Mushroom compost is used as a soil conditioner and a mulch. High in organic matter, it enhances the structure of your soil and providing nutrients for healthy plants. It’s slightly alkaline, and should not be used with ericaceous plants, which thrive in acid soils.
Mushroom compost, often called spent mushroom compost, is a by-product of the edible mushroom industry. Mushroom farmers cultivate mushrooms on a blend of composted straw and well-rotted animal manure – usually horse and chicken manure. After harvesting two or three crops of mushrooms, the compost is sterilised at high temperate to remove any pests, diseases or weeds. It’s then sold, either in bulk or in bags, as a soil conditioner and mulch for ornamental and vegetable gardens alike.
Why should you use mushroom compost?
Use mushroom compost to improve your soil so that it provides the air, moisture and nutrients that plants need to grow well.
Mushroom compost is high in organic matter, which enhances all soils, from heavy clay to light, free draining sand. Organic matter improves the structure and aeration of soil, at the same time creating greater moisture-retaining and drainage capability. Traditionally, manure or compost would be incorporated into soils through single- or double-digging. More recent no-dig approaches advocate preserving the existing soil structure, spreading the compost as a thick mulch over the flower or vegetable bed and allowing it to be gradually drawn into the soil through the action of soil organisms such as worms, beetles and millipedes.
Mushroom compost also provides the nutrients that plants need to grow well. The three main plant nutrients found in the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while magnesium, calcium and sulphur are also important. These nutrients work together to help plants grow strongly and produce flowers and fruit. They are particularly important on the vegetable patch as vegetable crops need a lot of nutrients. Invertebrates, bacteria and fungi in the soil work together to break down organic matter such as dead plant material and manure to make these nutrients available to plant roots. Mushroom compost is slightly alkaline, with a pH of 6.5-7, which is suitable for a wide range of ornamental plants. It is also good for a wide range of vegetables, including brassicas (vegetables in the cabbage family), as the higher pH defends against club root, and tomatoes, as the higher calcium levels act against blossom end rot).
Mushroom compost may be lower in nitrogen that other composts, as this nutrient will have been depleted by the mushrooms that were grown on it. However, lower nitrogen levels, will promote the production of flowers and fruit, as high nitrogen can stimulate the plant to put its energy into leaf production.
Where should you use mushroom compost?
Use mushroom compost as a general mulch, spreading a 5cm layer on flower beds, herbaceous and shrub borders and around young trees and specimen shrubs. Mushroom compost can also be used to improve waterlogged or clay soils as well as light, free-draining soils.
Avoid using mushroom compost as a mulch for so-called ‘acid-loving’ or ‘ericaceous’ plants, like rhododendron, camellia, heather and citrus, as the higher pH means they have difficulty accessing the nutrients they need from the soil.
Use mushroom compost as a 5cm deep mulch on your vegetable beds and allotment, but not on soft fruit, such as blueberries, raspberries and currants, which need neutral to acid conditions.
As it has raised concentrations of soluble salts, mushroom compost is not suitable for use on its own as a potting compost, or for growing seeds or cuttings. However, you can use it to grow outdoor plants in containers by mixing one part mushroom compost to three parts garden soil.
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When to use mushroom compost
Use mushroom compost in spring as a mulch and soil conditioner, spreading a 5cm deep layer over the surface of the soil. If spreading it on vegetable beds, leave for a week after application before sowing seeds.
Advice on buying mushroom compost
Make sure you’re buying spent mushroom compost that has already been used for growing mushrooms and, as a by-product of the industry, is good value
Spent mushroom compost is available from UK retailers in large bags, bulk bags or as loose loads, and can be delivered according to the accessibility of your garden to the nearest road
Mushroom compost is used as a soil conditioner and a mulch. High in organic matter, it enhances the structure of your soil and providing nutrients for healthy plants. It's slightly alkaline, and should not be used with ericaceous plants, which thrive in acid soils.
Mushroom compost should be used with caution due to its high soluble salt levels and alkalinity. These salt levels can kill germinating seeds, harm young seedlings, and cause damage to salt-sensitive plants, like azaleas and rhododendrons.
Mushroom compost use should be avoided where ericaceous plants such as rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and heathers are being grown, as these plants need acidic growing conditions and are chalk-hating.
Mushroom compost is also high in salt, which can be problematic for some plants such as blueberries, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. These soluble salts along with other nutrients in fresh mushroom compost are too concentrated to germinate seeds or plant young seedlings.
Mushroom compost works as an effective mulch when several inches are added on top of the soil, acting as a layer of insulation. It will help to keep plant roots cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and it will help to prevent moisture from evaporating.
Mushroom soil also contains more calcium than regular compost due to the addition of chalk. Plants like tomatoes do well in a calcium-rich soil which helps tamp down blossom-end rot.
Mushroom compost can supply nutrients and increase water-holding capacity of the soil. But mushroom compost can also be too much of a good thing for seeds, seedlings and young plants.
Q: Can I plant directly into mushroom compost? A: It depends on what you are planting. Direct seeding of wildflowers, turfgrass, radish, carrots, herbs, lettuce are known to do quite well. Transplanting of hops, tomatoes, peppers, kohlrabi, cucumber plants have also been possible.
If you have a lot of acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons, cow manure may be better. If the idea of having to compost manure turns you off, then perhaps mushroom compost may be more your speed. Whichever you choose, both are solid choices!
There are lots of ways to fill the bottom of your raised beds but here's what I did here: Straw Leaves Grass clippings Then once I was 8-12” from the top I used: Top soil Mushroom compost The soil level went down in this bed almost overnight so I did end up adding a few more bags of compost but overall I saved a lot by ...
Ideally if you have composted horse manure, cow manure, any kind of organic matter like mushroom compost, it makes no difference. Use it. Then cover it up with two inches of mulch or something to preserve moisture.
Mycotoxicosis, often referred to as “mushroom toxicity” or “compost toxicity,” is more frequent in the veterinary emergency room than you might think. While any moldy or rotten foods can cause symptoms of these diseases, dog owners can often trace them to their dog's visit to the compost bin within the past few hours.
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.
Use mushroom compost as a general mulch, spreading a 5cm layer on flower beds, herbaceous and shrub borders and around young trees and specimen shrubs. Mushroom compost can also be used to improve waterlogged or clay soils as well as light, free-draining soils.
You may use spent compost weathered for 6 months or longer in all gardens and with most plants. Obtaining mushroom compost in the fall and winter, allowing it to weather will make it ready to use in a garden the following spring. Spring and summer are the best time to use weathered material as a mulch.
Thankfully, there is a more environmentally friendly option available: green waste compost. This process involves using organic waste such as leaves and grass clippings to create nutrient-rich compost.
If you have a lot of acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons, cow manure may be better. If the idea of having to compost manure turns you off, then perhaps mushroom compost may be more your speed. Whichever you choose, both are solid choices!
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.
What about weeds? Prior to removing the compost from a mushroom production house, the entire inside of the house is steam-treated (i.e., pasteurized) to eliminate any pests, pathogens or weed seeds.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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