Pine Bark Fines
 

Hi, It's great day for growin' bananas

My question is does anyone use PBFs for planting or Potting? I know Daniel Stowe Botanical used them straight on a lot of container plants including bananas, they also used it while planting, so does anyone use it? I know it drains super well.

Thanks

alex :0517: :0519: :0517: :0519: :0517: :bananas_b :0519: LoL Banana DUI

Re: Pine Bark Fines
 

Excuse my ignorance but what are PBF's?

Re: Pine Bark Fines
 

Thats my shortened version of Pine bark fines.

BTW i love your username and avatar

Re: Pine Bark Fines
 

Yes, I use them - or something very similar. Mine are softwood shavings, which are a mixture of pine and cedar. They smell great, drain well, loosen and lighten the soil, and are dirt cheap (about $10 for 4 cu.ft., which was enough to do my entire balcony garden and some besides.) The local farmer's co-op sells them. Hamster shavings would probably serve the same function in smaller volume (though an actual hamster should NEVER have cedar, people sell it for them anyway.)

I found a recipe at gardenweb that makes a nice soil:

1 part sand
2 parts dirt - local or potting mix
2 parts shavings

Mix up and plant.

This makes a nice light mix, unless you have clay for soil (I do.) Even then, it's nice and light to start, but compacts if given half a chance. It drains much better than soil alone or soil amended with peat, but holds what water it does hold for a long time. When I pot my banana up, I think I'll use potting soil instead of the local dirt, or use more fines.