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Pine bark fines

I know several of you guys have been looking for them. These are pretty close.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100350635/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=Soil+conditioner&storeId=10051
I bought some and some particles were bigger than advertised but for the most part I think this will work just fine. It is the purple bag.

Is it the Timberline stuff? Christmas Tree Shops has it here for $2.50 so if you have one there check them out I am sick of sifting the stuff, but more than half is usable. I found Schultz soil conditioner at CTS for $5 a bag years ago and have been going back to check every year, I think it has been discontinued.
I am liking this stuff called Babe's Pine Bark Mulch, it is much finer, I just pick out the few big sticks as I go rather than sifting. It is a good deal at $6.50 for 3 cu. ft. at Score Seed in Claymont.

It is the Timberline stuff. It is also the closest to what I wanted that I can find in this area. It was 3.57 Per bag.

Is this the stuff some people are mixing into potting soil to aid drainage?

Yes. In Western PA you might be able to find Frey Bros./Twin Oaks "Pine Soil Conditioner", it is perfect to use right out of the bag but will cost twice as much as "mulch".

Thanks. I spent a small fortune on perlite and vermiculite last year trying to loosen up the hard clay/soil mix in my vegetable garden. I have some figs that need to be put into larger pots so I'll be picking some mulch this weekend!

I have used (some) Pine Bark Mulch before.
My concern is that, besides bark, there is many more stuff.

What happened to the "MINI Pine Bark Nuggets"?
I cannot find them anywhere locally!
They were usaually ~1/2 the size of (plain) pine bark nuggets.

I have heard that some people use a lawn-mover to shred the big nuggets...

George, what other "stuff" are you concerned about being in the Timberline Pine Bark Mulch?

From what I've observed, the [Timberline pine bark] mulch is not pure pine bark!
It contains 'other' stuff, like wood-chips (which is totally different)...

Hello everybody
I got mini pine bark nuggets at home depot last year.
Vito

 

The PBFs at 6 & 9 are ideal for container soils like the 5:1:1 mix. The product at 3 is a little coarse. The fir bark at 12 is 1/8-1/4" and perfect for the gritty mix. What you see in the center is the 5:1:1 mix, dry.

 

Al

The Timberline stuff came loaded with acorns in a few bags, I planted some.

Anyone use these? http://www.agway.com/catalog/home_and_garden/mulches/pine/10202313_agway_pine_bark_mulch_3_cuft.html
I did notice lots of shredded wood in the bag from Home Depot. The bag from Agway looks very barky.

I use the MINI pine bark nuggets as mulch but have not been able to find it lately. I used to get it at WM but they discontinued it and HD doesn't carry it here. It holds up well and looks better to me than the standard pine bark mulch. I'm actually using it for mulch though and not as a soil ammendment.

Here is the lineup from Banfe in Milford DE, The mini nuggets looked like they were all over a half inch and I do not have a chipper. Babe's looks like the Agway stuff, it is very well aged and hardly needs any peat really because of all the small particles.
edit: Babe's is variable, look at what is in the bag before you buy.

Oh, I forgot about Agway!
There is one such a store 3 towns away from me.
Checking their web site, they do stock them Mini-PBNs.
They are on the more expensive end; but I will stock up on them.
Thanks Jason for just mentioning Agway...

No problem Gorgi, I just special ordered 10 bags of pine bark mulch. The guy said it is all bark and no wood and the pieces are nickel sized and smaller. A little pricey like you said but I want what I want. 3 cu ft for $8 and change.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! After months of searching I found them under my nose at Agway 3cu ft for $7.75. Sold as Pine Bark Mulch. It is all bark and under a quarter in size. I am going to try 2 parts promix, 2 parts PBF, and 1 part coarse perlite.

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Same here!

I went to my nearest (15 miles) Agway and bought some
Pine Bark Mulch and Pine Bark Mini Nuggets.
Both were on sale for $6/3CuFt and are of excellent quality.

I also found (and bought) a Pro-Mix (BX) bag for $35/3.8CuFt.

Great deal on the pine! Are you using mini nuggets for something fig related?

  • Rob

Gorgi, can you post or PM the Agway location where you went?  I'm not too far from you (Westchester County, NY), and haven't found a good local source.

Thx

Just following up on the Agway comments.  This is really good fine pine bark.  I've hardly encountered any larger chunks mixed in.  It is a bit expensive ($6 for 3cu ft).  Our local Agway has three grades, large, mini, and the fine stuff, all for the same price.  I'm sure the larger stuff would last longer as mulch but the fine stuff looks really nice and would make a nice amendment or base for a potting mixture I'm thinking.

Jason,
I usually use the big pine nuggets at the bottom of big pots (drainage).
For lack of any better, I also used some of them mini ones in the potting mix.
You were right! Agway pine stuff is "barky"!

Rob,
 I went to Agway in Morristown NJ.
http://www.agway.com/store/morristown_agway.html
Current sale/flyer ends 04/29.
Re Pine Bark Multch: forget about them figs; it is 'Orchid' quality!
I have to go back and get me some more.
They have some real good stuff there; forget about big box HD, Lowes...

Farm service places seem to always have better deals (and larger sizes) than big boxes. Our local HD rarely has what I want, and when they do their prices generally are more. They are currently selling perlite (same brand) for double the price. Actually it's the same price, but you only get half as much.

 

We don't have an agway, but in town we have at least 2 other good ag places.

I thought I might inject a word of caution about everyone's great pine bark search. Sadly, there is considerable variability in the quality of pine bark and potting media out there. Here are a few publications discussing some of the problems:


For what it is worth, the first bag of pine bark I bought had a pH of 2.9. I then found a reliable source of fir bark that had an acceptable pH and EC and I stopped looking. So, I do not have any clear indication of how much bad pine bark is out there. But it is out there. I still check each time I buy a new batch of the fir bark. Retail potting soils as the publications above detail have enormous variability too. It is a huge drag to check but the downside of not checking can be a bigger drag. Most of the pine bark mulch is spread on the top of the soil where its poor qualities may not have as catastrophic an effect as when incorporated into a potting media. When you have trees that do poorly upon potting in a new mix, it could well be the potting mix components and not transplant shock per se.

Another suggestion, if you REALLY want to learn about soilless medias and growing in pots, look up the works of Ted Bilderback, who is a professor at North Carolina State University. His level of understanding of how to successfully grow in pots is light years beyond ANYONE I have seen posting on this and other forums.

Good luck with your figs!

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