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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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compost
    #2463407 -

alright, i think compost is a pretty heavily neglected substrate. it would seem to me that compost is king of all substrates, but few people use it. even the info about composts at this site is a little lacking (unless i'm missing something); the FAQ section about bulk substrates includes no compost info.

i think this is probably because most of us do not have access to compost that we are 100% sure is suitable for mushroom growing. people don't mess with it much because poo and straw work. i'd certainly use compost if i had access to it, but i know straw will work, and i know dung will work, and i'm not so sure about the different brands of compost they've got down at the garden center. that's stuff's for growing plants, right? :confused:

what i think should be done, for the benefit of all growers, is to determine some good compost sources, and make this info available. perhaps the FAQ should be amended.

i'm thinking this:

1. is compost really that good? how does it stack up against dung and\or straw? are any of the following possible compost sources better for growing on than dung and\or straw?

2. garden centers sell regular garden compost. some of this is probably suitable for growing mushrooms. which brands are suitable? what brands are best?

3. is there an avenue through which one might be able to contact local mushroom growers and arrange to buy some of their compost? it seems to me that they would probably be willing to sell a little if asked...

4. garden centers usually sell "spent" mushroom compost. this is compost that was actually formulated for growing mushrooms, used by a mushroom farm, and discarded. people put it on their gardens. my question is... is this stuff really "spent"? i've read that it still retains a lot of nutrients, but for practical and economic reasons, mushroom farms get rid of it. perhaps it would still be good for growing on. has anyone ever tried this? if not, i think an experiment or two is in order...

after the data are compiled, information should be added to the FAQ.

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463479 -

this is the 3rd flush out of 5 from a 6.5 inch deep bed of compost. it is a burma isolate:


(courtesy of jimmytheworm)

:loveeyes:

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463575 -

go to some small local garden centers....they have manure compost bags... like 3-4lbs for 3 bucks usually.

be careful on some from meijer/walmart/lowes cause its only 5% manure...and te rest is just top soil.


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Today?s Pig is Tomorrow?s Bacon

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Re: compost [Re: dobinky]
    #2463615 -

is that composted manure or just a mix of compost and manure?

i suppose that another question is... what is the difference between common compost and compost for mushroom growing?

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463638 -

I would definitely start using poo if I had good info on where and what to get and preparation. Those shrooms in that pic are massive! I would try some poo, if I only knew!! :confused:


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: wicish1]
    #2463651 -

those were grown on compost.

poo has always worked very well for me, but i'm trying to see if compost is better, what kinds are good, and where one can find them.

"horse manure" composts are actually made from stall muckings from stables, which contain much more cereal straw than actual manure. it's then composted to break it down into something that's better for mushrooms and worse for competitor organisms.

i've never specifically looked for "horse manure" compost at garden centers before, though i've seen some mixes that are half compost (of an unidentified type) and half manure. if actual horse manure compost is available at the local garden store, i think that it would be a great substrate.\

but yes, bulk substrates of all kinds have the potential to yeild massive fruits.  :wink:

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463663 -

My sister has horses. Would the scraps from her stalls work? Does it have to sit for a few months before you can use it or what?


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: wicish1]
    #2463700 -

it would be better to collect droppings from the pasture.

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463726 -

AFOAF picked up a bag of scott's 3-in-1 organic compost after it was recommended by one of the more experienced growers here. He hasn't had the chance to try it yet, but it's a mix of compost, manure, and topsoil. Topsoil is the last ingredient, but I still wish there was something like it that didn't have topsoil.

Btw, I just noticed it's "regionally formulated" so may be different in different areas.


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"A nation's hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations...

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed... The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people..."

President Dwight Eisenhower, 1953

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463737 -

mushmaster said:
it would be better to collect droppings from the pasture.


Should I use droppings that have dried a while? What do I have to add to the poo before I pasteurize it, straw, lime, or what?


