While at the store looking for perlite (must be in short supply nobody had it in stock) i noticed they sold bags of composted pine bark to "loosen & condition" soil. They also had shredded pine bark mulch. I was wondering if i could use this instead of perlite for drainage and to keep my soil light and airy. If so any suggestions as to how much to add? Any pros/cons to using shredded pine bark? Tell me about any other similiar alternatives you may be using if you like. Thanks for the help
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Shredded Pine Bark Mulch?
- Thread starter FarmerTed
- Start date
V
vhGhost
using Mulch as a light top dressing is a nice way to keep the soil wet longer and works great in beds rather than pots. But as for drainage I wouldn't substitute anything for perlite.
organick
Member
Pine bark is organic matter, it will break down.
Perlite is inert matter and will not break down. Pumice is what perlite replaces, pumice is heavy but more natural and does contain some minerals necessary for plant growth. Ok, the minerals would need to be “broken down” but they would last years I’m thinking, even then it would still absorb-drain water quickly, which is what you want from good inert matter in your soil mix.
Perlite is inert matter and will not break down. Pumice is what perlite replaces, pumice is heavy but more natural and does contain some minerals necessary for plant growth. Ok, the minerals would need to be “broken down” but they would last years I’m thinking, even then it would still absorb-drain water quickly, which is what you want from good inert matter in your soil mix.
organick said:
Could you give us the source of this info on pumice?, From my understanding pumice is nothing more than very porous glass....what necessary minerals specifically are you referrring to?
And to the O.P., do not use pine bark.....ever notice how nothing else grows in a pine forest....Like burnone said....highly acidic.
Peace DLB
ps. Some pumice will float on water.
How about something else such as shredded hardwood mulch?, or do you agree with vhGhosts statement about not substituting anything for perlite?BurnOne said:
What i was thinking was the differant size pieces would break down at differant rates thereby lasting a long time. I would have to add to it but, it would also be helping to enrich my soil. And its a renewable resource.organick said:
The reason I was asking; 1. I'm having a hard time finding the plain perlite w/o added ferts. The last place said it would be a week before they were restocked. Mulches are easier to find and cheaper if they'd work 2. I like the way miracle grow drains and looking at it i see alot of shredded wood in it and not a whole lot of perlite. This lead me to believe that is what was contributing to it drainage properties and it lightness and airyness?
Thanks for all the responses,
FT
My local Walmart has small bags of Shultz's perlite in the garden section on the shelf... Far better than nothing...
The local nursery has the huge bag of perlite for 19.95 but it's medium sized and not coarse perlite which 'rocks'!
HomeDePot and Lowes???
Perlite is worth the search...
The local nursery has the huge bag of perlite for 19.95 but it's medium sized and not coarse perlite which 'rocks'!
HomeDePot and Lowes???
Perlite is worth the search...
emmy75
Member
not only is pine bark acidic but it uses all the available nitrogen fast. the first soil i worked with had bark and i swear the nitrogen would be used up faster than the plants can get to it and use it. bark has a terrible carbon to nitrogen ratio or whatever that thing is... its been a long time since ive used bark so i forgot what that ratio thingy is called.
Ok got it, perlite good, follow up questions bad.BurnOne said:
Just wondering if it would work or if anybody had used it with good/bad results after seeing it at the nursery and doing a search and finding this.http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=67741&page=2&pp=15&highlight=pine+bark+mulch
Heres the relevant parts if you dont want to go to the thread;
At Forrest Keeling Nursery they have used rice hulls in nursery container media at 40% by volume, using pine bark (40%) and sand (20%) as the other components.
This mix appears to me to be a faster-draining mix than most Ohio growers are using.
Table 1. Physical Properties of Composted Rice Hulls, Peat and Bark.
Figures from Dr. Ted Bilderback, North Carolina State University.
RH P PB
TS 13% 10% 11%
TP 87% 90% 89%
AS 27% 18% 24%
CC 60% 72% 65%
Total Solids=TS Total Porosity=TP Air space=AS Container Capacity=CC
RH=Rice Hulls P=Peat PB=Pine Bark
Note: Total Solids plus Total Porosity = 100% of container volume
Air space plus container capacity = Total Porosity
Air space = the % of container volume that is filled with air after a completely saturated medium is allowed to drain.
Container capacity = the % of container volume that is filled with water after a completely saturated medium is allowed to drain
Thanks to everyone for posting, hope i didnt make any one grumpy.
Farmer Ted: Before you write off pine bark, please take a look at this thread on a "square" gardening site. It's a very informative discussion about growing plants in containers with a medium composed mainly of pine bark. I'm not advocating the use of pine bark for growing our favorite plant (because I haven't tried it yet), but since you asked for info about pine bark medium, I'm posting this link to what has to be the most detailed discussion on the Net of the pros and cons.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg031557203792.html?150
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg031557203792.html?150
organick
Member
Longbottom: some magnisum and iron too. http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photopumice.html (gosh, I never knew you cared, I feel special)
Farmer: Burn1 said post results of any experiment. The methods mentioned grow good buds. If you can grow good bud in pine bark do it and show the results. They will be welcome.
the thread you quote seems more like a brain-storming session on soil amendments rather than a method to grow pot.
Farmer: Burn1 said post results of any experiment. The methods mentioned grow good buds. If you can grow good bud in pine bark do it and show the results. They will be welcome.
the thread you quote seems more like a brain-storming session on soil amendments rather than a method to grow pot.
Last edited:
H
highsteppa
Keep in mind that the composted and shredded pine park are 2 totally different things.
Composted pine bark will add drainage, airation and especially weight to the soil, and being that it has alrady been composted should not steal microbes and rob nitrogen. Shredded pine bark is much, don't mix it with your soil.
Composted pine bark will add drainage, airation and especially weight to the soil, and being that it has alrady been composted should not steal microbes and rob nitrogen. Shredded pine bark is much, don't mix it with your soil.
Thanks for the link. I checked it out and a few other threads on the site. Interesting, seems other people are using it with good results.darklands said:
I was'nt looking to do an experiment, so i asked if shredded pine bark has been used before. The answer was, dont its too acidic. Does that mean dont use any or just pine because of its acidity? So i asked, and got...organick said:
Just made me feel like i was being told asking a follow up ? to the first response had offended him/her.BurnOne said:
Regarding the thread the topic was renewable resources that could be used to replace non-renewable resources used in growing. Oyster shells instead of dolomite lime that kind of thing.
For now i think i'm going to stick to perlite. Maybe when i remulch my outdoor beds i'll set some aside, see what happens and let you know.
Thanks to everybody for all the input.
