Product bag

If you are looking for pine bark for the gritty mix you can probably get what you need from the Timberline product but you'll have to do alot of sifting to get between 1/4" and 1/8". It looks more suited for the 511 mix, and it also looks like the batch you got has alot of fine stuff in it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you need it. IMO the Timberline Pine Bark Mulch (sold at our local walmart) is at the lower end of the quality scale, but if you pick out the sapwood, what I see here looks pretty good. I might just add a little peat and some perlite and go with it. With any pine bark mulch, if I can't tell by eye and since looks can be deceiving to a novice like me, I usually sift small sample to determine how much fine stuff is already in it and go from there.

Thanks, I will pick out those sapwood, but still, I see a lot of fines in there and not sure they are bark dines or sapwood fines, I wanted to make gritty mix and did not find pine bark chips in there at all. Maybe I will just use this for 511. Any other product I should try for the gritty mix?

Just keep looking around....garden centers, big box stores, nurseries, etc. You'll eventually find a better source. Any Agway stores in your area?

I agree with Ed. I always keep a lookout for something suitable and make a note when I find it - even if I don't need it at the moment. That way, I have several potential sources. I've even found some excellent pine bark at retailers like Meijer, Lowe's, Home Depot, as well as various nursery/greenhouse/garden center ops. You're apt to find it under various names - 'landscape mulch', 'pine bark mulch', '[pine bark] soil conditioner' or 'clay soil conditioner', 'pine bark fines' ...... are just a few of the labels I've found on the packaging of suitable bark products. When I find something that's about exactly what I'm looking for, I'll stock up.

Al

Edweather, yes we have an agway store 1 hour drive away, last I went there they told they do not have pine bark fines, is there a specific agway product I should look for?
I actually wrote down all the product names for pine barks from all the posts that people shared, but never find anything that looks suitable. like recently, somebody mentioned garden pro bark mulch, but I never see that in bbs in our area
Again, thanks

Here's what I bought at an Ace Hardware near here. It's uncomposted........some people like partially composted. But besides that, it's the cleanest stuff I've seen. Good for either the 511 or gritty mix.

Looks great!

Al

Hi Edweather,
I was wondering how you managed to get your local Ace to order the Agway Pine Bark? I called mine and they said that if the vendor is an affiliate then they could order it. Agway was not listed as an affiliate.

Thanks,
Dan

Thanks a lot. I will take a trip to agway and show them the picture.

nyc......Well, I think the owner of the Ace also has an Agway store somewhere nearby. They didn't order it for me, they just stock Agway bagged products.