Define soil conditioner. I have used baby shampoo with outstanding results for the effects you are describing. I was spraying my lawn. I set the dial on the Ortho hose end sprayer so that the spray coming out looked foamy. After hitting the entire lawn, then I watered like normal (about 4 hours). Repeat in 2 weeks and you should have a good start on it.

"Bioactivator" I have found to be best.

If you are referring to what I've seen in the big box stores, it is coarsely ground pine bark. I use it as an amendment to my clay soil. It can be part of a potting soil mix, along with compost and peat moss. Because it is pine bark (acidic), you may have to add lime to get the Ph of the mix right for your particular plants.

yes that's the one ncdirtdigger, saw these at lowes and home depot.

themastergardener1: you have a link or elaborate on that product?

wonder if this soil conditioner can be a substitute or very similar to al's 5-1-1 mix's "pine bark fines "?

What I have seen is that when something has a fancy name on it such as "soil conditioner" the seller charges about twice what the same thing labeled "compost" or "cattle manure" or " bark mulch" sells for. Look carefully at what the product is before you buy any and determine whether the same thing is being sold, under a different name, for much less cost.
If one lives where there are deciduous trees then spending money on something called "soil conditioner" is a waste of your money because an excellent soil conditioner is readily available for free right at hand every fall.

What is most often sold as "soil conditioner" in my area is a bagged product that is intended to be used to break up or lighten clay soils. Depending on supplier, they can be variety of products, including one or more of the following: compost, bark, wood chips or sawdust, gypsum, sand, rice hulls. Because of packaging and labeling, they tend to be a lot more expensive than just using compost or other OM to improve heavy soil, which work equally as well. Typically, any nutrient load will be derived from the organic component and is very low.

They are intended for outdoor use as a soil amendment but you might be able to apply them towards a potting or container mix if the ingedients are appropriate. But I agree with kimmsr (?!) that you will likely find equally good products for this purpose with a more generic label for much less.

I have found pine bark suitable for use in container soils sold as soil conditioner, clay soil conditioner, pine bark mulch, pine bark fines, landscape mulch, and a host of other names, none of them too fancy. I haven't really noticed that the price varies because of what it's labeled.

Pine bark works so well in container soils and as an organic ingredient you can incorporate into mineral soils with minimal N tie-up because the suberin and lignin it contains makes it difficult for soil organisms to break down the hydrocarbon chains. The result of that is that it remains very stable in containers and both improves mineral soil structure while providing a slow release nutrient source. What determines how appropriate it is for container soils isn't the label on the bag, but the size of the particles. If it looks about like what you see in the picture @ 3,6 and 9, it's appropriate for the 5:1:1 mix as is, and for use in the gritty mix if screened to 1/8-3/8" particles - the remainder going in the 5:1:1 mix or in the gardens/beds/compost. You'll see a dry 5:1:1 mix in the middle, and it's not difficult to see or imagine how much better the aeration and drainage is when compared with soils based on peat/coir/compost/topsoil or any combination thereof.
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AL

Jeez Al, did you use a heavy enough chain for that hanging plant in the second last picture? It looks like the stuff I use to chain down the skidsteer onto the trailer!! ;-)

Lloyd

P.S. You da man!

Hey Al,
Since we are "noticing stuff" , how about that last pic ???
If I'm not mistaken, isn't that your Mother-in Law's Portrait behind that plant ???? ;-)

Good one! I own a glass company (glazing contracting business) and those are framed mirrors above & behind. ;-)

Al