Compost Comparison: Cow Manure Vs Mushroom Compost

Backyard gardeners everywhere are looking to amend vegetable gardens, perennial beds, and other landscaping soil with the best additions they can afford. Cow manure vs mushroom compost is the most common question they have to decide upon when preparing their growing spaces. Let’s take a closer look at the differences, the similarities, and when you should choose each amendment to build your soil.

Cow Manure vs Mushroom Compost Defined

To better understand how to choose, you need to know exactly what’s in both cow manure and mushroom compost.

What is Compost?

Compost is a nutrient-rich, organic material that is created through the decomposition of organic matter such as kitchen scraps, yard waste, and other biodegradable materials. It is a natural process that transforms organic waste into a valuable soil conditioner.

The composting process involves the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and insects. These microorganisms consume the organic materials, breaking them down into simpler compounds. The result is a dark, crumbly, and humus-like material that is often referred to as “black gold” because of its ability to improve soil structure, water retention, and nutrient content.

Mushroom compost is a byproduct of the commercial mushroom farming industry and is often used as a soil amendment and mulch in gardening and landscaping. It is mostly made of organic materials such as straw, corn cobs, and other agricultural waste products. These materials were previously used as the substrate for growing mushrooms.

What is Manure?

I suppose that we should state the obvious. Manure is organic material that comes from animal waste, and it is often used as a valuable soil amendment and fertilizer in gardening. Manure is rich in nutrients that can enhance the fertility and structure of garden soil, making it more suitable for plant growth. But some manures need to be broken down through composting in order to safely use them in your garden.

Why Use Manure or Mushroom Compost

The choice between using mushroom compost or manure in your garden depends on your specific gardening needs, plant types, and soil conditions. Each has its advantages, and the decision may also be influenced by factors like availability and local preferences.

Cow Manure Vs Mushroom Compost Comparison

Both cow manure and mushroom compost are made of organic compounds, and both will add nutrients and life to your soil. 

Mushroom Compost: Mushroom compost is typically pasteurized and sterilized during the mushroom-growing process to eliminate pathogens and weed seeds. As a result, it is generally considered safer and less likely to introduce weeds or diseases into your garden.

Manure: Fresh manure can contain harmful pathogens, such as E. coli and salmonella, as well as weed seeds. Using fresh manure directly in your garden can lead to health and plant growth issues. Proper composting or aging of manure is necessary to make it safe for use.

Cow Manure Ingredients

Cow manure, when used as a soil amendment or fertilizer in gardening, typically consists of the organic materials that make up the manure itself. It’s important to note that cow manure is a natural byproduct of cows’ digestive processes, and its composition can vary based on the cow’s diet, age, and other factors. Generally speaking, cow manure will contain:

• nutrients N-P-K
• micronutrients like zinc, iron, calcium
• microorganisms
• water
• weed seeds
• possible herbicides

How to Get the Most Out of Cow Manure

Compost it! If you’re purchasing bagged cow manure from your local garden center, you’re buying composted manure. However, I occasionally hear from a new gardener asking if they should use fresh cow manure in their gardens. No. You should compost the cow manure before applying it to your garden.

Benefits of Using Cow Manure

Cow manure is generally pretty inexpensive to get your hands on, even in bulk. Additionally, using animal manure is an environmentally sustainable way to use a waste product. Composted cow manure holds water to keep your plant roots happy too.

The Downside of Cow Manure:

If not hot composted, cow manure can contain several weed seeds that you’re going to introduce to your garden. Sometimes these weeds, like tropical soda apple, can become incredibly invasive and difficult to get rid of. 

The larger problem with using animal manures is long-term, persistent herbicides such as aminopyralids. This problem is relatively new on the gardening scene but becoming more of a problem with each growing season. 

These herbicides are typically sprayed on hay fields to kill weeds, the cow eats the hay, then the herbicide passes through the cow without breaking down. The cow’s manure now contains the herbicide and it’ll kill most of your garden. Composting doesn’t even break down some of the more persistent herbicides.

Mushroom Compost Ingredients

The substrate used to grow mushrooms is usually made of a combination of:

• wheat straw
• hay
• corn cobs
• cottonseed hulls
• chicken manure
• gypsum
• peat moss
• limestone
• water

How to get the Most Out of Your Mushroom Compost

There really is nothing further that you need to do with your mushroom compost before using it other than wetting it down.

Benefits of Mushroom Compost

You generally shouldn’t have a problem with weed seed problems with mushroom compost. It’s full of essential nutrients and micronutrients that your plants need to thrive. Adding mushroom compost to your garden beds each season improves soil quality.

The best part about using mushroom compost is that its inoculated with mycelium. Mycelium works in the microbial life of the soil, creating a network with which plants and soil life communicate. This helps to grow healthy plants that remain more disease and pest resistant.

Downside of Mushroom Compost:

Some say that using mushroom compost in your garden can cause root rot issues in your vegetable plants. I haven’t experienced this problem, but that may be because my native soil is sand.

If you have a dense soil, you might think twice about using mushroom compost since its really good at holding water. Or maybe just mix in some sand to help with drainage. 

