pine straw instead of pine bark fines?
itsmadmax
9 years ago
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itsmadmax
9 years agoRelated Discussions
How fine can pine bark fines be before they are too fine?
Comments (6)A raised bed? Raised beds are very forgiving, and the physics and biology are very different from that of containers. There are other forums that will help you out a lot more than this one. Is the horse manure / cow manure fresh? Most kinds of manure, and especially horse manure, needs to be composted with "brown" material before it can be used by plants.. otherwise it will burn them. You can get away with small amounts mixed in. The compost and pine bark fines are great soil amendments for raised beds, but you may want to get some cheap topsoil to form the bulk of the mix if you don't have enough to mix into. There is an approach to raised bed gardening that uses completely new material - like mel's mix - but that will require yearly replacement and inorganic components like vermiculite. I think its kind of silly to be honest, but it obviously works in certain situations....See MorePine Bark Fines VS. Aspen Bark
Comments (14)I believe Al's recipe is 3-5 parts bark fines, 1 part turface or perlite and 1 part peat (would have to go look to be certain). What I am using this year is 2 parts bark fines, 1 part turface or perlite and 1 part peat. I do like this mix (certainly more than the mostly peat mixes from the store) and it retains water quite well (drying too quickly was my main concern since I grow a lot of water hungry plants), but overall I think the next time I make a mix I will reduce the peat as I can already see how the peat is mucking up the drainage. The bark fines actually hold a lot more water than I thought they would and the Turface is also quite good at retaining water. The peat is as well, of course, but it breaks down to muck inside one season whereas the Turface (or perlite) never will and the bark will take a couple/few years to do so. I do like the current ratio in self watering containers though. Probably would keep the mix the same with those....See Moremulch, pine straw, or pine bark
Comments (5)mulch is mulch is mulch .... how any given mulch will work on your soil will only be known to you ... all mulch will need annual care .... usually adding more in certain areas that it disappeared ... i know people who use each of what you list ... all are good .. bottom line... is your aesthetic.. and what you prefer ... what looks good to your eye ... and in my world .. which is the cheapest .... i personally have a more utilitarian view of mulch .. it has a job to do .. i don't really care about its look/texture ... my only caveat is color. .... go with a natural color ... stay away from 'colored' mulch ... it just isn't in harmony with ma nature IMHO .... but ..... if you like it.. go for it .... good luck ken...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 Moregreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
9 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
9 years agoitsmadmax
9 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
9 years agoitsmadmax
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9 years agoitsmadmax
9 years agoBahamaDan Zone 12b Subtropics
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoBahamaDan Zone 12b Subtropics
9 years ago
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