Vermicompost: Mushrooms In The Worm Bin | Garden Culture Magazine (2024)

FAQs

What are the 5 mistakes that people commonly make when composting with worms? ›

That's right. Mushrooms. Not just a few of them, either. Large clusters of white, mould-covered mushrooms had taken over most of the bin.

Earthworms Are Attracted to It

Mushroom fertilizers enhance water retention, so it appeals to them even more. Earthworms strengthen soil structure and increase drainage. They also aid in the more efficient collection of nutrients from the soil by roots, thus resulting in healthy soil good for your plants.

As inedible, wild mushrooms may also grow in the mushroom compost. Mushroom identification apps can help you with this. But if you are even slightly unsure, it's safer not to eat them.

Worms hate: meat or fish, cheese, butter, greasy food, animal waste, spicy and salty foods, citrus.” The food-to-worm ratio is not precise, nor is the amount of castings they will produce. The rule of thumb is that a pound of worms will eat one to two pounds of food in a week.

Mushroom compost is also high in salt, which can be problematic for some plants such as blueberries, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. These soluble salts along with other nutrients in fresh mushroom compost are too concentrated to germinate seeds or plant young seedlings.

Q: Can I plant directly into mushroom compost? A: It depends on what you are planting. Direct seeding of wildflowers, turfgrass, radish, carrots, herbs, lettuce are known to do quite well.

Worms can eat these foods frequently: Apples, bananas, berries, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, pears, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, avocados, banana peels, bell peppers, cantaloupe, corn, grapes, mango, peaches, potatoes, spinach, tofu, zucchini.

Mushroom compost is unsuitable for fruit crops (which prefer neutral to acid conditions), and it is not recommended for use as a lawn top-dressing, except where the soil is very acid and a definite need for lime has been established.

Can you put moldy bread in worm compost? ›

The molds that form on most vegetables are usually OK, but the molds on some fruit and bread can be problematic. If you're in doubt, try a small amount first and see if the worms are bothered by it. If not, then it's probably OK to use it, otherwise, you should put them into your backyard bin instead.

Mushroom compost should be used with caution due to its high soluble salt levels and alkalinity. These salt levels can kill germinating seeds, harm young seedlings, and cause damage to salt-sensitive plants, like azaleas and rhododendrons.

Mushroom soil also contains more calcium than regular compost due to the addition of chalk. Plants like tomatoes do well in a calcium-rich soil which helps tamp down blossom-end rot.

Mushroom compost can supply nutrients and increase water-holding capacity of the soil. But mushroom compost can also be too much of a good thing for seeds, seedlings and young plants.

Pros of mushroom compost

Easy to use and apply: While cow manure is heavier, mushroom compost is lighter and easier to spread. While some plants may be more sensitive to the salt content in fresh mushroom compost, there's less chance of spreading pathogens when using this compared to using fresh manure.