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Mushroom Compost

Klompen

Klompen

Active member
Menards carries a type of mushroom compost that comes from Markman Peat and is sold under the "New Plant Life" brand. They basically take actual mushroom compost and mix it with topsoil. I bought some generic "humus and manure" from Walmart and honestly the two looked a lot alike and oddly the Walmart brand had less unwanted garbage in it. I would say the manure content in the mushroom compost was somewhat more composted than the generic c&m, but otherwise they're practically indistinguishable.
 
'Boogieman'

'Boogieman'

Well-known member
The best mushroom compost I have used looked like compost with white fungus roots everywhere. The worst mushroom compost I have used was basically a bag of wood mulch.
 
P

paradoxlost

Member
Mushroom compost is unique in multiple different ways. It normally has a higher P content than most composts. It's not the highest one, but it does fairly well. In fact, if you have a field that you store P on, you should be worried about it running off. It is very available compared with other composts as well. Also the N in mushroom compost is mostly in amino acid/fungus form. Not nitrate or ammonium. This means that its runoff rate is virtually zero. And than finally, since its microbial community is dominated by fungi, and fungi have a slower rate of establishment compared to bacteria, it gets better and better as years go round. And than the idea that fungi creates networks as opposed to bacteria, you have a very significant factor in that aspect as well. No other compost will have a fungi dominated microbial community.
 
M

MindEater

Member
'Boogieman' said:
The best mushroom compost I have used looked like compost with white fungus roots everywhere. The worst mushroom compost I have used was basically a bag of wood mulch.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the latter came from the homo depot?
I simply can't find quality compost where I'm at, it's all glorified mulch, even the peat is cut with wood chips and twigs.
 
'Boogieman'

'Boogieman'

Well-known member
MindEater said:
I'm guessing the latter came from the homo depot?
I simply can't find quality compost where I'm at, it's all glorified mulch, even the peat is cut with wood chips and twigs.
Click to expand...

It was either Lowes or Menards. I believe I got the good stuff from menards. It's been 5+ years, I make my own compost and worm castings now.
 
C

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
Mushroom compost here used to always be spent mushroom substrate. Now It's not even always recycled substrate. Sometimes It's just similar mixs made specifically for growing.

I used to use a ton off it in my soil mixes. Its cheap. 40-50$ a yard (200 gallons). WAY lighter then other types off compost. More N then the other composts because they have chicken poo in it. It used to have Allot off peat in it. Don't see much peat anymore in it. Every landscape yard around here has different Mushroom compost.
 
I

Iamnumber

Active member
Hi,


What is/are the key advantages of mushroom composting over alternatives ( worm-; (aerobic- or hot- or 'basic'-) ; bokashi- compost) ?


I am preferably looking for advantages that work for most people who think about composting. I do understand that there must be also minor advantages that make mushroom composting work for specific situations - I would be happy to hear about these too.
 
M

Mr. J

Well-known member
Iamnumber said:
Hi,


What is/are the key advantages of mushroom composting over alternatives ( worm-; (aerobic- or hot- or 'basic'-) ; bokashi- compost) ?


I am preferably looking for advantages that work for most people who think about composting. I do understand that there must be also minor advantages that make mushroom composting work for specific situations - I would be happy to hear about these too.
Click to expand...
Mushroom composting isn't a technique. Its the leftover substrate from growing mushrooms, which usually consists of straw, gypsum, and manure, which has been hot composted and then pasteurized. They grow the mushrooms in it and when they're done with it they sell it as a fertilizer.

They used to sell it here every spring and the money went to charity. Stinky, sulfurous stuff. They used horse manure I think. People used to get it trucked in and spread on their lawns and in their gardens. It sure did make everything grow nice and green. Haven't seen the stuff in years. The stuff they sell at Home Depot ad mushroom compost is nothing like what I remember.
 
PDX Dopesmoker

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
'Boogieman' said:
The best mushroom compost I have used looked like compost with white fungus roots everywhere. The worst mushroom compost I have used was basically a bag of wood mulch.
Click to expand...

I got 8 cubic feet of soil like that earlier this spring and it seems to be worth about 4x as much as my leftover soil from last year, every seed thats in the mycelium rich soil grows like mad. Huge sprouts quickly turn into tall plants with strong stems and large, deep green foliage (weather permitting).
 
I

Iamnumber

Active member
Mr. J said:
Mushroom composting isn't a technique. Its the leftover substrate from growing mushrooms, which usually consists of straw, gypsum, and manure, which has been hot composted and then pasteurized. They grow the mushrooms in it and when they're done with it they sell it as a fertilizer.

They used to sell it here every spring and the money went to charity. Stinky, sulfurous stuff. They used horse manure I think. People used to get it trucked in and spread on their lawns and in their gardens. It sure did make everything grow nice and green. Haven't seen the stuff in years. The stuff they sell at Home Depot ad mushroom compost is nothing like what I remember.
Click to expand...


Thanks for clearing that up!
 
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