It is good to know the changes needed in the soil specifically for potting plants; no fine sand, instead use small pebbles and no wood. No wonder now why my potted plants were less than great. Your mules are a great asset to your videos, they're adorable. Take care!
He's wrong though - any "browns" (bark included) absorb nitrogen. Then they rot, and become soil; the nitrogen is only temporarily unavailable to plants. And wood contains potassium and phosphorus, as well as calcium and a bunch of micronutrients. Not disputing any of what he says about potting mix, but rotted wood has its uses.
I used old conveyors belts to cover the walkways in my raised bed gardens and cover those with 6 inches of bark mulch or wood chips and in about two years it deteriorates into rich black soil that I then scoop up mix with composted leaves and add to my raised beds.
Yea the back to eden video is amazing!! i've also done piles of leaves and just running over them with the lawn mower every two weeks and in the spring its dark beautiful dirt! I learned about it from an organic farming video. Thanks for your videos!
Winner of a video, I have been researching "how do i choose potting soil?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Fonillian Uncomplex Future - (do a google search )? It is a good exclusive product for discovering how to add breathtaking landscaping designs to your home minus the hard work. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my m8 got great success with it.
Thats how you give out information straight to the point no flashing emojis or needless music just straight up info, even his cell phone going off didn't stop him
thank you. that was just what I needed to hear. I'm on a tropical island and making my own potting mix. my next question is going to be about micro nutrients. I tend to move around a lot hear so I'm doing a lot of container gardening now. kinda new to me.
Excellent information in this video. I have fruit trees on large containers and I noticed they were not doing too well in the potting soil I got from local hardware store.
I buy the bagged Garden Soil from big box stores and it looks like shredded wood and there is usually some fertilizer or chicken litter added. This stuff works well for in-ground gardening to build the soil. I recently read on a forum where people were adding pine bark to reuse potting mix and it was an effective growing medium... Those wood chips will take years to break down, although Back to Eden can be misleading due to other factors based upon your area and the amount of rainfall.
This is the type of soil /mulch im using now to stretch my current potting soil needs, I've been adding use coffee grounds to break down the bigger wood pieces.
Extremely helpful. I'd considered the tree chips but not now. Here in Ga. DeKalb & Fulton Counties (both in the Atlanta area), process garden trim such as leaves etc. They then process it by heating somehow whereby it turns black. It's free for the taking but I've seen a lot of bark in it which didn't break down. I've saved quite a bit in big containers so now I'm going to put it out till it breaks down more, as you instructed. Think I'm going to watch this a couple more times so that it stays in my head and I do it the right way. Thanks again.
sir your work is very impressive all the formulation is shown at screen as well as you are speaking is the batter way. i m waiting of your new vedio with written slide
Thanks, Mike. I moved to Dancing Rabbit Eco Village about a year ag. This year was my first year vegetable gardening but I have always wanted to grow my own food. A large grarden space has landed in my lap and I now have 18 large raised beds, about 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. I also have 3 smaller beds right next to my house. I am trying to gather as much info. as I can to prepare for next year. We have qa dairy farm just down the road, so I should be able to get cow manure to ammend the beds. They need it badly. I am in Missouri and on a piece of land that was overfarmed for many many years. We have this clay soil, that takes a lot fo work to dig in, so I know the veggies have to be having a hard time pushing their roots through it. I am looking for anything I can add that will loosen it up as well as add nutrients. I have gotten wood chip mulch for the paths, but I know that cannot be mixed inthe soil or it will strip it of nutrients. I will ask them and other places if anyone makes bark Mulch.
Your videos popped up on my feed & glad it did. I want to start propagating for my personal use & you share many interesting ways. Never to old to learn 👵🏻👩🌾❣️
GOD be with you ! thanks Mike ! I also watched your video on the differences between mulch as I was lacking knowledge on the subject. After I bought some black mulch, before I opened it I did some research. I returned the unopened black mulch to Walmart and bought some pine bark mulch ! I live in south Florida. From this video, I think I'm close to the right path as I am planning to use the pine bark mulch as part of an indoor and outdoor soil ! thanks for all the knowledge! GOD bless and Glory to GOD !
Thanks, Mike! Good advice and clarification. Like you, I also use wood chips from a tree service as mulch around shrubbery and trees. It eventually breaks down, but takes a few years. Meanwhile, it reduces the weed growth and makes pulling the ones that do pop up easy. I use about 3-4 inches worth of chips. They’re great if you can get them for free, which is hit and miss from my experience. Keep up the good work, Mike!
