I ended up finding bark at a local nursery. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
-Ross
I believe a number of studies have shown that sapwood isn’t a problem as long as you use a little extra fertilizer.
Definitely the case. But, it can be pricey. The only place I’ve found pine bark fines around here is an independent nursery called DesignsByLee. They sell pine bark nuggets (the same large size as HD), mini-nuggets (getting closer and not a bad mulch for awkward places where you want it to last), and micro-mini nuggets (perfect for making potting soil). They are 3 cubic ft for $7-8 (last time I got any was last spring). They also have another dozen plus kinds of other mulch. I took a look at their trees one time and got sticker shock. The same tree that was $20 at HD was $79 here. They did have some interesting stuff as well, such as 3 tiered espalliers (multi variety). Of course that stuff was well into 3 digits.
1 Like
Wow, yes that is expensive. I pay 3 bucks for 30 pounds. I bought 10 bags last time so 30 bucks for 300 pounds. I do have to remove some sap wood, not much. It’s not ideal, it’s not micro nuggets more like small pine chips. It is composted too. Nuggets usually are not. When they have the nuggets i think they are twice as much. Sometimes I buy them.
Fafard soil mixes are excellent products but also not that cheap. It is a good, maybe even better alternative. I found a small mom and pop nursery that sells Fafard 52 mix. I have used it and it is a fantastic potting soil designed for outdoor pots.
I use my leaf blower/vac the same as you. I wear earplugs and check for stones in the mulch, although they have to be pretty small to actually be sucked up. OH and make sure the mulch bag is zipped shut-------it is amazing how far it flies out the back end if it is not.
Fafard 52 is a good mix for tree seedlings. I’ve used 3B with good success as well. I eventually found a Promix Bx source locally. At first, I thought Fafard was less expensive than Promix but I was buying it loose and the Promix Compressed. When I looked at the compression ratio, I found the Promix was actually less expensive. For the small propagation containers (18s) I uses it straight, but I mix with the mini-pine bark nuggets for larger containers. It improves drainage and reduces my cost. I should probably mix my own from scratch but just haven’t found the time.
1 Like
Yes, it is time consuming for sure! It takes me 12 hours or longer to mix all I use. I really need to cut down on the plants I have but I can’t seem to stop!
1 Like
That’s a good point. I recall reading that various universities are experimenting with whole ground trees as a substitute for pine bark with good success.
1 Like