Mushroom soil is the medium from which commercial mushroom growing grow their mushrooms. The organic matter left behind from the mushrooms combined with the high-quality soil they were originally grown in creates a nutrient-rich organic soil/compost perfect for lawns.
Let’s discuss the benefits, warnings, and applications in lawn care. JT Landscape & Organic Lawn Care is a lawn care service in Camden County, NJ that specializes in organic lawn care and organic lawn renovations. If your property is located in or near Camden County, NJ we are happy to provide you with free estimates for organic lawn care programs and services. We are a top-rated lawn care service serving Sicklerville, Williamstown, and nearby areas in New Jersey.
The picture below shows a lawn renovation we performed in Sicklerville, NJ using mushroom super soil!
Mushroom Soils Benefits
Mushroom soil offers several benefits to turfgrass and most plants – please keep reading as it is important to use it appropriately or you can cause harm to your lawn and landscape if misused.
List of benefits:
- Improves water retention in the soil*
- Improves texture/chemical makeup of the soil (reduces compaction in clay-heavy soils)
- Provides an organic slow-release fertilizer
- Naturally suppresses weeds
*When amending mushroom soil into existing soil it is important to not exceed a 25% threshold compared to the rest of the matter comprising the soil. Too much can cause the soil to retain too much water.
Mushroom Soil Warnings
The first warning is to not use too much as we just described. Equally important is to be aware that mushroom soil is high in salt content. Lawns like and respond well to the salt content but there are several popular landscape plants that cannot handle the salt!
Do not use mushroom soil around camellias, rhododendrons, summer Heather’s, azaleas, or any other plant that does not like salt! It will cause a lot of damage to the plant if it doesn’t entirely kill the plant.
Because of the mushroom spores found within, you can buy pasteurized mushroom soil to eliminate the chance that any mushrooms grow when using it. For use in lawns, there is no need to worry about the handful of mushrooms that may grow after the application. When using mushroom soil in landscape or garden beds, it is best to use a pasteurized version. Just know that the soil will still be beneficial after pasteurization but many of the nutrients and organic matter will have been removed with the fungal spores. You will need to mix compost or compost-tea with the soil to boost up the nutrient content once again.
Mushroom Soil Applications For Lawns & Landscapes
Topdressing your lawn is one application.
The main way we utilize this nutrient-rich soil is during our lawn renovation services. Our preference is to rip up the lawn to bare soil with skid steer then mix compost and mushroom soil together. Using a compost spreader, we apply a 2-3 inch layer over the entire lawn before laying the sod.
It can also be used as a mulch in landscape beds. Just remember to make sure the plants in your garden beds will not be harmed by the salt!
