All of my container plants incorporated a large portion of pine bark, peat moss, and perlite. I like to use a ratio of 4-2-1 for blueberries. I will add some lime to the mix depending on if certain plant need to be more closer to neutral on the ph side of things. Fast draining, well aerated, and moist soil is the key for all potted plants and shredded pine bark allows that.
Do you grow any citrus , guava, or mango trees? If so what mix do you use for those respectively? The pro growers say citrus does not like to have wet feet. am in Oklahoma zone 7b so those types of trees have to ge grown in containers so I can bring them indoors when winter comes. Thanks man
@@lorenbush8876 I grow a lot of citrus! Will be having a video update on that soon. I use a 5-1-1 or 4-1-1 mix for all of my citrus. 5 or 4 part of pine bark, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part perlite. This mixture does well for citrus. You can also add in some worm castings and some dolomite lime into the mixture also.
That is some pretty pine bark mulch. Never thought about using a mulcher for some reason. We do have a brand that is ground finer, but does not look as good as yours.
The shredding port is for long sticks and branches and it shredded them easily. The fresh branches do cause the impellor to jam from time to time but not much.
Hi Nat, great video! I'm one those "midwest guys" with little access to pine bark, much less fir bark. I did find one bulk mulch vendor that I can get a cu. yd. red pine bark delivered @ $45 per yd. This chipper would help with any larger medium that may be in my mulches. Do you have more videos about your potting mixes? I am a backyard blackberry grower and starting more with blueberries, as well. Thanks again!
It's sorta hard to find these much more durable model nowadays, I luckily found mine in a garage sale through FB marketplace ad for a mulcher shredder.
Where did you find that chipper?. I;ve been looking for one of that type for two years. They don't seem to be sold new anywhere, did you buy yours used? I want it for the exact same reason, breaking up large bark nuggets...I once saw a photo of some one doing that with this type machine, but your video is the first confirmation I've seen that it can be done successfully. Thanks for making the videoi, it's really useful
Hello Dan, yes I luckily found it and brought it used from a garage sale from a very nice gentlemen. I would check in store if you are looking for new and see if that make/model have a similar build to this model.
@@natbackyardgarden Hi Nat. I can't find an electric shredder to buy anywhere. Would you please sell my husband & I one big bag of finely chopped up pine bark? I can't find any bags of it to buy in stores.
@@natbackyardgarden Hi Nat & thank you !! I'm in soutjern CO, but we come thru Amarillo a lot because we love it there. I just now found a big bag of very small pine bark mulch at Lowes. We can see thru the bag, & it looks like the stuff will be fine grade enuf to provide what I need to transplant a large Japanese Maple out of too sunny of an area & back into a big pot ... to sit in the shade. I really appreciate your offer! If we were heading back down soon, I'd take you up on your offer. But we MUST get this very stressed young tree transplanted today or tomorrow. Your video was AWESOME!! May God bless you !
@@michelleduncan9965 Awesome! Glad to hear! Those small pine bark bags from Lowes will work great. It's a mixed bag sometime with the sizing, but as long as you look through you can get an idea of the size in the bag.
Could you make a comparison between the results from the blower/vacuum and the results from using this chipper/shredder? How are the bark pieces from each machine...are some more shreds that chips, are they larger or smaller, does one machine make more dust size pieces that the other, etc...? My goal is the same as yours, to use the bark in a potting soil or raised bed mix. I haven't been able to find a chipper/shredder like yours so I'm thinking of buying the blower/vacuum one from Walmart to use at least until the other shows up on the local craigslist.
I find that my new machine and method produce a more consistent pine bark size for my potting mix usage. Instead of the usual smaller pine bark size required, the larger "pine nugget" size are much more desirable to shred in this new chipper/shredder! I would suggest you look in store to see if there are any chipper/shredder around 100-200 and grab that. It will be worth it in the long run. The blower/vacuum require a bit of time sorting out the bigger chunks and to be honest a bit more dangerous than this method and not as fast.
@@natbackyardgarden 3 years ago I tried one of the other electric chipper/shredders, a SunJoe from craigslist. It was completely useless for chipping/shredding brush and eventually I tried running medium bark nuggets through it. That produced a lot of bark dust and bark shreds that were too large. If I ran the shredded bark through 3 times it would be usable, but only barely. That machine didn't last very lon...some component burnt out, and then I came across a photo of the Duromax Eco-Shredder which is identical to your chipper/shredder and Ive been looking for one ever since. I've identified 6 different brands selling machines identical to yours, but haven't found one nearby yet. The SunJoe types have their blades mounted on a 45 degree flywheel, and I think that leads to larger shredded pieces and a machine that jams all the time. Your machine type has blades on a horizontal flywheel, and also has the so called V blade mounted at 90 degrees. I think that allows the bark pieces to bounce around and get cut up into smaller pieces and not jam as much. BTW, you can replace the small blades on yours, but good luck if the V blade breaks... So unfortunately, the only game in town is your chipper/shredder that is no longer available new. I have an old lawnmower and if I can get it working I'll try it on a pile of bark nuggets, but that's a long shot. What's the max size bark nugget you would use with your old blower/vacuum?
