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japus

mushroom manure...your thoughts ???

japus
11 years ago

There's an ample supply of mushroom manure in my area.
Indiana PA. for $1.00 per 5 gal container it's readily available, matter of fact I have 10 five gallon buckets sitting in the back yard.
When I purcahse it up at the yard it's usually steaming, indicating it is still cooking ???
In your opinion would this be as good, better, not as good, as horse manure, cow manure, etc.,??

Comments (9)

  • Kimmsr
    11 years ago

    Mushroom "manure" is spent mushroom compost although initially that compost was made from animal manures and other organic materials. The Spent Mushroom Compost is a good soil amendment.
    If this material is still steaming then it is not spent. If this material is still steaming then mushrooms did not grow in it because then it would be too hot for them. Still steaming is too hot for your soil as well and is an indication it is not yet done composting. I would be extremely leary of purchasing anything from this seller.

  • japus
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The pile I'm referring to as steaming is about as big as a 3 story house, Vapor's are escaping as I shovel into the 5 gal buckets,
    the material is warm to the touch.
    Avery reputable landscape dealer who has been in business for as long as I have been alive.
    We use this every season, grass, wife's flowers, my garden, etc.
    Are you still opposed to using this?

  • gardenlen
    11 years ago

    g'day japus,

    use it, it is great in gardens, it has gotten too expensive over here for us to buy, don't worry about the heat that will settle once it decomposes some more.

    len

    Here is a link that might be useful: lens bale garden

  • japus
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Would you consider mushroom manure equal to finished compost.?????

    I have 2 working piles of compost in the back + a tumbler pictured here, it is astounding how much compost material develops in the kitchen, never in all my wild imagination did I ever realize this.
    This tumbler has a base that collects compost tea, a great feature.

  • japus
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    This unit as a whole image

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    11 years ago

    Japus: I wouldn't consider anything that's still hot as finished. But, I would definitely use it. I have the same issue with compost that I get at the city landfill. I KNOW it's finished by the LOOK. But , it's still hot. Not only that, they age it for a full 70 days in wind tunnels -- they know what they're doing!

    The city's website recommends incorporating into soil and then watering thoroughly twice before planting anything. Works for me!

    Even if you want to plant right away, you could just add it too your current finished compost pile -- that'll cool it down.

    Kevin

  • japus
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The pile I have in my back yard never gets hot, or even warm.
    Lots of leaves in the fall, along with so many pears, with some mushroom manure, soil, and other waste.
    I have turned it over 6 times this past fall, it has the most pleasant odor I have ever smelled,
    about as refreshing as a summer rain in warm weather.
    I'm hoping this is a good sign.
    Usually this pile is ready in July, I have a screen and sift all the larger material back into a new pile.
    I only recently became aware of how important compost is.
    Will be making 3 separate 4X4 piles this spring so I can rotate them, this compost is one very interesting topic.

  • Kimmsr
    11 years ago

    It matters not how long someone has been in business of they do not know that mushrooms do not produce manure I would be very leery of doing business with them. Nothing I wrote above, or here, can be interpreted as being opposed to using this material, just be very careful. This is, after all, organic matter, just not what the seller says it is.

  • toxcrusadr
    11 years ago

    We've been around the block before on mushroom compost. If you'd like to read more, go to the Search box at the bottom of this page and search This Forum for "mushroom compost."

    Of course mushrooms don't produce manure, and I doubt the seller believes they do.

    From what I recall from other threads, to make mushroom substrate, relatively fresh ingredients (not yet fully composted) are steamed to knock down other fungi, then inoculated with mushroom spores. After the mushrooms grow, the substrate is discarded. It has not yet composted, and once the microbes re-populate and get working on it, it can get hot.

    If you're not putting it on live plants, but tilling in for later planting (weeks or months), it's fine. I would not use too much around live plants, but instead, compost it for awhile till it cools off. Otherwise you can burn your plants.