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: wicish1]
    #2463845 -

poo can be used straight. usually the texture of horse manure is fine, even when it's fresh out of the horse's ass. i've had problems with cow manure being too sloppy... it tends to mat down and become anaerobic if not mixed with liberal quantities of straw. i don't like using it. horse manure however has never been a problem.

i've found that the best horse manure is the really old stuff. around me, there is a park where people take horses. the parking lot is covered with gravel and it's an excellent place for the horse poo to just sit in the sun and rain. eventually, it's leeched to the point that it's a golden color. the best poo is goldren or gray and fibrous, but even fresh stuff is ok, though i don't prefer it. i'm sure you can find plenty out in the pasture that is good.

the problem with the stuff in the stalls is that the horses piss on it too, which adds an unnacceptable amount of ammonia. composting elliminates this ammonia, but home composting adds a whole 'nother facet to the process that most people prefer to avoid.

you could take the stuff in the stalls and leave it exposed to the elements for a little while. that would make it more suitable, though not true composting.

The Mushroom Cultivator, by Paul Stamets, has a large section about composting. it's a pretty involving process (then again, stamets seems to make everything a little more complicated than it really is).

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463909 -

Thanks for the info mushmaster!! :thumbup:  Sorry for so many questions but I would really like to try poo and you seem to know what your talking about. I have a good understanding of using poo from reading but there are a few things I'm not sure of! :confused:


1: How do I measure correct moisture levels?

2: Does poo work well in small casings such as 10"x10"x5" deep?

3: Bottom casing layer??

Only a True Master would answer these ?'s for me!! :grin:


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463915 -

I believe compost is the king of substrates. just neutralize the ph level. Mountain High Compost is one of the shroomery's sponsors. they sell ready-to-go heat pasterized compost formulated for mushrooms. i would try this. one layer of compost/wheat straw, spawn, and another layer of compost/wheat straw. cover and let colonize. once it is, case with 50/50 verm/peat moss with a dash of lime. follow typical procedures and it should have huge results.

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Re: compost [Re: wicish1]
    #2463937 -

1: How do I measure correct moisture levels?

let it drain overnight after pasteurizing and it should be fine.

2: Does poo work well in small casings such as 10"x10"x5" deep?

it'll work great. just fill the poo to a depth of 4 inches and top off the last inch with casing. deeper is better up to a point. i like deep beds because you get very large fruits, and a lot of 'em.

3: Bottom casing layer??

optional. i wouldn't use it if you're working with tubs that are only 5 inches deep. i've never used a bottom casing layer, but after dissecting a few spent beds to see what they look like inside, and finding nasty mucousy, yellowy wastes at the bottom, i'm tempted to think that a bottom casing layer, as a place for all this gunk to run off into, isn't a bad idea. what i'm actually thinking about doing is trying some beds in containers with some holes in the bottom and putting a half-inch layer of perlite down first. maybe all the grossness will drain out then.

but as a more direct answer to your question... i'm gonna say no, for your first tries don't use a bottom layer.

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Re: compost [Re: horror5]
    #2463958 -

i am tempted to try HMC, but not if horse manure compost is available at a local garden center. one of the great things about bulk substrates is the incredibly low cost. paying $3.50 per pound is a bit much i think, but it might be worth it if the stuff was really good. i live in PA, the "mushroom capital of the united states".... i think i could, in a pinch, buy ready-made compost from a local grower if the garden center stuff wasn't any good. i'm definitely gonna play around with composts a little and report back in a few months.

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2463971 -

mushmaster said:
I live in PA


Cool!! :thumbup:  Me Too!!


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2464011 -

You know what I think? I think you deserve 5 Big :mushroom2: :mushroom2: :mushroom2: :mushroom2: :mushroom2:!!!


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How many times do I have to tell you, I was running through the woods and tripped on some mushrooms!!! Well, at least I'm not lying.:crazy:

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Re: compost [Re: ]
    #2464045 -

Right now im colonizing 15 pounds of scotts 3 in 1 in a rubbermaid.its doing really good so far. I will post results when they are finished. The 3 in 1 is only different in florida. They use cow manure. The one i have has horse manure and compost. Im in the midwest. I have also used HMC, it works pretty well. I had order 30 lbs. the shrooms were very very potent. They got me a level 5 trip with 2 grams. I had made 7 casings and two contamed with green mold. well anyways i ended getting a half pound dry from the first flush and im still getting sporadic shrooms popping up. Great compost but really expensive. It works though so i cant really complain.

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