We use pine fines mini nuggets very good stuff . I am in NC we buy it 90 yards at a time . I also run a tree service so I got lots of chipps . But as you said we let that stuff compost for at least 4 years and roll it a few times a year .
Great information Mike. Thank you = ) When I start the gardening section of my channel sometime over the next 12 months I will be sure to reference you.
All the greenhouse grow houses I have visited use a non soil, non organic anything - most use Promix or Coir peat so they don’t introduce pests, bacteria,fungi. etc. They are running nutrient mixes at proper ph so they can regulate growth.
Mike, do you ever add any top soil (in place of the sand) to the potting soil mix or just use the 2x-3x ground down pine bark mulch? And, since it's my 1st year, should I let it sit for a year to start breaking down before using?
I'm getting wood chips just for a top layer like people use straw. It won't take the nitrogen out of the soil if it's on top and not mixed in. Also if you rot it separately, it will get enough nitrogen from whatever it can suck it from. Trust me.
Hi Mike! I can't wait to join your Backyard Growers Bus. Center! Firstly, thank you SO MUCH for all you do!! I was hoping to find out.. when will I be able to join Backyard Growers as a new member? It says reg opens in June 2021 so I just don't want to miss out! Also, I'm in zone 9b (Las Vegas) and I was wondering if you could give me any guidance on what I might be able to use for potting mixes (specifically, in such a dry, hot climate)? Thank you so much again for your time & wisdom! You aren't just "a man in overalls"... You are "THE MAN in overalls" :) Erica
What would be a good recipe for a self wicking tub? I have access to peat moss, perilite, compost, pine bark, double hammered oak bark, and a 33% compost/33% pine bark/ 33% double hammered oak bark soiless raised bed mix. Never really did any potted growing before, but wanted to try these self wicking tubs on some veggies. Thanks
The sand part reconfirms what I was thinking. Might help with drainage, loosen hard soils and add weight so pots don't tip, but fills in air pockets and suffocates the roots.
Hey I like your show I just started planting collar greens seeds with peat moss and orangic dirt along with bone meal how long does it takes for collar greens seeds to germinate in
I have access to composted wood chips and yard debris. I go to a place that composts ground up wood mixed with fall leaves and grass clippings./ plant debris. It's all put into huge windrows, and it composts. Then they put it form people to take. I also make my own compost from veg/fruit scraps mixed with fall leaves and some wood fines. I have NO access to any wood BARK products though. My area has NO nurseries that sell any composted wood products. I can get some bulk wood mulch, made from shredded wood, but not bark. I can only buy bark in bags at a big box store. Now seeing you show the stuff in your hand at the 4:05 mark, it looks alot like the composted wood chips at my local leaf dump/compost site. And, the new woodchips look like what you show at about the 6:23 mark, BUT when composted with grass clippings and fall leaves in HUGE windrows, why is it NOT good to use? What if I add some blood meal, or another source of nitrogen? AND, what if you used a sifter to make sure you only use the smaller pieces that are NOT those big woody pieces? What if I use compost with my composted wood chips? I'm asking all of this because I have no access to tree BARK. Unless, I pay maybe $ 4-$5 a BAG at a big box store. And, I have a Bunch of compost I made. Anyhow, you are LUCKY that you have access to that bark mulch compost.
Here in the PNW Zone 8b Pine Bark Mulch is readily available. My question is that the place I bought 5 years ago has layers upon layers of red beauty bark and extremely rocky soil underneath. I would like to plant other plants in the flower beds and have tried planting other bedding plants that just die. ( peonies, huecheras..) Do I need to remove all the beauty bark? If so how do I amend the soil?
Great info. Lots of pine bark here in Southeast Texas. Problem I found is the "pine bark" is full of strips of pine tree. I buy pine bark nuggets then ground them up to suitable size. Extra work. Lots of soil mixes here will have strips of oak wood in it that will encourage fungi growth and have mushrooms in your pots. Not good. I have to start with straight top soil, ground up pine bark nuggets, a "little" peat moss, and mix in my composted Live Oak leaves soil. I'm on a very small scale focused on growing native trees.
Sand, Silt and Clay. Sand is the biggest particle of the three and is excellent in drainage. Best potting soil for me is 50% peat moss and 50% Perlite with a wetting agent. Use sand if you don't have perlite or want the pot to be heavier. Excellent drainage and holds fertilizers in well. Our city water has a PH of 8.1 so with the acidic peat moss it buffers to about 6.8 to 7.2. With all the lowes and homedepot soil I always get root rot.
