Have you heard of Orchiata New Zealand bark?

They have bark in several sizes including "fine"

I would not recommend blending up wood in your blender.

Here is a link

Fine Bark Chips

For the last 10-12 years, I've been lucky to have prescreened fir bark available in a perfect size, but my source has dried up and I won't pay what the next nearest supplier wants (4X what I was paying), so I'll soon be screening pine bark again. The bark I use for 5:1:1 is well suited for the gritty mix after a quick screen. Hopefully, you'll eventually stumble on a good source of pine bark - that's usually how you find it. I've never had to 'grind' my bark, but I'm wondering if one of the old fashion clamp on hand grinders would work for small batches? They come with several blade inserts ..... My mom used them to grind stuff for chili sauce and for processing wild game (mostly venison) into burger. Where do you live, BG?

Al

tlbean2004 - I had never heard of that brand before. It looks really good but I'm concerned about the bag size. I've got a fair few plants to do....the massive bag I found was $8. Suppose the price doesn't matter if I can't use it. Suppose I can see if my neighbours need any bark to mulch their gardens or something. Thanks for the link. Ya know I never thought to look online.

Al - I am in Alberta, Canada. Thanks for the input.

I found some bark mulch that is 3/8" in size. Is this suitable? It says on the website spruce and pine. I don't know if that means they're mixed together or if they have both kinds available. Is spruce a no-no?

I dont know...... but i'm worried that the "bark mulch" will decinigrate faster than if you brought bark chips. Mulch is used for landscaping purposed and it needs to be replinished every year or two. The bark that i linked you to is good stuff and i have personally brought it and like it. They have many different sizes of it available and in different quantities. It is also specially treated and can last for over 10-20 years.

Good luck on your search.

I've never used spruce bark before, so I can't tell you how well it would/wouldn't likely work. Pine in 1/8-3/8 is ok for gritty, and dust to 3/8 is perfect for the 5:1:1 mix. How about a link to the site?

Al

http://www.barkmulchdepot.ca/detail.php?id=102

If I'm going to order from them I'd better be committed. They only sell in bulk minimum 1/2 cubic yard. I don't really know how much that is but it sounds substantial.

tlbean2004 - I really like the link you sent me and the bark looks great but I haven't seen it for sale anywhere here and to order it online would end up being about $40 a bag with shipping. I've got quite a few plants to do and several pretty big ones so I'm concerned it would end up costing me too much in the end. Normally wouldn't be a problem but I'm on disability right now and the paycheck has taken quite a hit. I really appreciate all your help though. If I end up finding it anywhere here I will definitely snap it up immediately.

Al - Thank you for your help. I could be your guinea pig with the spruce. I know it's not good for animals but plants essentially aren't animals so I'm clueless.

Haha. You're making me laugh too hard over here, however I actually DID do it. I thought I was being a genius. Apparently genius is in the eye of the beholder.

Sounded like a good idea when I read it until the blender broke!!! LOL. Ive had many genius ideas that went horribly wrong!!!

Good news my fellow gritty friends. I have found zee bark fines!

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to help figure out my bark problem. Always much appreciated! Happy growing!

Yayyy!!! Now you can preserve your blender LOL

I need to purchase a new one before I can preserve it... >_< I found one I want but it's $110...I thought it was a good buy (it doesn't just have one blade at the bottom, it has 3 going up the whole thing) but the husband looked at me like I was insane so I didn't buy it.........yet...he'll screw up something sooner than later and then I will get my blender.

Persistence is an admirable quality ..... and so is enthusiasm. You have both, which makes me extra glad you found your bark. You'd be surprised at how growers practically trip over each other in the effort to help other growers who exhibit those qualities. Keep us posted and let us know if you think there is anything else you need help with. Hava good weekend!

Al

I’ve been making my own pine bark fines from bark I collected in the forest from fallen trees. It was a pain in the derrière to get it down to the right size, but I did it and finished repotting my plant. I will definitely consider purchasing from Green Gate next time. I want to repot my other houseplants too. Thanks for the info! The store in the North doesn’t carry that. You’d think we’d be able to find all kinds of bark where we live!

bunnygirl, I'm glad you found something you can use, even if it's pricey!

BTW, Amazon's US site sells 26.4 liters (6 gallons) of Reptibark for $14.50 with free shipping for Prime members, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than what you've found unless the Canadian site's price or shipping for non-Prime members is too high. It doesn't have a lot of fines, but you might make up for that with extra peat, but--

Al--does that sound right? I've seen people posting about using reptibark for 5:1:1, but most Amazon reviews say it's usually well screened, which made me wonder, and I'd hate to steer bunnygirl wrong!

I think you're right to consider there are essentially no sub-1/8" fines in the prescreened fir bark, like there would be in most pine bark products. I think the answer to that fact lies in an understanding of the concept behind the soils, which is essentially based on the use of a high % of chunky material, with only enough fine material to provide water retention enough to satisfy the grower. With a little experience, we'll be able to look at the bark fraction, and decide how much peat and perlite is appropriate. In the end, we want to be certain we don't add enough peat to go beyond the threshold point, so all of the large air spaces between the chunky material are full of fines.

I can temper what I said by adding, as we move toward formulations that are less and less water retention, it's easier to keep the plant appeased than the grower. A plant can be perfectly happy if growing in a medium that actually requires watering twice per day, perhaps even happier than in a medium that actually needs watering every two days. The grower might not be as impressed as the plant in a soil that requires watering twice daily, but it's important to also realize that increasing water retention beyond a certain point is a limiting arrangement. Perched water is limiting, so the more there is of it, the greater the loss of potential. Being familiar with the concept that governs water retention puts the grower in control of that relationship between water retention and limitations. IOW, you get to decide how much potential you're willing to sacrifice for extended intervals between waterings.

Al

Non-prime members just have to spend $25 to get free shipping. I think that's the size of Reptibark I bought at a local Petco if I'm not mistaken. Its good stuff but a little big. I know its not practical for most, but I just take a side cutter pliers and halve the bigger pieces when I'm potting something.

Two asides: 1, at Petco the online price is lower than the store price, but you can price match with the online site (slightly crazy), and 2, another poster in another thread I can't recall commented that the Reptibark in smaller bags was smaller size.

Thanks for the tip, Pete! Even the small bags of Reptibark are cheaper online than the orchid bark I bought at $4 for six quarts, so that could save me some precious dollars.

Is it wrong that I have eyed my blender inappropriately for various gardening needs too. Hilarious.

Thanks so much for sharing this! I've been scouring all of Calgary and had almost resigned myself to buying a spruce pine mulch similar to what you described. Greengate is also my favourite store but I hadn't noticed they sold that fir bark. Can't wait to head there and pick some up!