Ornamental Bark

Green Fingered Mikey

This might be a silly question but I am going to ask it any. I have been given today four huge bag fulls of ornamental bark its not like the normal bark you get this one is finer and coloured Red Cedar, is this ok for going on my new front lawn boarders and will it still act like the standered bark you get and help feed the soil ?? Thanks.

Tropical Sam

It is the same as standard bark. One thing is a lot of the red bark is dyed that colour and it fades/washes out very quickly. True red cedar should only silver and take a while to rot down.

Green Fingered Mikey

Thanks blairs it is the dyed sort I guess I mean to ask is if the dye is toxic to the soil or not its not in its original packing for me to check.

Green Fingered Mikey

Thank Mike thought is was best to check

fidgetbones

Ornamental bark will not feed the soil. In fact as it rots it may reduce the level of nutrients available to the plant. You should only use it as mulch to help retain water.

Green Fingered Mikey

Thanks fidgetbones I am just putting it on the surface of the soil I have horse manure now to mix in with the soil.

Tropical Sam

fidgetbones wrote (see)

Ornamental bark will not feed the soil. In fact as it rots it may reduce the level of nutrients available to the plant. You should only use it as mulch to help retain water.

Am not sure about that. Nitrogen for example leaches out with rain, mulch reduces and slows rain at soil level. If you use a general feed then any nutrients used by bark mulch decomposing is offset b what you are adding.

Green Fingered Mikey

Thanks all for the feed back.



Edd that makes perfect sense.



I am working the soil with horse manure the bark I am leaving on top, I am making my own compost and mulch for feeding plants when needed.