Dear summer-winter, i've been using bags of 'fir bark fines' or 'nuggets' that I get at Home Depot for right around 3 bucks a bag (sometimes over, sometimes under). i run it through my shredder and use it as a main ingredient in house and greenhouse plant mixes, but it would look good as a regular mulch as well (dark reddish brown). Gary

I did the same as Gary, i.e. purchasing bags of the smallest (also cheaper) bark nuggets I could find and running them through my shredder (sometimes twice). My local nurseryman ordered a couple of the larger bags of perlite for me when ordering his own.
I guess you could also put the bark through one of those auger type meat grinders if you don't have a shredder but that's a lot of cranking per bag of nuggets...and would surely mean a sore arm for me - LOL
Will

I've been using bags of finely shredded pine bark mulch from Lowes. It looks like that in your photos. Costs: $3.73/bag.
I used it as a mulch in potted plants as well as in garden beds.

When planting some new beds in the fall, Venero Gardens recommended double processed pine bark mulch from Pine Products in Waconia. They said it actually enriches the soil, and keeps a nice dark color. It looks great, and I'm going to switch over to it completely. I can't remember how much per bag, but it's probably a little more than the prices above because it's double processed so the size of pieces is more consistent.

Gary and mantorvillain, I realize this is an old post, but my question is- when you say you run it through your shredder once or twice, what kind of shredder is that? Is it a leaf or wood shredder? How powerful does the machine need to be to run pine nuggets through it to make fines? I appreciate your response. (I have had poor luck the last 2 yrs finding fines locally)Thanks!

Salpal, I have quite a powerful shredder, a MacKissic Mighty Mac with three different screen sizes. I just slowly dump the bags into the hopper, using the medium or fine screen; either works well. I usually pull the shredder onto a tarp, makes for easier pick-up. But my guess is just about any shredder would work as long as you add the bark nuggets (or whatever shape they're in) slowly, especially if they're moist at all. Good luck. Gary