Moss / perlite is what I've settled on, too. Was mixing sand into potting mix before. Finally bothered to learn about the individual components. I read about people doing 1:1:1 with vermiculite but my problem has always been drowning plants to death and I can't understand why people would want to retain extra moisture.
Sand drains well, but it holds air very poorly. It is not even close to having the same properties as perlite. Weigh 5 gallons of perlite and 5 gallons of sand. There have been many studies on this. Sand will help break up Clay soils, but do nothing to ad air. Adding Sand is as an old wives tale. Also it's not used as a hydroponic medium due to that same fact
How about COCONUT COIR as a substitute for the peat moss ? Would 50% COCO COIR , 50% SAND work well ? I also heard that very little organic matter (i.e. compost , fertilizers etc) are needed ; maybe as little as 1-3 % . Have you heard anything about this ? Thanks so much !!!
Peat or Coco, good ,broken down compost, vermicompost (3rd of each, give or take) and a little bit of organic fert. will make an excellent container mix. Mulch on top to retain moisture in heat. Vermicompost tea is also very good and can help keep insects at bay. Use Fish emulsion or similar (depending on plant) as necessary. If you have the space, buying by the 1/2 yard or yard is very cost effective. Azomite would also be an excellent addition. I only use sand for my Carnivorous plant mixes.
Mike....you sir are preaching to the choir.....man that is a huge pile of black gold!!!👏👏👏👏 I'm really getting into soil....in gardening and growing that's pretty much where it starts right?? Anywho...at 3:14 you were talking about getting to know some of these unadvertised tree companies...can you explain it to me a little further?? Also .... what's the end game here?? I'm just trying to learn.... I've been trying to get chipdrop to help me out but I've heard some horror stories... further more my schedule is pretty tight and so is my driveway!!! Anyways....any helpful info is greatly appreciated...hope your family is doing ok in 2021 !
@Mike, Do you still suggest pine bark? I was looking for hardwood bark but can't find it here. I CAN find pine bark, I would think. But I had read or heard that softwood bark breaks down and compacts too quickly. As this video is 8 years old, I wonder if you had changed your mind.
wood chips do not rob the nitrogen it does tie up some nitrogen at first but as it decomposers it will release far more nitrogen than it tied up and that is only in mulch
However you want to explain it, the fact is that plants do not get enough nuitrgen when you plant them in "soil" that has too much non-decomposed wood ships in it. That is a fact. Sure, you can wait 6 months or a year for that wood to decompose, but in that time, the plant will suffer greatly or die. Stop being such a Cliff Claven idiot.
Good start but I think you glossed over what you add to your base mixture. I think everyone is going to share this information but very few will actually share their growing mixture because that’s the $. It’s where dreams are made or crushed. Good luck
University of Washington did a study on sand in garden soils. It definitely is not good. It may help to break up the soil but it does not help put air into the soil. Yeah I'd like to see some of the plants from that soil.. that would help
Thanks, Mike. For those of us just getting started (I don't need a huge pile yet and I can't wait 2-3 years), what is your recipe for potting mix? I cannot find the one I read a year or two ago... I think it was hardwood bark, peat moss and pea gravel, but in what proportions?
I'm wondering if you use perlite? Also, I have a horse and plenty of horse manure which she very kindly piles up herself. Can this be used only in the gardens and beds or can I use it also in the potting mix? Thanks, ~Tina
Nice video, you would love my Grandpaw, yall seem to have a lot in common. I do have 1 question though, I live in NC, and we have no shortage of pine or hardwood trees, I can easily collect either from my personal property... Would you suggest pine bark over hardwood bark?
I own a lawn care business and I'm trying to figure out a way to use the massive amounts of lawn clippings I get from bagging to create some kind of organic substance I could manufacture down the road to sell. What are your thoughts on using grass clippings?
Right after I submitted the question, you said you add compost. So I could make compost out of the grass clippings and mix tree bark and the peat gravel to make potting soil? How long does it usually take before it's complete?
Ryan Hanson Depends where you live and how big the pile is. You can innoculate the pile with compost tea to accelerate decomposition. There are many different kind of soil, composed of a wide variety of materials.
If you are successful at creating you product, you won't be able to legally market it as "organic" unless the government lets you and they won't because many (maybe even most depending on the social class of your clients) use herbicides and inorganic fertilizers on their lawns.
Most of you info on bark recommends pine. In our Willamette valley (Oregon) I only find Hemlock or fir bark--and maybe cedar bark. Acceptable alternatives? Thanks.
