Value of mushroom compost

by Corey Johnson
(Queensland)

I agree with you about the lack of nutrients in mushroom compost. I do believ also that non-organic MC is probably mosre harmful to the soil than not using it. I am not a mushroom grower by the way; i have just read much on soil stuff. What I think you may neglect to inform your readers is that mushroom compost (organic) probably has an incredible amount of living organisms that would foster the living ecosystem of soil such that what is present in any form (nutrient wise) is powerfully and efficiently cycled to provide those nutrients that arent necessarily present in the compost. The interplay bewteen organisms present will undoubtedly fuel the availability of nutrients that may not be made as available as when other forms of compost/fertilisers are used. I believe that fertilisers even though providing a great blast of nutrients accessible for plants initially, probably do not sustain the soil as well as what an organic compost would do because of its organism concentration is so high.

That's just my theory. I'd like to know if i am possibly mistaken somehow; im not a scientist and do not have the equipment to test all of this. Cheers Corey


Doug says that "certified organic compost" is going to have a broad range of micro-organisms. And yes, certified organic compost is going to be fine to use.

The point though is that using non-certified mushroom compost means that chemicals have likely been used in an attempt to control/eliminate the biodiversity of microorganisms in that compost.

So while you're right that good compost contains a wide variety of microorganisms, you've missed the concept that chemicals wipe out these beneficials. We wind up with very expensive organic matter.

For other readers, this is the link to mushroom compost and my take on it. And yes, I get regular emails from mushroom growers taking issue with the data here about chemical safety and how wonderful mushroom compost is.