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 week seeds that may be present in the horse manure and the mechanical screening process eliminates any foreign material or large clumps.
The availability of soluble nitrogen in mushroom compost is relatively low, which means little risk of plant burn, but the total amount of nitrogen is present in such a form that it will be released over time as further decomposition takes place. Phosphate, potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels are quite high. Salinity is well below the level found in typical manure. The micro element analysis is good for copper, high for zinc, manganese, and iron, and slightly low for boron.
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. Through 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 improved the fertility of low quality soils.
Mushroom compost can also be used for seeding grass and establishing sod. After grading the site, topdress 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.
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, jobsite truckload deliveries can be arranged to eliminate extra handling costs for you.
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