Mushroom compost is a type of slow-release, organic plant fertiliser. The compost is made by mushroom growers using organic materials such as hay, straw, corn cobs and hulls, and poultry or horse manure.
Mushroom soil typically has more nutrient content (particularly nitrogen) than leaf compost. When preparing new beds, I think it's best to go moderate with amendments. A maximum of about one-third of either of these to two-thirds of your soil is good.
Difference Between Mushroom Compost And Manure. Mushroom compost is the leftovers of what's used to grow mushrooms, and cow manure is cow droppings. Mushroom compost is better suited to certain types of plants. And manure needs to be matured before use.
To summarize, both products are a good supply of organic matter. Plants grown in good soil-applied to either of these products are healthy. However, to answer the question of mushroom compost vs worm castings, mushroom compost is the best choice due to its less time-consuming nature.
Gardens love Mushroom Compost as a mulch and soil conditioner. It's great for most flowering plants, trees and shrubs, vegetable gardens herbs and establishing lawn.
Mushroom compost is excellent on the vegetable garden, as vegetable crops usually grow best when th soil is not acid and where the soil is alkaline brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and kale) are less likely to be infected by clubroot disease.
Vegetable root crops such as beets, carrots, radishes, and potatoes are particularly sensitive to adding horse manure. Salad greens are another vegetable type that can be damaged or burned by applying horse muck to the soil.
One of the most popular commercial blends of mushroom substrate is a mix of wheat straw, gypsum, and chicken or horse manure. Other ingredients can be used, but these are some of the most common.
Mushroom compost and cow manure are excellent organic garden amendments. They improve soil structure, increase nutrient availability, and help retain moisture. Usually, mushroom compost is considered a better option for the garden because it is more high-quality. It is also easier to handle and store than cow manure.
If, for example, your main goal is to increase your soil's organic matter, compost is likely the right pick, whereas if you're looking to boost your soil's nutrient content, manure is your better bet.
The high amount of calcium in mushroom compost is particularly helpful for plants such as tomatoes, which can suffer blossom-end rot as a result of calcium deficiency.
The putrefying organic matter creates organic acids that often have a strong odor. Common odors are vinegar, sour milk, vomit, rotting meat smell and occasionally ammonia or rotten eggs.
Mushroom compost contains an average of 1.12 percent nitrogen in a mostly organic form that slowly is available to plants.
Roses are known to thrive in soils such as mushroom compost due to them being significantly high in organic matter. The high organic material helps to provide plants with all the necessary nutrients they need to bloom over a long period of time.
Make Your Own Mushroom Compost
Simply mix cow manure and straw. Eventually, naturally occurring fungi and bacteria will arrive on the scene to break down the ingredients. Keep moist and mix regularly until the pile cools down. Apply your mock mushroom compost to the garden or add to other compost products.
Suppose your soil is acidic, and you are planting trees that prefer a more neutral or alkaline growing medium. In that case, mushroom compost is an excellent addition to the compost under the tree.
Mushroom compost is a good option as bedding material for composting worms. The mushroom compost is mostly used as housing for the worms rather than as a food supply. Mushroom compost helps to reduce acid buildup in the worm bin, which is a natural side effect of the decomposing organic material.
Adding manure to the home vegetable garden can increase soil organic matter and may alter soil structure. Adding manure to soil will not change soil texture. Fall is the most common time of year for adding manure to a vegetable garden. The manure may be spread atop the soil or incorporated into the garden soil.
Don't Use Fresh Manure
If the manure is from a plant-eating animal, it is probably also full of weed seeds, which will not be inhibited from sprouting. If you still want to make use of fresh manure, don't apply it after your garden has been planted.
Ideally, the best manure for gardens is probably chicken, since it has a very high content of nitrogen, a need all plants have, but it must be composted well and aged to prevent burning plants. Chicken manure is a rich source of nutrients and is best applied in fall or spring after it has had a chance to compost.
Sheep manure is particularly good for growing tomatoes because it provides phosphorous and potassium, as well as nitrogen. Fresh manure can be used, but it needs to be tilled into the soil 3-4 weeks before you plan to plant, or it can burn your vegetables.
You can use mushroom compost to add organic materials to your garden soil. You can also enrich your vegetable gardens, raised beds, flower gardens, new lawn, or orchard with the substrate.
Use good-quality compost
Use a good-quality compost, such as John Innes No. 2, that won't shrink or clump and will allow water to easily reach the plants' roots.