Jerry Ahnert - Hello Jerry! The fir and hemlock bark will definitely work, but they will need to go through a breaking down process, similar to the process he used with hardwood bark. They may also have different nutrient, and pH profiles, so you may need to lime for pH adjustment, and add other ammendments depending on what your planting in the soil. Im sure you know adding some compost to the top of your bark piles may help speed up that composting process. Hope that helps. If you want other ideas in using local materials for creating humus rich substrates, feel free to message me back, and we can discuss the parameters your working with, to optimize your situation and potential production.
Thanks for sharing your info and thanks especially for stressing the importance of seeking and using LOCAL resources. It's less expensive as a consumer, as well as caretaker of our planet (less gas to transport).
Mike I have a question, I have a 100 yards of wood from a tree trimmer that for two years now we have been adding 12-12-12, leaves, and grass cuttings. and mixing the pile a few times a month. We are hoping to use this in the greenhouses we just built to grow tomatoes,and peppers. This mix has broken down very well and is getting a lot of worms in the mix. Should I not use it and order manure compost instead? This will only be my second year with a garden, 2,000sq greenhouse.. thank you Angie
+Angie Swyers Did you get a replay from Mike? I would suggest you experiment a grow something. In my opinion, I'm encourage since you amended the pile with green material. Having worms are also a good sign.
+Harold Wong Thanks Harold , The ph is really high right now at 8.5. But It's been two years sitting and mixing. I have invested into hydroponic set up since I thought I could not grow with my mulch pile. Being new at this is fun.. learning to grow in bulk.. I have 2200 plants started right now.. wish me luck..
So, all you use for potting soil is hardwood/pine bark, that have been decomposing for a couple of years, with some added gravel/stones? You don't add any soil or clay to bind the nutrients in the potting soil, so it won't get washed out? But thanks for sharing. All I've been using is peat moss with perlite and other additives, so it's quite interesting to see what you do in the US.
Mike is a real expert. Not just educated but he's put in the years to really understand every aspect of his craft. Very informative.
It is good to know the changes needed in the soil specifically for potting plants; no fine sand, instead use small pebbles and no wood. No wonder now why my potted plants were less than great. Your mules are a great asset to your videos, they're adorable. Take care!
Thank you for explaining the difference in bark and wood chips. This is excellent and USEFUL information.
Portia Holliday
He's wrong though - any "browns" (bark included) absorb nitrogen. Then they rot, and become soil; the nitrogen is only temporarily unavailable to plants. And wood contains potassium and phosphorus, as well as calcium and a bunch of micronutrients. Not disputing any of what he says about potting mix, but rotted wood has its uses.
Portia- the only difference is that the bark decomposed faster. If you mix grass clippings in with that ground bark it wouldn’t take 3 years.
przybyla420 thank you for saying that !! That's about all I can get,, is wood chips,,
I used old conveyors belts to cover the walkways in my raised bed gardens and cover those with 6 inches of bark mulch or wood chips and in about two years it deteriorates into rich black soil that I then scoop up mix with composted leaves and add to my raised beds.
Yea the back to eden video is amazing!! i've also done piles of leaves and just running over them with the lawn mower every two weeks and in the spring its dark beautiful dirt! I learned about it from an organic farming video. Thanks for your videos!
When a man in overalls gives instructions on how to work with soil you better listen up!
Trevor Williamson funny that's why I watched this video. He looked like he knew his bizness lol
Exactly
Old school is the best school..and your right overalls tell a story all their own...
Winner of a video, I have been researching "how do i choose potting soil?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Fonillian Uncomplex Future - (do a google search )?
It is a good exclusive product for discovering how to add breathtaking landscaping designs to your home minus the hard work. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my m8 got great success with it.
Thats his boyfriends fetish. Nothing to do with his gardening advice ;)
Thats how you give out information straight to the point no flashing emojis or needless music just straight up info, even his cell phone going off didn't stop him
When your phones runs you and you stop running it, humans will be genetically engineered. The vaccine will have the nanobot in it.
So you just pile pine bark for a few years? Honest question
thank you. that was just what I needed to hear. I'm on a tropical island and making my own potting mix. my next question is going to be about micro nutrients. I tend to move around a lot hear so I'm doing a lot of container gardening now. kinda new to me.
Very helpful info. I like how it addresses the dos's and the don'ts on each ingredient. TY. 👍
it's very kind of you to explain all in details, thank you!
Excellent information in this video. I have fruit trees on large containers and I noticed they were not doing too well in the potting soil I got from local hardware store.
