennis, I may just do that. Add some of the smaller mix to increase final output. I am going to save some and the Thanks guys for all your feedback.

Bill

p.s. I bought way to much pure peat moss (Sphagnum). Is there anything I can do with this? A few containers of it by itself, in-ground use by itself etc. I have 6 compacted cubic feet left (3 new bails) and don't want to take it back to the store if I can use it any other way. I am trying multiple growing mediums just for the hell of it and wondering if I can make a mostly peat based mix.

Bill

""Since I only had enough bark for basically 10 plants total, I am going to try another mix using MG Organic Coice with some MGMC.""

Make sure you add additional perlite as the MG organic choice contains none. Why would you choose the MGMC soil many say its not good for pepper use? Holds too much moisture. The Organic choice is very gritty and compacts hard if no perlite is introduced, if it was me I would also throw in some of that extra, smaller bark into that mix.

Mark

Mark,

Going to try the MGMC for the heck of it but mainly because I got two 2cf bags for a $1 each as they where somewhat damaged.

Thanks for the advice on adding Perlite in the Organic Choice. Will put plenty in as I had to buy the small Perlite, could not fine corse.

Bill

Bill, lol at that price heck I would even give it a go also. I probably would mix as you are going to with the MG organic and perlite. Update us on how the plants do in that mix.

Sorry I don't know what to do with all that extra peat. Maybe someone will know and let you know.

Mark

If you're intent on using the MGMC, then I'd use it as my peat part in the 5-1-1 and take the peat back to the store. If you want to keep the peat anyhow, till it into they garden some place where the soil is compacted. Just my 2 cents.

Kevin

Bill, I would most certainly moisten the mix before filling the container. Water is added to hydrate the peat and the bark when making the 5-1-1, and also to begin the lime phase reaction - which takes 2 - 14 days (roughly) depending on moisture and temperature.

If you don't moisten the mix before filling the containers, you'll likely have dry pockets that resist wetting and make watering a pain in the ass down the road.

Josh

Josh: Do you mix up your five-one-one, 2-14 days ahead of time so the lime reaction has time to take effect before you plant your seedlings into the mix?? Or can you mix it up and plant your seedlings same day and let the lime reaction while the seedling is already planted?
Bruce

So I've been trying to source out Pine Bark and having difficulty like some of you. The only thing I can find is fir tree bark in different sizes. Any thoughts on fir vs pine?

Considering making my own as a friend needs a pine tree chopped down. Any idea how to go about this an easy way?

Fir is fine hillseeker. I believe any "conifer" bark in general is good.

Kevin

Actually, I think Fir is preferred by some over pine but if you can find either, consider yourself a lottery winner.
Bruce