Greetings, I would like to try Al's container soil recipe from the garden web: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg031557203792.html The main ingredient is pine bark fines. Does anyone have a source for bark fines in the Vancouver area? Home Depot and Gardenworks don't have them. Many thanks!
Thanks! I'll keep an eye out for fir bark. Haven't had luck finding any kind of bark ground up fine enough.
Garden centers down here used to sell fine bark in 1 or 2 cubic foot bags, probably still do. One large independent store near me has quite a variety of different potting materials in small bags, like might be used for small numbers of house plants.
If your containers are large enough, you can get away with surprisingly large grades of bark in these types of mixes. I regularly use coarse grades of chipped bark with contents including up to 1-2 inch chunks for pots in the 10-12 inch range and above. Of course for 4-6 inch pots and similar you will need the fines.
Thanks! It's good to know that slightly larger bark will work. I've been avoiding potting mixes because I've read that they generally have too much peat in them and I like the mix-your-own approach.
A grower I know uses bulk fine bark delivered by a mulch and soil dealer plus sand, fertilizer, with proportions varying a bit according to type of plant - more sand is used for dry climate plants. When I worked at a rhododendron and azalea farm many years ago they used pure bark for potting the evergreen azaleas, which then got a regular liquid feed. Again, (as I remember it) this was the same bulk fine bark other people were buying to use as mulch, with the same variable particle size.
Hi Douglas Park: Much of the ingredients are very hard to find. I put together the 511 mix yesterday. The partially composted bark fines in bulk are available at "Lawnboy Enterprises Ltd." at 8655 Cambie Street,* Vancouver. The partially composted appeared to be too fine so bought a bag of uncomposted bark mulch to mix. Not too happy with the uncomposted - too much sap wood splinters. Used 6 parts of the mixed bark and 1 1/2 parts perlite (omitted the spagnum). Have you put together the gritty mix? That is on my "to do" list for next year.