I buy the bagged Garden Soil from big box stores and it looks like shredded wood and there is usually some fertilizer or chicken litter added. This stuff works well for in-ground gardening to build the soil. I recently read on a forum where people were adding pine bark to reuse potting mix and it was an effective growing medium... Those wood chips will take years to break down, although Back to Eden can be misleading due to other factors based upon your area and the amount of rainfall.
This is the type of soil /mulch im using now to stretch my current potting soil needs, I've been adding use coffee grounds to break down the bigger wood pieces.
Extremely helpful. I'd considered the tree chips but not now. Here in Ga. DeKalb & Fulton Counties (both in the Atlanta area), process garden trim such as leaves etc. They then process it by heating somehow whereby it turns black. It's free for the taking but I've seen a lot of bark in it which didn't break down. I've saved quite a bit in big containers so now I'm going to put it out till it breaks down more, as you instructed. Think I'm going to watch this a couple more times so that it stays in my head and I do it the right way. Thanks again.
You're welcome!
sir your work is very impressive all the formulation is shown at screen as well as you are speaking is the batter way.
i m waiting of your new vedio with written slide
Thank you !
👍
Sub.
it's very kind of you to explain all in details
Thanks, Mike. I moved to Dancing Rabbit Eco Village about a year ag. This year was my first year vegetable gardening but I have always wanted to grow my own food. A large grarden space has landed in my lap and I now have 18 large raised beds, about 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. I also have 3 smaller beds right next to my house. I am trying to gather as much info. as I can to prepare for next year. We have qa dairy farm just down the road, so I should be able to get cow manure to ammend the beds. They need it badly. I am in Missouri and on a piece of land that was overfarmed for many many years. We have this clay soil, that takes a lot fo work to dig in, so I know the veggies have to be having a hard time pushing their roots through it. I am looking for anything I can add that will loosen it up as well as add nutrients. I have gotten wood chip mulch for the paths, but I know that cannot be mixed inthe soil or it will strip it of nutrients. I will ask them and other places if anyone makes bark Mulch.
I've been to this place, had AWESOME pizza!
Your videos popped up on my feed & glad it did. I want to start propagating for my personal use & you share many interesting ways. Never to old to learn 👵🏻👩🌾❣️
GOD be with you ! thanks Mike ! I also watched your video on the differences between mulch as I was lacking knowledge on the subject. After I bought some black mulch, before I opened it I did some research. I returned the unopened black mulch to Walmart and bought some pine bark mulch ! I live in south Florida. From this video, I think I'm close to the right path as I am planning to use the pine bark mulch as part of an indoor and outdoor soil ! thanks for all the knowledge! GOD bless and Glory to GOD !
Good video, have no idea where to find tree bark in bulk anywhere close to where I live.
Thanks, Mike! Good advice and clarification. Like you, I also use wood chips from a tree service as mulch around shrubbery and trees. It eventually breaks down, but takes a few years. Meanwhile, it reduces the weed growth and makes pulling the ones that do pop up easy. I use about 3-4 inches worth of chips. They’re great if you can get them for free, which is hit and miss from my experience. Keep up the good work, Mike!
Dagwood sandwich. Brings back memories!!!!
Thank you Sir your very informative and kind to share your love for what your doing
You are a wealth of knowledge Mike. Thank you and keep posting please.
We use pine fines mini nuggets very good stuff . I am in NC we buy it 90 yards at a time . I also run a tree service so I got lots of chipps . But as you said we let that stuff compost for at least 4 years and roll it a few times a year .
Great information Mike. Thank you = ) When I start the gardening section of my channel sometime over the next 12 months I will be sure to reference you.
Thank you, I have learned a lot from your video. thank you for your tine and knowledge
This is such great information. Thank you for sharing!
All the greenhouse grow houses I have visited use a non soil, non organic anything - most use Promix or Coir peat so they don’t introduce pests, bacteria,fungi. etc. They are running nutrient mixes at proper ph so they can regulate growth.
When I see the term recipe i think i'm going to get a recipe for potting soil, great explanation of what pine bark does but what is your soil recipe?
Excellent information! Thank you Mike!
Mike, do you ever add any top soil (in place of the sand) to the potting soil mix or just use the 2x-3x ground down pine bark mulch? And, since it's my 1st year, should I let it sit for a year to start breaking down before using?
So helpful. Thanks brother ☮️
Thank you, Mike! I appreciate you sharing this info.
Tell you what, trust us old folks for true knowledge
I'm getting wood chips just for a top layer like people use straw. It won't take the nitrogen out of the soil if it's on top and not mixed in. Also if you rot it separately, it will get enough nitrogen from whatever it can suck it from. Trust me.
