Hmmm....if a person could time this right, one might get a jump start on and cheat those too cool nights and get things going a bit ahead of schedule, by utilizing the heat from the decomposition?
Well, yes and no. The heating of the decomposition is also chemical in nature as well as actual. The chemistry of the process would also do damage to the roots. If what you mean is building a little wall around prepared ahead bales using the decomp process to keep the microclimate warm, then yes it should work. I think!
OK. Got it. This opens possibilites for cold frames, tunnels, mini-greenhouses, etc.....for a small *heat* source that may then be spread as mulch. Reminds me of an old picture I saw somewhere of greens being grown in France, in winter, under cloches resting on beds of decomposing horse manure.
Thanks for the line of thought.
Get that knee goin' girl, the weeds are waitin'! ;-)
I certainly did read your entire post, and with exquiste comprehension, and your being patronizing now won't save you... you don't know the difference between mulching and composting... they are not necessarily mutually dependant. There are instances where one does want mulch to decompose relatively quickly but when one speaks of "Decorative" unless one possesses more dollars than brain cells mulch should be chosen that decompoises relatively slowly. Oh, well.
In my professional life I was a greenhouse grower and attended SUNY Farmingdale for horticulture. I know the diff. Shredded mulch is better in every way when compared to deco bark. I am not in a contest here with you. I get mulch free at my local recycle center. Most towns have that in Texas. I know things you don't. Let's leave it there.
So, you're a cheap bastard... and here I thought you were just dumb,
Smelly shredded mixed tree limbs from utility workers clearing easements is the very best possible material for introducing pestulence into a garden. You're no horticulturist, and you certainly never attended school at LI, Noo Yawk, or you'd never ever mention TX in the same breath. Sakadawa is in Tibet... so nothing about you is truthful, Jang.
I've been buying bark -- some bags of small pieces, some larger, depending on the area, from Home Depot (tfui, tfui).
****Anybody know what kind of tree their bark comes from? ****
My soil is So. Calif adobe, though much modified over the decades; actually it's pretty good now. But still, acidic bark like from pine trees would be beneficial (wouldn't it?).
I do put the pine needles that fall from the trees in front of my house * in my compost for the acidic content.
along with those horrible little seeds and the resin that gunks up parked cars...
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. Attended SUNY Farmingdale. I studied horticulture and greenhouse management. I moved to TX when I was 37 and guess what, I retired. I did so because I do have money. More than you will ever have at once. Now I know why nobody likes you. You're jealous. Too bad. What is it, you're period?
Oh, and I haven't used pesticides, including any organic variety in well over 5 years and have no problems in the garden. Sorry to disappoint.
Outer bark, phellem, is cork. cork is suberin which is log chains of fatty acids. regardless what that website says. The carbon in phellem is not in a form usable by the soil.
Suberin is a lipid that in the outer periderm of phellem waterproofs outer bark. Suberin- impregnated phellem is called cork. The chains of carbon and hydrogen in suberin are so varied that few enzymes from microorganisms are able to cleave it for an energy source. This characteristic gives corks their unique benefits for sealing bottles. Suberin is also in a layer in absorbing roots called the Casparian strip. This layer is an effective boundary essential in the absorption processes. Energy is required to transport water and elements through the boundary into the tree. Suberin is also a major compound in the barrier zone that forms after wounding. Outer bark that contains suberin is often used for mulch, since bark mulch will not be broken down by soil microorganisms because of the suberin. The bark mulch has aesthetic value, but the bark is of little value for providing energy-releasing compounds to soil microorganisms. Some trees store fats and oils as their reserve energy source. The fats and oils are not soluble in water. Many palms store oils. Waxes on leaves and fruits are also lipids.
There is no benefit to cork mulch in the garden as it's too light weight and will blow/float away. But building soil is NOT a requisite of *decorative* mulch, in fact folks who spend the extra $$$s to install decorative mulch want it to last, and last, and last. If you want mulch that is also good for builidng soil use inexpensive organic matter like straw, leaves, newspaper and cardboard, these items do the job of retaining moisture, inhibiting weed growth, and decompose rather quickly, but are not at all decorative. I use saved up corrogated for my vegetable garden, just barely lasts the growing season and then I till it in and begin again the next year. But for my perennial beds I want something purtier so I use pine bark nuggets, they're kinda costly considering I need about 200 bags and have to add more than 25 bags each year, I have to go get them and then haul them about too... I wish they didn't decay at all.
I'm just using about 6-8 bags in front, and maybe a couple more in other spots. I just started asking about this to make sure it wouldn't actually hurt the soil. So, say at the end of the year, the stuff has degraded some (that hasn't washed or blown away), it should be OK to just turn it into the soil when planting next year's perennials and such, and then put some fresh on top?
Sheldon wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@8g2000hsu.googlegrou ps.com:
oh, do you really, Shelly girl? *you* use corrogated cardboard? *you*, who called *me* six kinds of stupid for using corrogated cardboard on the pathways in my garden, use
*cardboard* in *your* garden? huh, wonder where you ever got that idea from...
When accusing someone of what they wrote you'd be more believeable had you produced a link to the post so everyone can see in what context... where you live it's apparent that one is not entitled to see their accuser or evidence against them.
And you spelled stupid wrong... it's 's-m-a-r-m-y', one kind.
See, I very rarely call anyone 'stupid", had you said I called you an idiot, a moron, an imbecile, then your accusation would have a ring of truth.
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:52:07 -0700, Dark Energy wrote: Hi - I changed the Subject line on this because original message might be getting overlooked by those not following the "Decorative Bark" thread.
So could I please get feedback from anyone who knows what kind of tree the Home Depot bark comes from?
This reminds me of another incident with another stoopid type I has words with and laughingly I called him/her a "maroon." The igit said I spelled "moron" incorrectly. Then a bombardment of posts followed with, "haven't you ever watched a Bugs Bunny cartoon?" We had a nice laugh at that one too.
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