Sorry for the late reply! I got very lucky finding this one as I was on a hefty long adventure seeking one out. Just the other day.....somehow there was a chunk of 1/2x1inch chunk of pure steel in a bag of pine bark and it scared the life of me....it did damage the blade somewhat by taking a little chunk out of it sigh..but everything still working fine. On our old vacuum machine, I sorted through the pine bark material thoroughly and making sure there is no other large piece of wood. The average size was around an inch to 2 inch in length. Odd thing is from the same bag type at the same store, they have restock it and the particle size was perfect and does not need shredding. So it is a very mixed bag...depending on where you are. @@danfarnsworth5368
I occasionally do. You have to add in dolomite lime to up the ph level for most of the vegetables. I use a different mixture that consist of 1 part compost, 1 part peat moss, and half a part of perlite for vegetables.
I found mine through Facebook marketplace from a nice gentlemen after searching for quite a while. The model I have is an outdate older model, so I don't think you can find the exact kind but maybe something similar to it.
Great video! Do you plant your blueberries in just the pine bark or do you add soil to it? Your video with the old leaf blower chipping the pine bark inspired me to try the same thing. I have a agri fab leaf vacuum and I ran my pine bark nuggets through it and it worked great! Thanks for the great idea!
I'm so glad to see that the pine bark nuggets CAN REALLY be shredded into a fine medium.
Thanks for posting this, Nat. I have mesquite tree bark in central Texas.
Thanks for the chipper/shredder review!
I love Amarillo !! I wish I could get a chipper. I need to finely chop & shred pine bark.
I’m glad I found your channel. I also can not find pine bark fines but locally I can find pine nuggets
Thanks, i just purchased one locally used very cheap. , it works amazing.
All of my container plants incorporated a large portion of pine bark, peat moss, and perlite. I like to use a ratio of 4-2-1 for blueberries. I will add some lime to the mix depending on if certain plant need to be more closer to neutral on the ph side of things. Fast draining, well aerated, and moist soil is the key for all potted plants and shredded pine bark allows that.
Do you grow any citrus , guava, or mango trees? If so what mix do you use for those respectively? The pro growers say citrus does not like to have wet feet. am in Oklahoma zone 7b so those types of trees have to ge grown in containers so I can bring them indoors when winter comes. Thanks man
@@lorenbush8876 I grow a lot of citrus! Will be having a video update on that soon. I use a 5-1-1 or 4-1-1 mix for all of my citrus. 5 or 4 part of pine bark, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part perlite. This mixture does well for citrus. You can also add in some worm castings and some dolomite lime into the mixture also.
This is great , i need small pine bark for bonsai and this is great
That is some pretty pine bark mulch. Never thought about using a mulcher for some reason. We do have a brand that is ground finer, but does not look as good as yours.
Did you ever put the bark chips into the shredder port to see what comes out. Thanks
The shredding port is for long sticks and branches and it shredded them easily. The fresh branches do cause the impellor to jam from time to time but not much.
Hi Nat, great video! I'm one those "midwest guys" with little access to pine bark, much less fir bark. I did find one bulk mulch vendor that I can get a cu. yd. red pine bark delivered @ $45 per yd. This chipper would help with any larger medium that may be in my mulches. Do you have more videos about your potting mixes? I am a backyard blackberry grower and starting more with blueberries, as well. Thanks again!
that is cool! where you get the machine?
It's sorta hard to find these much more durable model nowadays, I luckily found mine in a garage sale through FB marketplace ad for a mulcher shredder.
Can you provide a link to where you bought this shredder?
I got the Earthgrow I think it's called. Recommend getting some extra blades and also be careful what u put in it. Don't put green branches.
Yup! Branches or barks with a lot of moisture will tend to even jam our machine. The drier the materials the better!
Where did you find that chipper?. I;ve been looking for one of that type for two years. They don't seem to be sold new anywhere, did you buy yours used? I want it for the exact same reason, breaking up large bark nuggets...I once saw a photo of some one doing that with this type machine, but your video is the first confirmation I've seen that it can be done successfully. Thanks for making the videoi, it's really useful
Hello Dan, yes I luckily found it and brought it used from a garage sale from a very nice gentlemen. I would check in store if you are looking for new and see if that make/model have a similar build to this model.