Great information. Thank you .I would like to buy your mix
Hi Mike! I can't wait to join your Backyard Growers Bus. Center! Firstly, thank you SO MUCH for all you do!! I was hoping to find out.. when will I be able to join Backyard Growers as a new member? It says reg opens in June 2021 so I just don't want to miss out! Also, I'm in zone 9b (Las Vegas) and I was wondering if you could give me any guidance on what I might be able to use for potting mixes (specifically, in such a dry, hot climate)? Thank you so much again for your time & wisdom!
You aren't just "a man in overalls"... You are "THE MAN in overalls" :)
Erica
Thanks for the info on wood chips. I had already done that mistake. How about using grass, weed, etc?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us it is much appreciated!
I didn’t know that about wood chips! Glad I found your video
This dude gives me awesome genuine vibes
What would be a good recipe for a self wicking tub? I have access to peat moss, perilite, compost, pine bark, double hammered oak bark, and a 33% compost/33% pine bark/ 33% double hammered oak bark soiless raised bed mix. Never really did any potted growing before, but wanted to try these self wicking tubs on some veggies. Thanks
Do it they are amazing . We switched to moisture wicking tubs last year and it’s a game changer
The sand part reconfirms what I was thinking. Might help with drainage, loosen hard soils and add weight so pots don't tip, but fills in air pockets and suffocates the roots.
What about using it a soil amendment? You are talking about it as a potting mix?
Hey I like your show I just started planting collar greens seeds with peat moss and orangic dirt along with bone meal how long does it takes for collar greens seeds to germinate in
When it breaks down, does it attack termites and are termites involved in breaking it down?
I have access to composted wood chips and yard debris. I go to a place that composts ground up wood mixed with fall leaves and grass clippings./ plant debris. It's all put into huge windrows, and it composts. Then they put it form people to take. I also make my own compost from veg/fruit scraps mixed with fall leaves and some wood fines.
I have NO access to any wood BARK products though. My area has NO nurseries that sell any composted wood products. I can get some bulk wood mulch, made from shredded wood, but not bark. I can only buy bark in bags at a big box store.
Now seeing you show the stuff in your hand at the 4:05 mark, it looks alot like the composted wood chips at my local leaf dump/compost site. And, the new woodchips look like what you show at about the 6:23 mark, BUT when composted with grass clippings and fall leaves in HUGE windrows, why is it NOT good to use? What if I add some blood meal, or another source of nitrogen? AND, what if you used a sifter to make sure you only use the smaller pieces that are NOT those big woody pieces?
What if I use compost with my composted wood chips? I'm asking all of this because I have no access to tree BARK. Unless, I pay maybe $ 4-$5 a BAG at a big box store.
And, I have a Bunch of compost I made.
Anyhow, you are LUCKY that you have access to that bark mulch compost.
Great information, Mike 👍
A neighboring town has a leaf mulch area that you can get for free. Is this good for potting mix?
Thanks Mike
Here in the PNW Zone 8b Pine Bark Mulch is readily available. My question is that the place I bought 5 years ago has layers upon layers of red beauty bark and extremely rocky soil underneath. I would like to plant other plants in the flower beds and have tried planting other bedding plants that just die. ( peonies, huecheras..) Do I need to remove all the beauty bark? If so how do I amend the soil?
Great info. Lots of pine bark here in Southeast Texas. Problem I found is the "pine bark" is full of strips of pine tree. I buy pine bark nuggets then ground them up to suitable size. Extra work.
Lots of soil mixes here will have strips of oak wood in it that will encourage fungi growth and have mushrooms in your pots. Not good.
I have to start with straight top soil, ground up pine bark nuggets, a "little" peat moss, and mix in my composted Live Oak leaves soil.
I'm on a very small scale focused on growing native trees.
Why Is the fungal growth not good?
Thanks so much Mike, we can all use a good soil recipe!
Willows Garden No problem!
No fertiliser added to the mix? What exactly are you growing in this medium and for how long? What is the recipe?
Dagwood sandwich, excellent visual! Thanks for the clear advise.
Black gold.. that's some pretty soil.
Sand, Silt and Clay. Sand is the biggest particle of the three and is excellent in drainage.
Best potting soil for me is 50% peat moss and 50% Perlite with a wetting agent. Use sand if you don't have perlite or want the pot to be heavier. Excellent drainage and holds fertilizers in well. Our city water has a PH of 8.1 so with the acidic peat moss it buffers to about 6.8 to 7.2. With all the lowes and homedepot soil I always get root rot.
