Hi,

I am trying to test pine bark that I collected.I know we have talked about it, there is no treatment need for pine barks but I have 2 important question.

And yes, I know I ask too much But please understand my excitement

1. I read about CHC treatment, how you flush/rinse it 3 times and add the chemicals in last flush.I wonder if the chemical additions are same for pine bark, the list by Millet is below;

Quote:

.57-lbs. (258-gms) 23-4-8 one year slow release fertilizer. .48-lbs. (218-gms) Dolomite .08-lbs. ( 36-gms) Regular water soluble fertilizer w/o trace minerals. .08-lbs. ( 36-gms) STEM (Souble Trace Element Mix)

Is it same for pine bark?

2. I am trying to wet the pine bark, I pour water and it drain away in seconds
I guess I need to put all the pine bark in a tank and make them wait in water for a night, what do you think? So that they can absorb in water.

The long and the short of it, I am having problem wetting the pine bark

Best,

A couple of things: 1). If the water that you are going to use to irrigate your containerized tree contains at least 30 ppm Calcium and 15 ppm magnesium then do not add the dolomite. A good growth mixture for citrus should contain. between 25-30 percent empty pour space (air space). If when you pour water onto your mixture, and the water quickly runs out the bottom of the container you probably need to add some more "filler" to the pine bark, such as peat moss or choir. An proven, medium that gives excellent results when using pine bark, is 3 parts pine bark, one part peat moss and one part course concrete sand (not fine play sand). Usually the pine bark is 1/2 to 1 inch.

MeyerLemon
Are you collecting fresh pine bark? I could be wrong but I understand that fresh pine bark can lock up nitrogen. The decomposing of bark from fungi takes a lot of nitrogen which could upset your nutrient mixture.
Karl

Karl, that's correct. It would only be temporary immobilization, and could be released back slowly later. To minimize that effect, increase supply of nitrogen.

Thanks,

Yes, the water has enough calcium and magnesium, so we skip the dolomite.
It was just a test so we haven't add moss and sand. So, you mean they will help to keep the water in contanier.I still think keeping the bark in water tank may help, don't you think so?

Karl, yes I collect fresh bark, well, cut 2-3 months ago.

JoeReal, what if I keep the bark in water that contains ammonium sulfate? Will it help or can I just add more N to my daily watering, like using a 6-1-3 ratio instead of 5-1-3?

What do you recommend?

Meyer,
Just so you know, the reason for rinsing CHCs is to remove the salt (from saltwater) that can be in the chips-- that is not a problem in pine bark. The addition of the peat moss or coir and sand will retard the flow of water through the soil mix enough to wet the soil (peat moss and sand)---ultimately the pine bark chunks will also absorb water through capillary action.

Thanks a lot Skeeter.

How about the lost nitrogen problem, what will be the best way to supply that lost Nitrogen?

Quote:

what if I keep the bark in water that contains ammonium sulfate? Will it help or can I just add more N to my daily watering, like using a 6-1-3 ratio instead of 5-1-3?

When bacteria begin to breakdown organic material, they need to take up nitrogen to support cell division and growth--when fresh material is added to soil, especially readily degradable material, the bacteria will compete with plants to take up nitrogen. Ultimately, after the bacteria have utilized all of the available carbon, they die and release the N that they absorbed. Pine bark is not that readily degraded and will not support much bacterial growth. The amount of nitrogen the bacteria will take up is small relative to what a citrus tree will use, so I would not worry much about it. Fertilize normally.

Somewhat related to the subject was part of the research at the EPA lab where I worked-- they used fertilizer to cleanup part of the Valdeze oil spill in Alaska. The microbiologist at the lab demonstrated the fact that there are bacteria already in the environment capable of degrading oil--if they have nutrients for growth. They sprayed alternating patches of greasy shoreline with fertilizer-- in less than a month it looked like a checkerboard.

Evidently, what you are concerned about is the possible loss of available nitrogen due to the fresh pine bark decomposing. The carbon/nitrogen ratio gives an indication of the possible rate of decomposition of an organic medium component. When the carbon:nitrogen ratio is high (high carbon (bark), low nitrogen) considerable nitrogen may be tied up by microorganisms in the process of decomposition of the organic material (bark) and plant growth will likely be affected. Although this is frequently emphasized as a very important factor to consider, this is not always so. For example, the carbon:nitrogen ratio of pine bark, redwood sawdust, and shavings from bald cypress trees is high, yet the decomposition rate of all three is VERY slow. On the other hand, pine sawdust has a high carbon:nitrogen ratio and is, indeed, broken down quickly by microorganisms when adequate nitrogen is present. The difference in the ability of the microorganisms to break down these materials lies in their composition and natural resistance to decomposition A potential medium component in small particles such as sawdust may be unsuited because it decomposes too quickly, thereby trying up substantial nitrogen and quickly altering the drainage aspects of the mix. On the other hand, if the same sawdust is in larger particles,(as you pine bark chunks) thus reducing the surface area exposed to microorganism activity, it may be very suitable as part of a mix for six to 12 months. You do not have much to worry about when using pine bark chunks 1/2 to 1 inch size.

Thanks, I understand much better now.