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queensinfo

bark at Home depot or walmart

queensinfo
12 years ago

Anyone recently find a good bark product at either home depot or walmart for making 5-1-1 or gritty mix? My plants are coming soon and i need to find my components.

I am going to both stores tomorrow and wanted to have some brand names i could look for. I have looked at bags previously and nothing ever looks like the photos i see here even when i try and picture what it would look like screened. It always appears more shredded.

Comments (21)

  • fortyonenorth
    12 years ago

    Here in the midwest HD and Menards both carry the brand Golden Trophy. It comes in different sizes. I think the size that most often works is "small bark nuggets" or something like that. In any event, you have to inspect the bags. Sometimes it works great "as-is;" other times it's too large or contains too much sapwood. It's a crap shoot really.

    I stopped by the HD a few days ago and they hadn't yet received new mulch shipments for spring.

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    I very, very recently picked up a bag of this at my local Walmart (the bag was frozen solid!) for just under $4. From all the research I've done, it seems to be a good substitute but I have yet to break the bag open. If you'd like, I can post pictures later this weekend once I have screened it for those elusive "fines".

    Here is a link that might be useful: Timberline Pine Mulch

  • TheMasterGardener1
    12 years ago

    I am just trying to help. I found a good source at K-mart from "greenworld" it works best and has little to no sap.

    Things may be different everywhere though.

  • queensinfo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    i saw the timberline at home depot but it looked like shredded mulch not nugget-y pieces. Saw kambark mini-nuggets at a nursery too but looked too big (I checked the kambark website and it lists a size of 5/8 to 1 in although they have a bark mulch that might be better listed as powder to 5/8).
    Still no luck and plants are coming next week. This is frustrating. I have way too much stuff coming to spend the money on repti bark.

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    The outcome of my "screening" process (sifting through a wire mesh kitchen strainer and then an old Tupperware yellow strainer) -

    {{gwi:11327}}

    {{gwi:11328}}

    There is more work to be done, clearly, but combing through the leftovers of my sifting gives me hope that this might still be a usable product. It's nowhere near as nuggety or ready made as Reptibark and its like might be, but it is available relatively close by and for a price that can't be beat.

    Hopefully someone in the know might chime in if I'm wrong and save me the work of finding 1/8" hardware cloth and possibly taking a rubber mallet to the screened bits. Otherwise, I'll do my best to make this work and hope for the best.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    12 years ago

    Lenle - that product looks like all heartwood/sapwood chips, so it wouldn't be appropriate in a container media - plus the size looks very large. So sorry.

    Al

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the heads up, Al! I thought I'd lucked out by finding the Timberline at Walmart, but apparently not. ;) Back to square one... hopefully I'll find something suitable soon.

  • marinfla
    12 years ago

    Al,
    I was thinking about you and whether you were still posting as I had not seen your name lately. It could be that I haven't been online as much as usual. Good to see you!
    Marin

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    Home Depot has a product called "Royal Garden Pine Rustic Mulch" that is apparently made of 100% Southern Pine Bark. It's labeled as decorative ground cover. Would this be suitable? If you search the Home Depot website they'll give you an image of the bagged product. I think I'll have to do some screening and may end up losing some of it since it's mulch but it might work? Would I be better off asking them to special order the "Better Gro Orchid Bark" that is made from 100% fir bark?

  • marinfla
    12 years ago

    Al,
    I was thinking about you and whether you were still posting as I had not seen your name lately. It could be that I haven't been online as much as usual. Good to see you!
    Marin

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    12 years ago

    Thanks, Marin. I'm here almost every day - still pluggin' away. ;-) Good to see you, too.

    Al

  • naturemitch
    12 years ago

    I know the size of bark I should be looking for, but Al, when you said this looked like sapwood and heartwood, what does that mean exactly? What are you seeing in the chips?

  • nycgarden
    12 years ago

    Hi queenskitchen,
    I'm also in the city and have been searching high and low for bark fines. Last year I managed to find them at the Gowanus Nursery (link below) but not sure if they are stocking them this year.

    Alas, not having a car or willingness to pay the hefty delivery charges, I didn't get a chance to pick any up. Hopefully you will have better luck.

    Regards,
    Dan

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gowanus Nursery

  • susan2010
    12 years ago

    I've had good luck buying pine bark from orchid suppliers. The seedling bark is usually a good grade for gritty mix. I bought from Orchid Enterprises, but there are also E-Bay sellers. Whether it is an economical option depends on how much you need. There's not a lot of waste.

  • capoman
    12 years ago

    Not sure if this brand is available in the US, but these stores in Canada carry AllTreat Canada Red Pine Mulch, which is the closest and most commonly available composted pine bark I have found. Don't let the word red fool you. It's not red, but a natural composted brown color.

  • meyermike_1micha
    12 years ago

    Do you have a store called 'Agway' near you? I know we have plenty in Mass.

    http://www.google.com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=agway+in+ny&oq=agway+in+ny&aq=f&aqi=g-j1g-b4&aql=&gs_sm=5&gs_upl=1734l7500l1l9078l11l11l0l2l2l0l188l1219l0.9l9l0&gs_l=hp.5..0i18j0i8l4.1734l7500l1l9078l11l11l0l2l2l0l188l1219l0j9l9l0&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=297cffb4fb1be379&biw=1012&bih=459

    They always have my bark there although I pay a pretty penny for a 2cubit bag. 9.00 dollars but well worth it. Not much waste with this stuff.

    Mike

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    What do you usually use from Agway, Mike?

    Jen

  • queensinfo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    i actually found a maybe de3cent pine bark mulch in a Homne depot in maryland while on business. I also found a nursery that carried pine bark mulch and pine bark soil conditioner so i think i may be in business. home depot mulch had more woody looking pices than the pine bark mulch from MD. ill post names when i get home tonight.

  • meyermike_1micha
    12 years ago

    I shall be back with pics. I posted some pictures here a while back of the bag and the bark itself and couldn't find it.

    Mike:-)

  • JoppaRich
    12 years ago

    What are the downsides of sapwood/heartwood vs bark? What is bark gaining you?

    I grew a ton of plants last year in 5-1-1 with what looks to be a lot of heartwood/sapwood, and everything did well, so I'm just curious as to what I'm losing with that over bark?

  • lenle
    12 years ago

    Mike, I think I located the picture you were talking about (this one here). I noticed in the thread you said you use it for the 5:1:1 mix and am now wondering if it's usable for the gritty mix. My local Agway guys (love that place!) are willing to order it for me, but I want to be sure I can use it before I ask them to. I don't really have access to a chipper to size things down, so would likely have to either attack it with a mallet or find some other inventive way to size things down some. I'm also debating the usability of this stuff.

    Any thoughts?

    Jen