Moss / perlite is what I've settled on, too. Was mixing sand into potting mix before. Finally bothered to learn about the individual components. I read about people doing 1:1:1 with vermiculite but my problem has always been drowning plants to death and I can't understand why people would want to retain extra moisture.
I guess for hot areas like Arizona or Nevada it makes sense.
Sand drains well, but it holds air very poorly. It is not even close to having the same properties as perlite. Weigh 5 gallons of perlite and 5 gallons of sand. There have been many studies on this. Sand will help break up Clay soils, but do nothing to ad air. Adding Sand is as an old wives tale. Also it's not used as a hydroponic medium due to that same fact
How about COCONUT COIR as a substitute for the peat moss ? Would 50% COCO COIR , 50% SAND work well ? I also heard that very little organic matter (i.e. compost , fertilizers etc) are needed ; maybe as little as 1-3 % . Have you heard anything about this ? Thanks so much !!!
Peat or Coco, good ,broken down compost, vermicompost (3rd of each, give or take) and a little bit of organic fert. will make an excellent container mix. Mulch on top to retain moisture in heat. Vermicompost tea is also very good and can help keep insects at bay. Use Fish emulsion or similar (depending on plant) as necessary. If you have the space, buying by the 1/2 yard or yard is very cost effective. Azomite would also be an excellent addition. I only use sand for my Carnivorous plant mixes.
that would be a good base. I would add perlite, blood meal, bone meal and manure to it.
yes
Mike....you sir are preaching to the choir.....man that is a huge pile of black gold!!!👏👏👏👏
I'm really getting into soil....in gardening and growing that's pretty much where it starts right??
Anywho...at 3:14 you were talking about getting to know some of these unadvertised tree companies...can you explain it to me a little further??
Also .... what's the end game here??
I'm just trying to learn.... I've been trying to get chipdrop to help me out but I've heard some horror stories... further more my schedule is pretty tight and so is my driveway!!!
Anyways....any helpful info is greatly appreciated...hope your family is doing ok in 2021 !
Can you use decomposed wood chips for potting mix if it's completely broken down?
Thanks Mike!!
Yes. And you can make leaf mold by mulching leaves and piling them so they compost down. The worms love it
8:58 - *_"A Dagwood Sandwich"_* HeeeHeeee I haven't heard that in many years.
awesome video my friend. you mentioned pine bark (a truck load) ...what about pine needles? are they like wood or bark? thanks -adam
Nice video Mike. Good information on it thanks
Honest review.. Thank You 🙏
You are a great gardener
So very helpful. Thank you.
Super helpful, thank you som much Mike!
@Mike, Do you still suggest pine bark? I was looking for hardwood bark but can't find it here. I CAN find pine bark, I would think. But I had read or heard that softwood bark breaks down and compacts too quickly. As this video is 8 years old, I wonder if you had changed your mind.
wood chips do not rob the nitrogen it does tie up some nitrogen at first but as it decomposers it will release far more nitrogen than it tied up and that is only in mulch
However you want to explain it, the fact is that plants do not get enough nuitrgen when you plant them in "soil" that has too much non-decomposed wood ships in it. That is a fact. Sure, you can wait 6 months or a year for that wood to decompose, but in that time, the plant will suffer greatly or die. Stop being such a Cliff Claven idiot.
Good start but I think you glossed over what you add to your base mixture. I think everyone is going to share this information but very few will actually share their growing mixture because that’s the $. It’s where dreams are made or crushed. Good luck
Can I add stones to my flower beds soil ammendment to improve drainage of water
where do you get you pine bark in North Carolina. I am looking for the fine dime size. Thanks Mike
You don't need it too badly! Your plants can live without it
Not at all what she ask
For people just finding this, I'm in NC and only know about bonsai jack for true, clean pine bark fines.
@@Eddie_the_Husky Yep, I have to sift and crush mine
University of Washington did a study on sand in garden soils. It definitely is not good. It may help to break up the soil but it does not help put air into the soil.
Yeah I'd like to see some of the plants from that soil.. that would help
what are your thoughts on hugelkiltar raised beds where you are burying wood so it decays in time and holds moisture?
thx
hey Mike - love what you do. can I use fresh fine bark in my planting medium mix (for pots)
Very insightful sir
Wish I had seen this when I started gardening a few years back 😢
very useful video Mike
Mike, thank you for all of the information that you put out. I find it to be very helpful.
Is there an alternative to pine bark?
