Adventures in potting soil!

[twovkay]

Okay, so I started down this avenue to save some money....and I think I did but the time it took to get things together has been well....fun?

In a previous topic I had asked about Pine Bark Mulch. I have been to HD, Lowe's, Meadow's farm and Walmart looking for the elusive Pine Bark Mulch. And this is what I've found.....HD & Lowe's doesn't have it. Lowe's has a GardenPro Pine Bark Mulch ($2.82+tax) which can be used, but will need to be screened unless you are okay with a some very large pieces. Meadow's farm also has a Pine Bark Mulch ($4.99+tax) equivalent, but again you will need to screen out some of the larger pieces, not as much as the stuff from Lowe's. The best Pine Bark Mulch equivalent to Agways is a Pine Fines from JK Enterprise Landscape (I think only in northern VA and a little beyond). They have a 2 cu ft bag for $3.50+tax, but I do not have to screen out anything.

BTW, JK Enterprise also carries perlite in bulk, about $90 for a cubic yard (in a sack) and they will sell it in 1/2 yard increments, but loose. So anyone interested in sharing 1/2 cubic yard of perlite? LOL.

So the next interesting part of potting soil is the lime. And I have a question about it. I bought HD Agricultural Limestone, has anyone used this in the mix? And since I've already made 90 gallons of potting mix, if this is the wrong type of lime, can I just leach it?

Thanks for reading my adventure in potting soil and any advice on the lime issue would be appreciated!

[Rewton]

Wow, 90 gallons! The most I've ever made at once is like 15 gallons. Do you have a cement mixer to mix it up?

[twovkay]

Hey Steve, no cement mixer involved, just a shovel and a tarp. About 30 gallons at a time.

[Rewton]

Thanks for the tip about JK Enterprise Landscape. They are a similar distance from me as Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville, MD is and their pine fines are a bit cheaper. So maybe I will check them out sometime. I just bought a large bag of perlite so I think I am set for a while.

[KK4DFU]

For MD Folks Montgomery Hydroponics has great options. They carry the promix lineup, fox farm and lots of indoor supplies (bulbs, etc.). They are also happy to order stuff from there vendors for you, and it comes quick. I got the fox farm Big and Chunky perlite (4 cu ft) for around ~$35. It's great and I love it. I mix it with my compost and the local HD compost plus pine bark from there.

I will have to try JK Enterprise Landscape for the pine bark this year as I too am unhappy with the selection at the big box stores.

I have a lot of apple trees to pot up so I too will be looking at quite an adventure this spring.

[Rewton]

I looked further into JK Enterprise Landscape and it looks like you have to buy pine fines by the pallet. So I'll stick with Behnke's. Thanks Frank for mentioning Montgomery Hydroponics. I get my coconut coir from them and have gotten Fox Farm seed starting mix from them also.

[twovkay]

Steve, if you go to JK they will sell it by the bag. For delivery you need to buy by the pallet. I bought 3 bags from them to test the size of the fines.