Mushroom Compost Vs. Worm Castings
Are you an avid farmer looking to decide between mushroom compost vs. worm castings? Here is everything you need to know to make an informed decision.
What is Mushroom Compost?
Although the term 'mushroom compost' hints that the composting process comprises mushrooms. The truth is that mushroom compost is mushroom-free. Instead, it helps in growing the mushrooms.
Mushroom compost is an organic material. It can enrich a wide range of herbs and shrubs, not just mushrooms. Mushroom compost consists of carefully blended manure. For example, it can have chicken manure, horse manure, cow manure, and perlite. People use all of these for mushroom cultivation.
The spent mushroom organic matter is typically the best for growing mushrooms or other vegetables on more minor scales. You can also use hot compost as an alternative for commercially available general fertilizers.
Worm Castings: What Are They?
Worm castings are a type of organic fertilizer made from worms' waste. Vermicast is another name for worm castings. It is nothing more than earthworm feces. Worm feces is also another name for worm castings.
Because these organisms consume compost, their excrement is a great organic soil improver. Worm castings resemble football-shaped pellets. They increase water penetration while improving soil moisture content.
Worm castings make the soil more porous. This allows plants to get more moisture constantly. Hence, it keeps soil from drying out altogether.
A worm bedding adds an endless number of beneficial microorganisms and bacteria to the completed product. These are the good bacteria and not the harmful ones, so they ensure the freshness of soil. Castings are also a good source of humic acid, which helps plants absorb nutrients.
What Are Some Benefits of Using Mushroom Composts?
Boost the Adsorption of Water in the Soil
Mushroom compost pile also has a high rate-water retention rate. This property is ideal for plants like ferns that want their roots to be damp. The hot compost can keep water for longer than regular compost. So, you won't have to water your plants as regularly, which offers various advantages.
Putting good compost into your soil can cut the quantity of water you need to water your plants in half. This composting not only saves you money on your water bill, but it also saves you electricity.
Environment Friendly
Planting mushrooms produce spent mushroom compost, which is environmentally friendly. It is used for producing mushrooms for many seasons before being sold as ordinary compost.
This implies it's a by-product of mushroom growing and doesn't require more resources to produce. This makes composting an environmentally friendly option. It recycles and repurposes a product that would otherwise be discarded.
Nitrogen Content Is Moderate
Much of the nitrogen in mushroom compost was used by the mushrooms growing, so it has a decreased nitrogen level. While it may appear that having a low nutritional level is a bad choice, it can be pretty advantageous.
The low level will allow your plants to absorb nutrients while preventing weed growth slowly. These nutrients include important ions like potassium, phosphorus, and mixed salts. This way, with composting, you won't need weed seeds either.
Fertilizers rich in nitrogen have their merits. But the difficulty is that they can promote excessive foliage sprouting at the expense of flowers and fruits. Additionally, they also encourage the growth of weeds. You may end up needing weed seeds after all. Low-nitrogen compost, such as mushroom compost, improves plant health in the long run.
Rich in Calcium
Organic mushroom compost contains a high salt level of calcium. As a result, it's perfect for growing calcium-rich fruits and vegetables. This form of compost would be especially advantageous for tomato growers. Tomatoes lack calcium in their soil. They usually suffer from blossom end rot.
Earthworms Are Attracted to It
Worms prefer damp soils. Mushroom fertilizers enhance water retention, so it appeals to them even more. Earthworms strengthen soil structure and increase drainage. They also aid in the more efficient collection of nutrients from the soil by roots, thus resulting in healthy soil good for your plants.
What Makes Worm Castings Appealing?
It's the worm, of course. It refines the organic elements it eats as it digests them. Minerals and trace elements, as well as nutrients, are reduced to their most suitable form. These castings do have a pH of 7.0, which is neutral.
Benefits of Using Worm Casting
Planting in worm castings improves germination and seedling growth. Worm castings are, in a nutshell, the superfood of vegetable gardens. Worms also remove heavy metals and other contaminants from the soil.
This is particularly beneficial in the reclamation of landfills and other hazardous places. It can also help keep your garden soil in good shape. Of course, part of this happens on its own.
Nothing beats turning over spring garden soil and discovering a swarm of wigglers-a worm farm- rendering your fertile soil to get even richer. You may buy high-quality worm castings and use them to dress your potted plants or vegetable garden and get all the benefits.
Castings have enriched manures. They do not have a strong odor. They smell like forest soil. Moreover, they will not burn plants due to excessive direct nitrogen.
The worms secrete mucus as they digest. Due to this mucous, castings contain 4-5% more nitrogen than normal garden soil.
Fertilizer With a Slow Release
Worm castings offer low levels of various nutrients to plant roots with time as it diminishes. As a slow-release fertilizer, it feeds the soil and improves plant health.
Conclusion
Mushroom composting is a wonderful alternative for smaller-scale vegetable gardens. It contains high amounts of nutrients. Furthermore, it is excellent for plant hydration and aeration.
On the other hand, worm castingscan vary significantly in quality in a garden store. Moreover, they usually are more expensive than compost and other soil amendments.
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.
