Worm Castings or Mushroom compost?

So I finally found a place that carries bags of pure Worm Castings and when I went to get it the knowledgeable sounding guy asked what I wanted to grow. I told him "tomatoes, cucumbers, cantelopes, etc".. He said the best things he's ever used especially for tomatoes was Mushroom Compost. It's measurements are something like .5, .5, .2. He said it's amazing and was far better than Worm Castings.

Sooooo, does anyone have any experience with Mushroom Compost or know if it is perhaps too strong or contraindicated for MJ?

Gee I can kick myself. I just read something about this. Hold on and let me go check.

both are good mix 4 parts w.castings to 1part perlite

mushroom compost is supposedly the best ammendment for pot, never tried it but read a lot of good things back in the old days of OG. he probably asked you because he also grows weed, "tomatoes" was always my code word anyway...

Here it is. This is good. HomeGrown420 - An Organic grow

the widowman said:

both are good mix 4 parts w.castings to 1part perlite

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That's your complete mix? I'm doing outdoor by the way.

Beaner said:

mushroom compost is supposedly the best ammendment for pot, never tried it but read a lot of good things back in the old days of OG. he probably asked you because he also grows weed, "tomatoes" was always my code word anyway...

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And it's not weak being .5.5.2 ... I'd like to use some of both if it's not overdoing it but then the question is, how much of each.. I suppose it's possible to burn even with an organic soil/compost if it's too rich.

~Using worm castings~


How to use worm castings in a soil mix?

Worm castings can be used in a multitude of ways - mixed into a soil mix, a soilless mix, or as a tea or slurry.

Usually worm castings is thought of as an additive. Recommendations vary wildly, but I would recommend adding one tenth to one fifth in any organic mix (10-20&#37.

Top dressing with worm castings would work well, too, especially with indoor containers. Making a worm castings tea by steeping the castings in clean well aerated water makes for a life giving plant-nutrient. I recommend filtering worm tea before use and returning the dregs into the worm bin after a couple of rounds.

One can use plain worm castings as a growing medium, and in my experience it works very well. But usually finished worm castings tends to be mud-like in consistency, and needs something to aerate and lighten up the texture. Perlite and expanded clay work very well for this. 50% of expanded clay (multiple size) and 50% worm castings makes for a nice quick-n-dirty primo soil(less) mix.


The Classic Shabang Mix

"The mix that I recommend is basically nothing but castings and drainage. I used to cut it with all sorts of things, including soilless peat-based mixes like pro-mix.. but then you're introducing a source for pH problems-- especially when others try and duplicate it but can't find the right brands then substitute with a peat-mix that is too acidic. So down to the bare basics of a mix:

40% castings
30% perlite
30% vermiculite"


Quoted from GrowFAQ #781 here: 781.htm

102% Hyper Veg Mix by Aallonharja


* 25% coco peat
* 25% expanded clay
* 50% worm casting
* 2% alfalfa meal pellets
* 1/4 tablespoon of dolomite lime per liter (1 per gal)
* lemon juice (or 8% citric acid solution)
* seaweed extract according to taste
* silicon nutrient additive

Note:

- This is a guideline, not a recipe. Know your ingredients!

- If things get too sticky, muddy or water retaining with the worm castings, add more coco peat, peat, perlite or expanded clay.

- The stretching due to alfalfa can last up to 5 or more weeks.

- For alfalfa meal pellets 2% is a careful estimate. More can be used if the plants can take it.

- This mix should last about 4 weeks, ie. supply the plant with nutrients during the vegetative period, PK and N+Mg+Ca additive may be needed in bloom.


Meek Flowering Mix

* Worm castings, from bin fed with fruit and vegetables and peels (High K, Medium P)
* Optionally in the first 4 weeks of flowering, add as needed:
Pinch of dolomite lime or epsom salts
Pinch of gypsym
Pinch(es) of clean, pure wood ash


Mix in a bucket of water, and filter solids. Water during flowering.



Note:

- This is a guideline, not a recipe. Know your ingredients!

- Yields very vivid aromatic tones

- Basically a high K + P + Mg + Ca + S solution - all thats needed in bloom.

- N supplementation may also be necessary.


Oh also, you could talk a bit about Casting Tea aswell.

Well I've usually simply spooned some more or less finished castings into a cheapo nylon stocking and dumped that in a bucket and a reservoir.

A surefire way would be using 100% finished worm castings with a high quality filter material, and place that in a bucket with water, aerate the water for 48 hours, and then use that water for watering, provided it didnt contain visible pests and didnt smell like rotten fish (aerobic teas shouldnt smell bad in the first place).

Thanks Mogie.

40% peat + 1 cubic ft. of Organic composted peat for the micros(3 1/2 bags)
30% perlite(add until I plunge my hand in easy)
20% Mushroom compost(two bags)
10% worm castings (homemade)

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That is a sweet mix. I might cut the perlite to 20% and add 10% vermiculite but only because I have it in my head that vermiculite needs to be a part of any good soil mix.