Thanks, Mike. For those of us just getting started (I don't need a huge pile yet and I can't wait 2-3 years), what is your recipe for potting mix? I cannot find the one I read a year or two ago... I think it was hardwood bark, peat moss and pea gravel, but in what proportions?
Mike I love your videos I live in ky. Next to Cincinnati . Do you sell any of your soil or if you may know any one in my area thanks: Danny
Great video Mike. Good information. Thank you.
Larry342516 Thanks!
I'm wondering if you use perlite? Also, I have a horse and plenty of horse manure which she very kindly piles up herself. Can this be used only in the gardens and beds or can I use it also in the potting mix? Thanks, ~Tina
Would ospoma garden lime work or would I need something more?
Nice video, you would love my Grandpaw, yall seem to have a lot in common. I do have 1 question though, I live in NC, and we have no shortage of pine or hardwood trees, I can easily collect either from my personal property... Would you suggest pine bark over hardwood bark?
What's your thoughts about old chopped straw, mixed with it? Would that be to acidic ?
I own a lawn care business and I'm trying to figure out a way to use the massive amounts of lawn clippings I get from bagging to create some kind of organic substance I could manufacture down the road to sell. What are your thoughts on using grass clippings?
Right after I submitted the question, you said you add compost. So I could make compost out of the grass clippings and mix tree bark and the peat gravel to make potting soil? How long does it usually take before it's complete?
Ryan Hanson Depends where you live and how big the pile is. You can innoculate the pile with compost tea to accelerate decomposition.
There are many different kind of soil, composed of a wide variety of materials.
If you are successful at creating you product, you won't be able to legally market it as "organic" unless the government lets you and they won't because many (maybe even most depending on the social class of your clients) use herbicides and inorganic fertilizers on their lawns.
Great info, 👍🏽... thanks for sharing it!
Most of you info on bark recommends pine. In our Willamette valley (Oregon) I only find Hemlock or fir bark--and maybe cedar bark. Acceptable alternatives? Thanks.
Jerry Ahnert - Hello Jerry! The fir and hemlock bark will definitely work, but they will need to go through a breaking down process, similar to the process he used with hardwood bark. They may also have different nutrient, and pH profiles, so you may need to lime for pH adjustment, and add other ammendments depending on what your planting in the soil. Im sure you know adding some compost to the top of your bark piles may help speed up that composting process. Hope that helps. If you want other ideas in using local materials for creating humus rich substrates, feel free to message me back, and we can discuss the parameters your working with, to optimize your situation and potential production.
Great video Mike!
Confusing. What's the recipe?
Mike, Im a fellow Ohio boy out here in the Philippines any good micro organism recipes you have ?
Thanks for sharing your info and thanks especially for stressing the importance of seeking and using LOCAL resources. It's less expensive as a consumer, as well as caretaker of our planet (less gas to transport).
Mike I have a question, I have a 100 yards of wood from a tree trimmer that for two years now we have been adding 12-12-12, leaves, and grass cuttings. and mixing the pile a few times a month. We are hoping to use this in the greenhouses we just built to grow tomatoes,and peppers. This mix has broken down very well and is getting a lot of worms in the mix. Should I not use it and order manure compost instead? This will only be my second year with a garden, 2,000sq greenhouse.. thank you Angie
+Angie Swyers Did you get a replay from Mike? I would suggest you experiment a grow something. In my opinion, I'm encourage since you amended the pile with green material. Having worms are also a good sign.
+Harold Wong Thanks Harold , The ph is really high right now at 8.5. But It's been two years sitting and mixing. I have invested into hydroponic set up since I thought I could not grow with my mulch pile. Being new at this is fun.. learning to grow in bulk.. I have 2200 plants started right now.. wish me luck..
Nice job!!
Mule said a lot of words but in the end I just got that you pile pine bark for a few years and you get potting mix. Is that really all you do?
Awesome information
Is legionnaires an issue when dealing with soil? Or is that really rare?
So, all you use for potting soil is hardwood/pine bark, that have been decomposing for a couple of years, with some added gravel/stones?
You don't add any soil or clay to bind the nutrients in the potting soil, so it won't get washed out?
But thanks for sharing. All I've been using is peat moss with perlite and other additives, so it's quite interesting to see what you do in the US.
Jeppe K Yep, for the most part! Over the years, this recipe has worked best for me!
What are all the tree seedlings around the pile? I'm assuming they're receiving nutrients from the pile during rains.
Tree of Heaven. It will grow in anything and stinks.
I heard this guy making this video on my back-porch in North Carolina back in 2015. Lol