I understand your frustration, Kathleen. I have been able to find all of the products (well, with some "authorized" substitutes) for the gritty mix, but have been unable to find the pine bark fines for the 5:1:1 mix. I can't find pine bark mulch or shredded pine bark mulch here. I haven't checked at Walmart, but according to Walmart's web site, my local Walmarts don't sell ANY sort of mulch, just various Miracle-Gro bagged products. None of the big box stores in my area have pine bark mulch; they do sell pine bark nuggets, but those, of course, are way too big. In fact, none of the nurseries in the area at which I have checked sell pine bark mulch, either - it used to be available, but I haven't seen it in the last few years. Shredded cedar mulch seems to be the mulch of choice around here - there's plenty of that! I haven't been able to find any sort of pine bark soil conditioner, either. I guess we both just live in the wrong parts of the USA to make finding the supplies easy - or even possible! And the cost of shipping if ordering supplies on line would be prohibitive - I can't even contemplate doing so because I don't have the $$$ to spare. I have read some posts where people say that the Repti-Bark can be used for both mixes, but this product is definitely not partially composted so I have my doubts that this is what Al meant should be used in his 5:1:1 mix. Here is a quote from a post Al made in 2009 in reference to the bark in this mix: I like bark best, and the best size for the 5:1:1 mix is sawdust to 1/4" pieces and partially composted, with most of the particles concentrated in the 1/16-3/16 size. I'm NOT suggesting you go out looking for bark that fits this description, but it will give you an idea of what works best. Sigh. Holly

boy i wish there were fewer questions ... first.. clumps of 50 .... in shade.. dig hole in earth .. insert all of them together ... still banded.. whatever ... refill hole.. and lightly tamp ... in early spring.. i have held pines like this for a month ... not that i wanted too.. that is just how it turned out ... i dont know about the OCD ... lol .. i would stay away from city compost.. my experience with it.. is that its too hot ... i have had luck with simply wood chips ... and winter chips.. without the green are best ... maybe you can get those from the city .... bales of promix ... mixed about 50/50 with wood does great for me ... for trees and conifers ... but that brings in the money part do you drink water.. have a couple hundred empty bottles... slice off the top ... slice holes in the bottom.. fill with tree and media ... but i dont know how big yours are ... most greenhouse/nurseries .. have a recycle pile for black pots out back .. they wont match.. but when i moved my garden.. i got 1500 pots from 1 to 25 gals for free ... i see now the size of your plants ... will ruminate on further ideas ... do you have enough space to line them out.. planting them about a foot apart .... for this summer ... then start culling every other one into pots.. or donations .... ma earth is ALWAYS better than anything we can dream up .... i wouldnt spend a lot of time worrying about pathogens.. and all that .... they are trees ... they will probably grow in the cracks in your driveway ... keep it simple, stupid [KISS -- military term apparently] .. as the book i just finished reading liked to say ... once you start over thinking it all and messing with every possible variable... you will complicate your life.. and the trees lives ... good luck ken

Yep, Tcharles is right - your only realistic option is to go there yourself and collect your own seed. Yucca-do Nursery in TX at least used to collect several of the piñons on their Mexico trips and sell the plants, but last I looked at their website, they no longer had them on their list. Might be worth asking though. Not that collecting your own is any hardship, you get to see mature specimens in their native habitat, and what could be more exciting than that! ;-) Time to go is late October or early November; I was there early-mid Nov., which was a touch late for P. cembroides, P. culminicola and P. pinceana (most seed gone but still some in), ideal for P. nelsonii and P. johannis (cones freshly opening but still full of seed). P. remota ripens earlier, early to mid September. P. maximartinezii is the odd one out on timing, its cones take about 26 months to mature, and open in late summer; I think the locals harvest them in August. Growing piñons from seed isn't difficult; fresh seeds germinate readily after cold moist pre-treatment (couple of months in damp sand at +2°C), and the seedlings are vigorous in their first year (having good reserves in the large seed!). Early youth is much more difficult - they deeply resent any root disturbance, and I lost some transplanting from seedbed to individual pots (if I did it again, I'd use individual pots one per seed from the start). But this risk applies just as much to bought-in plants as to own-grown seedlings. Resin Here is a link that might be useful: Pics and some locations

I bought some Pinus edulis seedlings from Lone Peak Nursery in Draper Utah last fall. They are a reforestation agency that has been closed as of this month because of state budget cuts. The seed source of the Pinus edulis was New Mexico. I planted most of the trees last fall and have been planting the remainder this spring. I decided to give the Pinus monophylla a try because they thrive in similar areas and conditions not to far to the west. In the East Tintic Mountains to the north, the Pinus edules and Pinus monophylla range over lap. So I hope I can have the same thing happen in Burrville. Growing up in northern Utah, my parents would take the family to Nevada on Labor Day and pick pine cones which were Pinus monophylla and that is why I want to plant that type in Burrville. I hope they will work out. The main difference in conditions will be, a slight increase of precipitation and slightly higher elevation. The area I'm planting them in is very dry and well drained soil. Thanks for your information. One thing that amazed me, was that the nutritious part of the seed that surrounds the pine needle part of the internal center of the nut is still in tact and tasty after the tree has grown out of its shell. I thought that the seedling would have used up the nutritious part of the nut for its own growth like a baby chick uses up everything in the egg. It is slightly translucent and more yellow than the creamy white they start out being. They are sweater and taste ok, but not as good as fresh pine nuts. After washing and eating these pine nuts, I felt like I was having my cake and eating it to. Steve.