The only bags of mushroom post and worm castings I found are like 40 lbs or so and that's far more than I need but at 6-12 dollars a bag it's a nit if it makes things do right. Both that I found are organic fwiw.

The Classic Shabang Mix

Click to expand...

"The mix that I recommend is basically nothing but castings and drainage. I used to cut it with all sorts of things, including soilless peat-based mixes like pro-mix.. but then you're introducing a source for pH problems-- especially when others try and duplicate it but can't find the right brands then substitute with a peat-mix that is too acidic. So down to the bare basics of a mix:

40% castings
30% perlite
30% vermiculite"

Click to expand...

That's an interesting mix and I guess this person makes the case against peat but I think it should be fine if I get the organic composted kind without fertilizer or additives.


Is lime an issue early on or something I should add?

And there are some nice organic fertilizers for the veg stage in stores made of decomposed fish or something like that. You mix a few teaspoons in a gallon of water if I remember correctly. They were highly recommended but my thinking is that the fish smell might attract animals and get them digging. Anyone have thoughts on that?

i stopped using pearlite all together, correct me if im wrong but they do basicly the same thing, exept virmiculite blends in better because it's not bright white and holds water a little better. that does sound like a sweet mix though, wish i had my own worm farm....

Here is an article that is negative on mushroom compost. The bag I was looking at was .5.5.2 I believe and this article says MC contains nowhere near that and is overrated.
https://www.rollitup.org/outdoor-growing/14057-worm-castings-mushroom-compost.html

Mushroom compost is, in my opinion, one of the most over-hyped gardening products on garden shop shelves.

Let us examine the data. This compost is made by mushroom producers from material such as hay, straw, corn cobs, poultry and horse manure – or any combination of organic material that is 1) inexpensive and 2) readily available. Mushroom facilities do try to create a consistent compost so their production will be standardized.
The compost is made in large piles on concrete pads and when done, is loaded into dark buildings and mushroom spawn is sown. The heat of the composting will kill off most weed seeds and other problems if it is done properly.
The mushroom crop is grown and normally 3 harvests are taken. The spent compost is then removed, the buildings cleaned and sterilized and the process begun anew with the next batch of compost.​

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i thought it was worm castings compost ready for plants. worm castings on its own with perlite would be a bit strong.

naaaaa worm casings are low in nutes (1-0-0) and plants can be grown 100% in it. I had no idea mushroom compost was just old sporecake material, wierd, i always figured it was actuall composted mushrooms, i can now see how that could be overhyped. it's just manure that had fungus growing in it. the mycelium and whatnot probably ate quite a bit of the nutrients already.

Beaner, FWIW the package on the mushroom compost I was looking at says it's .5.5.2 so someone here is wrong.

wrong about what???? the 1-0-0 was a figure i got from a bag of worm castings at my grow shop, i don't know if they even carry the mushroom compost, but i meant the figure for worm castings NOT mushroom compost, frankly i have no idea which is better, because i have only ever used worm castings and never pure, though i only mixed inert ingredients so i guess you could say it was pure, just with peat moss added for drainage. when i start my next indoor grow next month i don't think ill switch too mushroom compost just because worm is tried and true for me. though it's too expensive for a large grow unless you like blowing lots of money on weed your gonna sell anyway.

I wish I could find some worm castings around my house. I hear so many good things about them, but I dont want to order them online : (

I just acquired a supply of mushroom mine soil, directly from the mine. it looks very dark and good soil. will use as a mix in miracle grow moisture control.....now to find some perlite.

Just my two cents, I was growing critical plus fems in miracle grow outside, and being a new grower I can't tell you exactly what was wrong with them but they just didnt look 100%. So when I transplanted to a large grow bag, I added mushroom compost to the soil at about 20%. The mushroom compost had such a light soft feeling. Anyways, I can back a week later and the leaves were so dark green and just looked thicker and healthier, more perky. I would difinately use it again. Unfortunately all of the plants either got eaten down to the stem or ripped off, but the rooots were growing all around the inside of the bag, seemed like the soil was light enough. Peace.

mushroom compost isnt used for nutritional value it adds texture to the soil and holds moisture, it allows the plant to uptake nutes better somehow. corn growers will add MC to their fields and it allows them to use less fertilizer because the compost helps the plants absorb more nutes

I used mushroom compost last years outdoor, no problems.

VirginHarvester quoted a great article but may have left the most important part of that article UNquoted. Read the rest of it in this post. The part about all the chemicals and salts left behind in Mushroom compost is No good for me. I'm growing outdoors in real soil amended with clean compost (made by me) and organic nutes. No more mushroom compost for me. It's a bitch too - cause I have a great supplier nearby who will load all you can haul for a ten dollar loading fee. I used it in my vegetable garden a couple of years ago with good results but I don't want that shit in my soil anymore. Too bad I can't buy it before they use it.