Suggest you obtain something that is suited for pots, as is, because the media must be specifically formulated to drain well in a container.

As said above, the consistency is great for drainage and still holds a fair amount of water. I already tested this. My concern is pH. I guess all I can do is test the mix with a pH test kit.

If the product is being sold as a general use potting soil the pH will have been adjusted to be in the 6.0 to 7.0 pH range.

kimmq is kimmsr

It's not specifically called "potting soil." It's a "soil conditioner and composted mulch," and ingredients are listed as I say above with no mention of lime for pH adjustment, as you often see on potting soils.

I'd be less worried about pH and more concerned about the "fluff" that these companies include in the bag as a "conditioner". Forest products are in the forest for a reason and don't belong in a garden, yard, or in a planter. My answer is simple, pH will not be your problem. My question will most likely be more complex: what do the small bark nuggets and pine needle fines provide your pots that is useful? If you are interested in testing the soil, conditioner or the combined result, then let me know. I use an incredible lab based in the midwest that can help you find out for sure if your pH is an issue but its not going to be. Refocus on what nutrients your plants are being provided or not provided from soil microbes and the organic matter. Also, focus on creating an ideal texture for proper drainage and the health of your organic matter digesting microbes.

The pH discussion is overdone all over the world to this day because a researcher found that sulphur helped high pH soils and calcium helped low pH soils. In reality, the improvement came from the increased availability and texture benefits of the calcium. Also, those soluble fertilizers are only providing your plant with N and burning up any beneficial compost and the corresponding microbes.

Peter - depending on what fertilizer you buy, a soluble synthetic can be amazingly effective for container culture, and it offers you control that can only be dreamed about by those who hold it in contempt.

No one can really answer your "should/can I use it" question w/o a good feel for what's ACTUALLY in this product. Keep in mind that composted forest products can mean ground up pallets and decks. You'd be much better off to find some pine bark that looks something like

and mix it with a little peat, perlite, and dolomitic (garden) lime - so you end up with something that looks like

Bark breaks down very slowly. If the composted forest products are comprised of a large fraction of sapwood/heartwood, it's going to break down quickly, immobilize a LOT of N, and you'll probably have an issue with the exothermic heat from the composting process due to a high % of cellulose.

If you do decide to go forward with the mix, try 2 tsp dolomite per gallon of soil or 2/3 cup per cu ft.

Al

If you're worried about pH, as Al says above adding lime will do it, or what I've done is add a small shovel of good old Colorado Plateau alkaline soil to the mix. You'll soon get a buffered equilibrium.

Aren't 'composted forest products' already composted into...compost? And therefore won't heat up or sequester nitrogen?

What you're showing in the pics is clearly wood chips, which is a whole different thing. Going back to the OP's post though, the ingredients in the referenced product are compost and 'forest by-products' so I guess we can't assume those are fully composted.

"Aren't 'composted forest products' already composted into...compost? And therefore won't heat up or sequester nitrogen?" Almost certainly not. Mulch manufacturers/packagers aren't interested in a lengthy composting process, during which they would need to frequently turn the windrowed material - they Also, "composted" shouldn't be taken to mean 'fully composted', because it almost certainly isn't.

If you're referring to the pictures I posted, the chunky material is uncomposted southern yellow pine bark, and the soil in the picture is 80-85% that material. Pine bark's high suberin and lignin content ensures very slow breakdown, so long term structural stability, a key consideration, is excellent. I give 0 consideration to a medium's ability to feed (fertilize) the plant, and instead, concentrate on its long term structural stability and its ability to provide a favorable mix of air and water. I use only soils that hold very little or no perched water because of how significant are the limitations imposed by the combination of 'too much water and not enough air'.

Al