Bark chippings

Hi folks,

Been tidying up a fair bit in garden but when I opened a bag of bark it was damp and absolutely infested with tiny tiny running mites eeeeeeeee ! What could they be - last time I bought bark a year ago I opened it and it seemed all mouldy. Is any of this to be expected or what ? Help !

 

If its been stored for sometime outside the bark can get a little funky if damp. I've had bark as you've described and its never bothered me particularly. I know one batch of bark brought some fungi spores with it but to be honest the chippings are pretty degradable, I use them in my soil dressings and they take very little time to break down when used in this way. They are great for mulching beds but i personally feel they make messy paths.

BM

 

hi Rumble, the fungus is a neccessary part of the degrading process, the small mites could be fungus gnats, which are likewise harmless - could you describe them a bit more? A BM says bark is fine for mulching but messy for paths unless you go for specially graded bark & lay it pretty deep.

 

Hi folks,

thanks for your replies.

I was going to use it for mulching, but I was worried that my plants would become infested with the little blighters.

They seemed mid green, tiny, round and wingless.
Not greenfly.

Don't want to see them running all over the plants.

 

There was bark chippings here when we came,they always seemed to spread every where so we lifted them.Have put stone chippings down instead,looks much tidier.

 

I have just has a flick through an insect book of mini HB's.... blimey, there are sooooooo many!!! They could be a wingless type of greenfly or plant lice (eeeewwwwww!!!)...if they were a mite, these are less than 2mm big!!!

Its up to you - you could chance using the chippings and hope they don't multiply like mad, or you could take the bag back and change it. You could also treat the bag before you spread it, with a spray or soapy water, depending on how orgainc you are.

 

Bark chippings form an effective mulch and naturally decompose with the aid of insects, fungi and bacteria. These creatures are all part of the decomposing process. Gradually, they will allow the bark to turn into crumbly humus. You need these creatures to work the magic for you :D