Soils and layers
Pine bark fines
Small pieces of pine bark that keep soil open and airy.
What the simulation uses
- Holds water
- 37.5 % by volume
- Water it keeps after draining; the rest runs down to the drainage.
- Pore space
- 77.5 % by volume
- Room for air and water between grains; low means roots suffocate when wet.
- Weight
- 275 g/L
- How heavy a litre is.
- pH
- 4.5 to 5.5 pH
- How acid it keeps the soil.
- Mould risk
- medium
- How much fresh food it gives white mould; high-risk soils fuzz over in the first weeks.
- Breaks down in
- 2 to 5 years
- How long it lasts before rotting down to fine soil.
- Nutrients
- low
- Plant food it brings.
- Presses down to
- 72 % of its loose depth
- How far pressing can pack it, keeping its weight.
Description
Small pieces of pine bark that keep soil open and airy. They are acidic and slow to rot, lasting two to five years. Fresh bark can fuel a mould bloom.
Also called fine bark, bark mulch.
Estimated, where sources were thin: values estimated from hobby and horticultural references; not measured.
See also: Terrarium layers explained · Terrarium drainage: LECA vs gravel vs lava rock.