The bark isn’t scented or dyed is it?

No not dyed or scented I believe, the packaging is in Italian! It looks correct compared to the photos I have seen here.

This is what hat it looks like.

If you post a picture of the label someone should be able to tell you what's in it.

There are aromatic esters, and terpenes like alpha and beta pinene and others in pine and other conifer bark that can produce allelopathic reactions in many but not all plants. These reactions result in harm in one or more of several potential ways to one plant via exposure to chemicals produced by another. These chemicals are volatile (diffuse into the air), and gradually dissipate from bark products. This is why bark that will be used for mulch or soils is often wind-rowed (piled in very long/tall rows) and turned several times before packaging. Black walnut trees produce juglone, and in particular, are well known for their allelopathic effects on a significant % of plants, resulting in moderate to severe stunting, failed germination of seeds, some degree of slowed growth from slight to extreme, and others.

I try not to use bark that smells distinctly of pinene, but I have used bark that smells mildly of that aromatic terpene w/o issues I was able to observe.

Al

Thanks for the feedback, I suspect it’s all going to be ok as the smell has really died down since opening up the bag and the air getting to it... I would have posted the bag/label, but it basically said pine mulch in Italian and that was it! I will let the rest of the bag sit a little while before I repot the other plants, and keep a close eye on my FLF and ZZ. Thanks again