Mixing store bought composts

dwhitham28 9/24/2013, 7:40 am

These are the store purchased bagged composts that I have.
Will these make a good compost mix.

1. Mushroom compost
2. Composted cow manure
3. Composted fishing industry materials
4. Composted forest industry materials
5. Worm castings

I hoping that these will work for the minimum of 5 different
compost materials.

**walshevak** 9/24/2013, 9:52 am

Sounds like a good mix to me. Just check the bags or the website of the manufacturer and make sure they are not heavy with a peat moss filler. If so ease up on the peat moss and watch your plants carefully in case the commercial stuff is low on nutrients. I have had super luck with my commercial composts, but I added Black Hen to my mix. Black Hen is a "fertilizer" made from composted chicken manure ,but it sure works like compost.. Chickity doo doo is the same. I now have a small compost heap but I am always on the lookout for more composts, even commercial ones, to extend my supply and make my compost pile goodies even more rounded.

Kay

plantoid 9/24/2013, 10:42 am

If I were you I'd have a deep investigation of the number 4 on your list ...the composted Forest products .

It may well not be a suitable material for MM but simply composted bark and wood chips that are best used for top dressing as a deep mulch .. If so it won't have much NPK nutrient value in it.

dwhitham28 9/24/2013, 12:28 pm

My number 4 compost component is Leaf Gro ( Soil conditioner / Organic Compost / High Humus). Hopefully it will suffice as one of the five components.

If needed, can a 6th component be mixed into the top few inches of my SFG?

landarch 9/24/2013, 12:56 pm

Just be careful that one of your five does not contain too much humus as that's is already covered in Mels Mix with the addition of Peat.

It may be taboo for some here, but I would have some organic fertilizer ready to go (Chickity Doo Doo) just in case your new plants look nutrient starved in the future (stunted, yellow, etc.).

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