This premium quality compost is used only once by the mushroom farm and then is available for use as a clean, highly nutritional soil amendment. The mushroom farm composts horse manure, straw, peat moss and fertilizers to be used as a medium for growing their crop.
The compost is steam sterilized to kill any weed seeds that may be present in the horse manure and the mechanical screening process eliminates any foreign material or large clumps.
Benefits Include:
- Soluble nitrogen is relatively low, resulting in little risk of plant burn
- Phosphate, potassium, calcium and magnesium levels are high
- Salinity is well below the level found in typical manure
- Micro element analysis is good for copper; high for zinc, manganese and iron; slightly low for boron
Application and Usage
As a soil amendment, mushroom compost is best used in pre-plant preparation. It should not be necessary to apply any further fertilizer or amendments, providing that the quantity applied is in the range of five to ten yards per 1,000 square feet. This equates to a surface depth of approximately 2 to 4 inches, although mixing to a depth of 6 inches should be done.
This compost should not be used as a growing medium. Instead, it should only be used as a soil amendment to improve the fertility of low-quality soils.
Mushroom compost can also be used for seeding grass and establishing sod. After grading the site, top-dress the lawn area with 1.5 inches of compost for seeding and 1 inch for installation of sod. Seed directly into the mushroom compost or lay the sod directly on top for a quick start to a faster established lawn.
Quantities and Delivery
Screened mushroom compost loads are available in truckload quantities of 40 cubic yards. Deliveries can be split with two different products being delivered on the same truck for a nominal extra charge. On large projects, job-site truckload deliveries can be arranged to eliminate extra handling costs for you.