Mushroom Compost

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Mushroom compost is an inexpensive potting soil amendment that is packed with organic goodies. Mushroom compost is sterilized chemically to provide a clean medium for mushroom growth. After serving its purpose as a mushroom growing medium, it is discarded. Laws usually require that it sit fallow for two years or more to allow all the harmful sterilants to leach out. After lying fallow for several years, mushroom compost is very fertile and packed with beneficial microorganisms.

The high-power compost could also foster antifungal and antibacterial properties in foliage and below the soil line, which helps guard against disease. Mushroom compost is loaded with beneficial bacteria that hasten nutrient uptake. The texture, water holding ability, and drainage in some mushroom compost should be amended with perlite to promote better drainage. Check your local nursery or extension service for a good source of mushroom compost. Some of the most abundant harvests I have seen were grown in mushroom compost.