Hi, Sherry! I'm so glad you came here to ask about the pine... I wish I could have helped you on the Amaryllis Forum! I'm not too sure about what exactly is safe to substitute in Al's Mix, although I can tell you that you'll most likely need to sift the mulch to get rid of the larger pieces... and you'll probably need to end up with consistently sized particles to use in a mix for potted plants.

I'm hoping Al will stop by and help with the right info, such as particle size desired, and whether or not your pine mulch is good to use in a mix.

I will say that since I've switched some of my bulbs to Al's Mix, they are growing much better, and have much healthier root systems! I've got my Clivia planted in it, too, and it's doing very well!

I'm guessing Al will agree with the following assessment; your mulch is probably too high in heartwood/sapwood, and short on bark. The lignin in the wood will probably decompose too fast to be a useful container soil base; compaction will ensue shortly. I'd forget that stuff for builiding soils, and use it to mulch your in-ground plantings; that's exactly what I do.

Hi, Sherry. All that cellulose in the sapwood & young bark will break down very quickly, causing an explosion in nitrogen-eating microorganisms. The result will be a rapid structural collapse/failure of the soil and likely severe nitrogen immobilization (unavailability). It will also generate some pretty high temps as it quickly composts while a part of any soil. I would do as RNG suggested or add it to the compost pile. Sorry . . . . . :o(

Al

Man, does that stuff ever get hot!!! I've had big piles of fresh arborist waste/chips literally smoking!

thanks everyone for your input, it's appreciated. Yes, I recall in the past, seeing large piles of mulch during winter (cold!) with steam arising from them. . . .
Yes, I put it on shrubs, etc. Also, to help even out landscapeing & to add to compost pile in small amounts.
will be picking up stuff needed to make the 'recipe' that Al gave.
Thank you again. Am enjoying reading & learning.
Sherry

We've had about 4 or 5 very large piles of wood chips sitting behind the kennel building for several years, no doubt dumped by the county after roadside trimming. Unfortunately, it all needed to be sifted through a home made screen before I could use it for anything! It was full of large sticks, bark pieces and small logs!

With a little help, we've sifted through the piles and gained quite a lot of great mulch material! I thought about using the fines for a medium mix, but wasn't sure exactly what type of wood it was... I'm glad I waited to find out exactly what to use in a good mix.

In any case, the mulch is coming in handy as I'm using it all on a large partial shade garden I'm working on!

Since I've been following Al's writings, I've learned so much! I've become a better gardener now that I understand how plants and soils and water all work together! I plan on reading quite a bit more that Al has written, and I know I'll come away with a lot more knowledge!

Here's a recent shot of the garden area I'm working on... you can see the dark pile of mulch, and the plantings that have already been mulched.

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very nice Jodi!
You know, long ago, I read one of your dog newsletters. Pretty sure it was you because of something you said on the amaryllis site on a post.
Off topic, sorry!
I have enjoyed this forum and will also use the info. It's very interesting and helpful!
I will take some of the mulch, and use it to fill in holes in back part of property, and might sell some too.
Can I also use it to mulch over asparagus bed when fall comes? Or is it too acidic?
Sherry

Hi Sherry,

I see you live in Maine. -If the ocean isn't too far away, then the best thing you can use to mulch the asparagus is sea weeds. First wash it a bit, to get rid of the excess salt, then hang it to dry on the clothes line.... and then mulch the asparagus. -It contains all the nutrients your asparagus loves.

I'm pretty certain that the mulch I've got is a mixture of willow and scrub trees, native to the area. I'm using it on two huge perennial beds... and if there's any left over after that's done, it'll be used as winter protection for some other garden areas. I'm not discriminating which plants it will be used to protect, so I'm sure what you have would be fine for asparagus protection.

Sherry, if the article you read was about, or based on, American Bulldogs... it probably was me. My husband and I have been breeders for well over 25 years. We're semi-retired now... but our kennel and dogs are very well-known.