Mushroom Compost

[Jimmy Sharpe]

I have a business in Lexington, S.C. called Dixie Landscape Supply and
we sell bulk landscape products including mushroom compost. I would be
curious as to how many out there know about it, have had experience with
it, what you think about it, etc. We have customers that swear by it
and we don't recommend chemical fertilizers for anything. You can
E-mail me @ MRD...@BELLSOUTH.NET. I hope to hear from you.

Thanks,

Jimmy Sharpe
Dixie Landscape Supply

[Roxanne Jekot]

Hi Jimmy! I have used mushroom compost, and I would offer the 2
following suggestions:
1) Like any compost, you should ensure that mushroom compost is well
aged. The package I purchased did not indicate it's age. I let it sit
for several months to ensure it was safe to use, but many new gardeners
might not know to do this.
2) It should be marked clearly that this compost is not for all plants.
Widespread use in a garden clearly affected some of my plants for the
worse and others for the best.
I liked the compost, and will use it again carefully, as indicated
above.
Roxanne
The Plant Place
http://www.awebplace.com/theplantplace

[Jimmy Sharpe]

Roxanne, Thanks for your reply. I would be curious as to what part of
the world you are and where did you buy your mushroom compost. I get
mine from South Georgia from the Campbell Soup Mushroom Farm. We always
recommend ammending the soil with it and never plant directly into it
since it is too hot for young tenderling roots. We sell our mushroom
compost under the trade name "The Real Stuff" in 40 lb. bags to some
garden centers in S.C. & N.C. We also sell bulk mushroom compost by the
scoop in bulk here at our facility in Lexington, S.C. Please let me
hear more from you.
Thanks, Jimmy Sharpe @ MrD...@BellSouth.Com and Happy Holidays!

[madgard]

the ol' mad gardener here, I learned of mushroom soil three years ago from
someone who had ordered a truck load of it from a man who drove to Lenore
City where the mushroom farm was. Herbert charged $45 fopr a small
dumptruck load, and after he dumped it for me, I noticed it heated up really
fast. Herbert had gotten me fresh 'shroom soil. So I called my master
gardening friend and we decided to let it cook that season, and use the
outer portions. I top dressed it into my flowerbeds for a year and a half,
I even made a small bulbs bed just out of mushroom soil, but what worried me
was when I dug down into the never ending pile(this stuff seemed to multiply
and increase the more I dug it up) which for some strange reason the wild
grasses and weeds stopped at the edge of..............there were no worms,
ever. Two years later I finally got to the end of that pile, the crab grass
had finally developed a taste for it by then and purslane, and some wide
pasture grass, three dandelions and five thistle, and still NO WORMS. So I
haven't orderend any more from Herbert, I fear it had no nutricional value
to the plants, but it did fluff up my beds, I did discover this year a whole
community of carpenter black ants had moved into the remaining six inch
edge, but I never saw mushrooms come up at random like I was told, and the
lack of worms coming up to live in it made me think it was totally devoid of
nutrients. But i am a firm believer in Michigan Peat that has had night
crawlers growing in it, resulting in 50 pound bags of worm casting, black MP
soil, almost rich enough to eat, only problem is fresh the tomato's grow to
17-19 foot and some perennials hate rich soil and lay down before trying to
bloom. It took two years before the monarda stood upright after i added
bags and bags of this stuff I got for a song........I would be more willing
to make a blend of 'shroom soil, composted manure and builders sand before
using pure "shroom soil again. thanks for listening marilyn