Mushroom Manure or Compost?

Mushroom Manure or Compost?

Mushroom Manure or Compost?

I won't bury the lead, the answer is that both composted materials are very similar and interchangeable.  But, there are differences as the result of the base materials added before the composting process.

Mushroom compost is not commonly found in all parts of the country but is popular in Pennsylvania because of our mushroom growing industry.  Mushroom producers created a growing medium that is primarily composted from the base materials of shredded straw and chicken manure.  There are variations that include other bulking agents from agricultural crops or animal manures that are usually the result of what is available locally.  After the composting process, mushroom manure is a quick-draining humus with a small amount of macro and micro-nutrients that will be available to your plants.  Mushroom manure is popular with landscapers and gardeners because of it's desirable qualities as a growing medium and native soil amendment. 

The other compost we have available to our customers is locally produced in Pittsburgh by AgRecycle.  It differs from mushroom maure by the base materials that are included before the composting process.  AgRecycle primarily uses landscape debris like small sticks, shrub clippings, grass clippings, leaves and food waste from their commercial customers.  At the end of the composting process, it is also a quick-draining humus with some macro and micro-nutrients available.  It tends to hold water slightly better than mushroom manure which can be helpful in the hot summer months when it's tricky to keep up with the water demands of your garden.

Both products are derived from the composting process that starts by adding organic debris together in the presence of oxygen and water and allowing microbes (mostly bacteria and fungi) and lots of tiny organisms to do the job of decomposing the base materials.  Carbon-rich base materials, or the "browns", are things like dry agricultural crop rsidue, wood chips, or leaves.  Nitrogen-rich base materials, or the "greens", are grass clippings, food scraps, and manures.  When the carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio is about 25:1 or 30:1 that is considered ideal.  The finished compost is a homgenous, dark, humus where none of the original base materials are identifiable.  This can be a realtively fast process with proper C:N ratios, mixing, moderate moisture and warm air temperatures.  It can also be very slow when piles are not tended, temperatures are cold, or there is an imbalance of carbon to nitrogen.  Home or community composters often make the mistake of adding material from the compost heap to the garden before the process is complete.  If you can still identify bits and pieces of the original base material, your compost needs more time.  Penn State Cooperative Extension offers and excellent guide on Home Composting Stop by the Garden Center to discuss our products!