@@natbackyardgarden Hi Nat. I can't find an electric shredder to buy anywhere. Would you please sell my husband & I one big bag of finely chopped up pine bark? I can't find any bags of it to buy in stores.
@@michelleduncan9965 Where are you located? If you are in or near Amarillo, I can gladly shred some for ya!
@@natbackyardgarden Hi Nat & thank you !! I'm in soutjern CO, but we come thru Amarillo a lot because we love it there. I just now found a big bag of very small pine bark mulch at Lowes. We can see thru the bag, & it looks like the stuff will be fine grade enuf to provide what I need to transplant a large Japanese Maple out of too sunny of an area & back into a big pot ... to sit in the shade. I really appreciate your offer! If we were heading back down soon, I'd take you up on your offer. But we MUST get this very stressed young tree transplanted today or tomorrow. Your video was AWESOME!! May God bless you !
@@michelleduncan9965 Awesome! Glad to hear! Those small pine bark bags from Lowes will work great. It's a mixed bag sometime with the sizing, but as long as you look through you can get an idea of the size in the bag.
Could you make a comparison between the results from the blower/vacuum and the results from using this chipper/shredder? How are the bark pieces from each machine...are some more shreds that chips, are they larger or smaller, does one machine make more dust size pieces that the other, etc...? My goal is the same as yours, to use the bark in a potting soil or raised bed mix. I haven't been able to find a chipper/shredder like yours so I'm thinking of buying the blower/vacuum one from Walmart to use at least until the other shows up on the local craigslist.
I find that my new machine and method produce a more consistent pine bark size for my potting mix usage. Instead of the usual smaller pine bark size required, the larger "pine nugget" size are much more desirable to shred in this new chipper/shredder! I would suggest you look in store to see if there are any chipper/shredder around 100-200 and grab that. It will be worth it in the long run. The blower/vacuum require a bit of time sorting out the bigger chunks and to be honest a bit more dangerous than this method and not as fast.
@@natbackyardgarden
3 years ago I tried one of the other electric chipper/shredders, a SunJoe from craigslist. It was completely useless for chipping/shredding brush and eventually I tried running medium bark nuggets through it. That produced a lot of bark dust and bark shreds that were too large. If I ran the shredded bark through 3 times it would be usable, but only barely. That machine didn't last very lon...some component burnt out, and then I came across a photo of the Duromax Eco-Shredder which is identical to your chipper/shredder and Ive been looking for one ever since. I've identified 6 different brands selling machines identical to yours, but haven't found one nearby yet.
The SunJoe types have their blades mounted on a 45 degree flywheel, and I think that leads to larger shredded pieces and a machine that jams all the time. Your machine type has blades on a horizontal flywheel, and also has the so called V blade mounted at 90 degrees. I think that allows the bark pieces to bounce around and get cut up into smaller pieces and not jam as much. BTW, you can replace the small blades on yours, but good luck if the V blade breaks...
So unfortunately, the only game in town is your chipper/shredder that is no longer available new. I have an old lawnmower and if I can get it working I'll try it on a pile of bark nuggets, but that's a long shot.
What's the max size bark nugget you would use with your old blower/vacuum?
Sorry for the late reply! I got very lucky finding this one as I was on a hefty long adventure seeking one out. Just the other day.....somehow there was a chunk of 1/2x1inch chunk of pure steel in a bag of pine bark and it scared the life of me....it did damage the blade somewhat by taking a little chunk out of it sigh..but everything still working fine. On our old vacuum machine, I sorted through the pine bark material thoroughly and making sure there is no other large piece of wood. The average size was around an inch to 2 inch in length. Odd thing is from the same bag type at the same store, they have restock it and the particle size was perfect and does not need shredding. So it is a very mixed bag...depending on where you are. @@danfarnsworth5368
Will it shred pine needles?
It will definitely shred dried pine needles easily!
Do you plant vegetables in containers with your 4-2-1 mixture?
I occasionally do. You have to add in dolomite lime to up the ph level for most of the vegetables. I use a different mixture that consist of 1 part compost, 1 part peat moss, and half a part of perlite for vegetables.
Where did you buy yours? I can't seem to find one on amazon or in my area.
I found mine through Facebook marketplace from a nice gentlemen after searching for quite a while. The model I have is an outdate older model, so I don't think you can find the exact kind but maybe something similar to it.
Great video! Do you plant your blueberries in just the pine bark or do you add soil to it? Your video with the old leaf blower chipping the pine bark inspired me to try the same thing. I have a agri fab leaf vacuum and I ran my pine bark nuggets through it and it worked great! Thanks for the great idea!