[new_2_veg]

if i was to cover the whole plot come planting time do you think it would do much dammage to my carrots and potatoes?

just a bit worryed now as these are 2 of the main crops i want to grow


nathan

[lincspoacher]

All I would add is that most mushroom compost is composted wheat straw,horse manure and chalk or gypsum and therefore it can be highly alkali due to the chalk/gypsum content.

So I'd avoid using it on lime hating plants.

It's a great source of humus and will have some slight nutrient values also.

P.S you can sometimes get a good crop of mushrooms coming up too if it's not completely spent.

It also may contain composted bark, and timbers chips recycled from the rubbish tip.  Mushroom compost is absolutely dodo. Its worse than the factory floor sweepings because its not made to grow plants in, so it has no nutrients at all, its made to go mouldy so that fungus grows on it. I seriously doubt its even any good as a soil conditioner.

Its not called 'mushroom compost' in the trade, the name is misleading, the correct name for it is 'Mushroom Casing'.

[vegmandan]

WOW !!! :shock:  now that's not beating about the bush.

All I can say is that in my experience when I did go and collect some spent mushroom compost from my local grower his consisted of,and only of composted straw,horse manure,chicken manure and gypsum.

No bark,wood chips etc.,I know this as I was watching one of his many Polish workers preparing his next batch.

So all I can say is that if you can get as good stuff as I managed to get then you won't go far wrong.

Composted straw and horse manure are excellent soil conditioners and humus providers,the hen manure will have nitrogen in it and the gypsum will help to break down a heavy soil if you have one.

So it's up to you who you want to believe.

[lincspoacher]

WOW !!! :shock:  now that's not beating about the bush.

All I can say is that in my experience when I did go and collect some spent mushroom compost from my local grower his consisted of,and only of composted straw,horse manure,chicken manure and gypsum.

No bark,wood chips etc.,I know this as I was watching one of his many Polish workers preparing his next batch.

So all I can say is that if you can get as good stuff as I managed to get then you won't go far wrong.

Composted straw and horse manure are excellent soil conditioners and humus providers,the hen manure will have nitrogen in it and the gypsum will help to break down a heavy soil if you have one.

So it's up to you who you want to believe.

Oh its quite possible its different, its such cheap stuff anything spare goes in and its not even mixed to an exact recipe. I should think everyones its different - its not like you're trying to mix up JI no1 !!!!  

Best thing to do with mushroom casing is mix it back in with a load of grass cuttings/leaves/green dodo and recompost it and see if you can build up the nutrients a bit. The only other use it has is a mulch for weed supressant, so possibly mix it with grass, and then leave it on top with a plastic sheet over then turn it in next spring.

[new_2_veg]

i just wanted it realy to help berak up the soil as it wasnt worked for 30 years until i took it on a few months back, i may just wait and get come cattle manure in december when another contact is back on his feet again


ive read tinks on the net tht say its great for allotments so im a bit stuck realy in what to think or say or so now realy

nathan

[jsmzxc]

My experience of mushroom compost (Once, twenty odd years ago) is all positive. Grew a great crop of mushrooms followed by a fantastic crop of potatoes.  

As for fresh compost, I once covered (3/4 inches deep) a plot with fresh stuff in October/November, then covered  that with a Black plastic sheet and then looked again in spring to find a mushy stinking mess that took a hell of a lot of sorting out and then went on to grow the best crop of peas and beans I've ever had, but not worth the work I had to put into it. Let the animal compost rot down a year or two before you use it. The advice is too old to be cra*