Ah, the search continues to find the elusive Pine bark fines! I am in awe of Al's vast knowledge and in fact, became a Member of the Garden Web after reading the "Al Chronicles" in seven (or is it 8 now?) Volumes. Al, you are the Zen Master of wicks, water plateaus, and medium mixology! .....but I digress. I wanted to mention one source of nitrogen that will slow release and is more to my liking as it doesn't come out of a bottle (though it does come in pelleted form), which is Alfalfa Pellets. (the horse kind, not the rabbit). The pellets will swell and fall apart as soon as water is applied and offer a quick fix of readily available nitrogen to offset those pesky sap woods in your pine bark nuggets. For my OCD tenancies, I don't care for any of the bagged bark products available from your local Home Improvement Palaces, because in my estimation, none qualify as true Pine Bark Fines. What I consider pine bark fines is always PARTIALLY COMPOSTED PINE BARK, which by it's very nature, you can crumble into bits through a diamond mesh screen. Almost without exception today's "Forest Products" are the byproduct of lumber harvesting, which is ground up and dispensed into bags. Nothing even approaching composting of pine bark is occurring with these products because it takes too long. I haven't found a reliable source of "fines" other than harvesting my own from around the bases of harvested Ponerosa pines cut over a decade ago.Old timber operations often left the bark and branches piled at the harvesting site, which is another good source, as are old dead snags, which will have the bark slip from them and land about their bases. All of this requires a bit of labor on your part, but then again, it's a lovely way to spend the weekend, right? National Forests in California are quite accommodating and will issue a permit if required, or happily point you in the direction of a likely spot to forage. I can usually fill my pickup truck bed in about 4 hours and all it costs me is my time and gas for the truck. I attribute my OCD behavior on the subject to an ancient Bonsai Master I had the privilege to study under back in the late '60's, who was very exacting in his tutelage. "Fines" were exclusively "Partially Composted Pine Bark", period.

'Organic' means carbon-based...so, yes, pine bark is organic. I use powdered Dolomitic Lime. You sprinkle it in with the ingredients, then mix it together. The lime phase reaction takes anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks to complete, which is why it is often recommended to make your mix ahead of time. However, there is no danger in mixing and potting the same day. I've done it many, many times. In a large volume of 5-1-1, where moisture and temperature is moderated, I imagine that some innoculants might work....but I do not use any, and I only know one guy who does - and his results are far too variable to draw meaningful conclusions. Instead of a moisture meter, just stick a kabob skewer or other stick into the container to check for moisture. It's the easiest way. I germinate seeds directly in the 5-1-1, but I start most seeds in a Gritty Mix. Josh

Hello everyone!! I think everyone should remember that it does take time to invest in what is best for our plants and trees. Your time and patience in finding the items can be a challenge at times, but Al also has given others that can't find all of the ingredients other ways of making a better mix with what items we can find.. I do understand the frustration. Believe me. When I first started, I couldn't find the fines. But they were available after I just looked online and listened to people and searched. They are available, I just wasn't looking in the right place... At Home Depot they had soil conditioner which was perfect for the 5-1-1. Once you use the Gritty and or the 5-1-1. You will understand why it works.. I have been using this method for many years now and I would like the OP to give it a try. It's worth the effort and if you listened to the ( naysayers) all of the time, we would all still be using bagged soil because its easy and the manufacturers just want us to buy , discard and use again. It's all about money.. Making it yourself once you find the items, it really is easy to make my mix the way I like for all of my plants. Grace is right.. It is a learning experience and if you are willing to understand and give it a try, I think you will be happy. But it is up to everyone to make up their minds if they want to understand the science and see the benefits that your plants will give back. I think Al has been able to help so many people .. Others that can't find certain items so they can adjust or substitute items to make a better mix. If anything.. He has always been willing to go out of his way to help people find items. So.. Thank you Al. You have tried to help and it will take some action on our parts to find what we need. I just want the OP to just think for yourself ... Don't let others sway you just because.. Try it.. You can always go back to what ever you were using. I bet you will see improvement over time and never turn back!! ;-) No one was ever called lazy and it is in the best interest to just try and do your best. If you can't find what you need, adjust and you can make a mix using a peat based mix, perlite and bark or fir bark. It's just about making your soil or mix lighter so there is more aeration for the health of your roots. It is about the changing of heavy peat based mix that our roots suffer in. Lets give credit to the OP for posting.. I'm glad you did. Sometimes it takes only one to start the new path. " way to go..." You all take care!!! Laura

It's that time of years again for my sawtooth coriander to bolt with seed. It looks like it will be about 3 more weeks before they are ready to ship. They are still free to anyone needing seeds for only a single stamp for postage. Also, I have some small starter plants that I can send one of for postage of 3.00 anywhere in the lower 48 states. I have seeds from last year that should still be good if anyone needs them sooner. My germination success rate is 80+ success, but, any of the seeds do take at least 4 weeks to germinate. Once germinated you CANNOT KILL THEM LOL. I mailed some plants out and they got lost in the mail for about a week or two... once they finally arrived... they still survived. My mailing address is posted a few times above and the email add is still the same. Cheers !!