Hi, Michele. I think you would do better if you used a lime product that contains a fraction of Mg equal to 1/4-1/3 that of Ca. Garden (dolomitic) lime will do this nicely, and it's not very expensive.

I'll let you decide what you should use as a fertilizer, but I can't think of a case where it would be to your, or your plants' advantage to use a fertilizer for containers with the middle number higher than the first or last (N or K) numbers. I understand if you would rather use a fertilizer that says 'organic' on the label, but delivery of nutrients from organic soil amendments (like your fertilizer) in containers is erratic and unreliable. If results and simplicity are your primary focus, I would suggest a soluble fertilizer like MG 24-8-16 or 12-4-8, or Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. If staying 'organic' is more important, it's kind of a learn-as-you-go affair.

No matter what you do, we all wish you lots of success & satisfaction with the fruits of your efforts.

Al

Hi Al,

Thank you for your response, I picked up some dolomitic lime today. I'm still mulling over my fertilizer choices.
I have 1 more question, The only pine bark fines I found was regular pine bark mulch, is this OK? There was a ripped bag, and I looked and the stuff seemed pretty finely shredded.

Thanks!
Michele