Other Parts to Consider When Choosing Between Cow Manure Vs Mushroom Compost

Nutrient Value:

Mushroom compost has a more balanced nutrient profile compared to fresh manure. It generally contains a moderate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, making it suitable for a wider range of plants.

The nutrient content of manure can vary widely depending on the type of animal it comes from. Fresh cow manure can be high in nutrients, but it may need to be composted or aged to reduce the risk of burning plants with excess nitrogen.

Ph

A soil sample will tell you exactly what is the ph of your soil.  Mushroom compost often has a slightly alkaline ph, which can help raise the pH of acidic soils. On the other hand, the pH of manure can vary, but is generally close to neutral.

Odor

Mushroom compost typically has a milder, earthy scent compared to fresh manure, making it more pleasant to handle and use. Fresh manure can have a strong and sometimes unpleasant odor, which can be a drawback for some gardeners.

Ease of Use / Preparation

Manure should be hot composted before use in the home garden. You want to be sure that weed seeds and pathogens are killed before adding them to your garden. 

Remain vigilant of aminopyralids, and test the composted manure by planting some bean seeds in it. Beans are fast growing plants that are extremely susceptible to aminopyralid herbicide damage. You’ll know quickly if the cow dung addition to your soil is a good option or not.

Mushroom compost is generally ready to use as is. I’ve purchased it in bagged form and by cubic yards from a mushroom farm, and both have grown beautiful healthy plants.

Spreading a layer of mushroom compost over existing garden beds like a mulch is my favorite way to use it. If you aren’t sure about buying that much mushroom compost at once, look at these mulching options, and just use the compost around the plants in your garden.

Availability and Cost:

Perhaps the biggest downside of mushroom compost is availability. If you don’t have a nearby source to purchase it in bulk, this compost isn’t a great choice. The bagged option is cost prohibitive.

Cows will continue to add manure to the ground for ages. I don’t think there will ever be a shortage of cow manure, making it a viable option. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting this for your garden.

Check out Black Kow and Organic Brands Mushroom Compost if you’re looking to try small amounts for your garden. If you like one or the other, talk to your local garden center about ordering a large amount for a reduced cost.

When is It Best to Use Cow Manure?

You can add composted cow manure as an organic fertilizer to your garden at any time. Particularly if your plants are looking weak and yellow, you may need to add nitrogen. Manure is perfect in this case.

How to Use Cow Manure in the Garden

Do not surround roots with composted manure. Instead, top dress your soil, just beneath your plants as needed. 

When is It Best to Use Mushroom Compost?

Like manure, you can add spent mushroom substrate to your garden beds anytime. I prefer to top my garden beds before planting anything in them at the beginning of the season. 

How to Use Mushroom Compost in the Garden

Unlike manure, you can surround your transplant roots with this material. You can typically add as much or as little of this one as you’d like. There’s no real concern of burning plants with too much nitrogen with mushroom compost.

What Vegetables Like Mushroom Compost?

I have yet to find a vegetable plant that doesn’t appreciate a couple of inches of mushroom compost. Leafy greens in particular seem to love it.

What Flowers Like Mushroom Compost?

Using mushroom compost on your perennial beds of flowers or vegetables alike is a great option.

Compost Vs Cow Manure Vs Fertilizer

If I had to choose one addition between cow manure vs mushroom compost, I’d choose mushroom compost every time. Thankfully, I don’t have to choose. For best results, I prefer to use a combination of all three. Mixing cow manure and mushroom compost to plant in, then occasionally adding in a slow release organic fertilizer throughout the growing season.

Other Composts

• Homemade compost is an almost free way to add nutrients to your garden soil. You will gain many trace elements from your kitchen scraps that your growing vegetables can utilize. 
• Vermicomposting is another great way to economically source all of those bionutrients for your soil. Keeping a worm bin filled with red wrigglers or introducing meal worms to your compost pile are easy ways to add nutrients to your composted soil.
• Green manure is the method of planting cover crops in your beds for the sole purpose of adding nutrients to the soil. You can buy seed in bulk from your local farm store or favorite online seed store that is recommended for your area. Once the crop is grown, it’s tilled into the soil, and covered over to die off where is breaks down. This is a fantastic organic fertilization method that also helps build soil in your garden.
• Leaf Compost is the best choice for vegan growers to skip the animals products often used in composting. However, it takes a lot more material to get the same amount of nutrients as the others.
• Chicken Manure often has a low ph, making it quite acidic for your plants. It’s also very high in nitrogen which can burn your plants. Composted chicken manure is the best way to use it in the garden.
• Horse Manure is notorious for weed seeds and should be hot composted before use. This is another one that can be easily sourced in bulk, but the herbicide threat exists there too.

Concluding Cow Manure vs Mushroom Compost

In the end, both cow manure and mushroom compost have their place in the home garden. They can both be a great addition to your planting soil for flower gardens or vegetable plants. Use what you can easily source when you need it. I hope this information helps you when deciding on cow manure vs mushroom compost during your growing season.

Happy Gardening!