Hey Mike,
Looks good! only one problem...

That silver piece of bark is up side down.. LOL!

We don't have an Agway here that I know of..

I need to sift some tonight to get some more mix made up. I REALLY like the texture of it!

JoJo

This was the same stuff I use in my gritty mix. I was worried it was just a bit too big though!

Zecowsay (or for others reading this post later): the pieces do look a tad too big for the gritty mix. But if the other two components are the correct size, it shouldn't be a problem. For example, if the grit you're using is on the small side (like mine is, since I don't have reasonable access to gran-i-grit) or if you're not sifting the turface enough, the smaller particles will more easily sink down in the container during soil movement. You'd notice after watering for a few months, a large percentage of bark is on top of your mix as the smaller pieces sank down. By the time you re-pot, many small pieces are at the bottom of the container, no bark. It's not a major issue, still WAY better than poor quality soil, it's just not ideal. Most of us going through the trouble of tracking down ingredients, paying extra $$, sifting, etc want to do it correctly.

If you are sifting using #10 mesh, everything should be great. Aluminum insect screen is slightly smaller than #10 therefore it doesn't sift *as* well, but even worse is sifting with "fiberglass" insect screen.

None of the insect screen in our house (we have both aluminum and fiber glass) appear to be big enough to sift ANY of my turface. It'll remove the dust but I still have tiny particles mixed in with the correct, grani-grit sized particles.

I'm definitely having the problems you described, where the bark is too big and seems to congregate on top of the mix and the fine turface sinks lower into the container. I've been having a lot of problems with the gritty mix appearing to be wet (wooden skewer), while my plants are showing signs of drying out. Is this caused by uneven bark distribution in the soil/uneven moisture?

I was just curious..Why would you use this bark which is composing in the gritty mix?

It is uncomposted bark you should strive to use, usually pretty much already clean..I hardly have to sift this stuff, if at all..:-)

Mike..:-)

Hey, Mike!
Definitely a 5-1-1 bark!
Looks nicely composted, indeed.
I'd screen out anything larger than 3/8 to 1/2 inch...

Josh