Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
Post Reply
starpartyguy
Posts: 89
Joined: September 11th, 2019, 5:40 pm
Location: Lancaster County, Pa
Grass Type: tall fescue
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Some Experience

Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by starpartyguy » August 3rd, 2021, 9:57 am

I have been told that with an OM% of 3.64 I need more organic matter in my lawn. I think I'm going to topdress this September. I have 10k of lawn TTTF in central Pa. I can get mushroom soil for $20/scoop 1.5 cu. yds./per scoop. I can also get leaf compost from another vendor but I'm not sure of the cost.

Which would be better? And how much?

I was told 1/2 inch depth, which amounts to 15 yards over 10k.

I am going to spread by hand using a leveling rake and a lot of muscle. I might be able to hire a student from my workplace. Thinking of doing it in 3 sessions of 4 scoops per.

The lawn is in good shape but some areas look a little thin and hard. The soil is clay and somewhat lacking in structure. When dry it crumbles and is almost white with a hint of red. I have a spot in the front that always went bare in the heat. Put a Norway Spruce in the spot to fix that. There's a section beside it of roughly 6x8 feet that is going bare. Also have a spot in the back that is thinning in the heat. I don't think it's grubs because I treated it 2x this year.

Open to suggestions. Thanks.

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by MorpheusPA » August 3rd, 2021, 11:36 am

Either, but don't bother going nuts. Really, I'd go with 1/4" to avoid any possible problems with the grass crowns. Let that settle and adjust in thoroughly (six weeks or so), after which you can follow up with another quarter inch.

3.6% OM isn't fantastic, but it's not shabby, either. It's kind of "fair." And you won't kick it by huge amounts with compost, although that'll certainly help by adding fresh OM up top. This is, as we always say, a very long race, not a sprint. Balance the soil according to the soil test, feed organically, treat the grass well, and it'll add its own organic matter.

OM is more the result of good practices than where it starts, but soils certainly do improve when you have OM.

starpartyguy
Posts: 89
Joined: September 11th, 2019, 5:40 pm
Location: Lancaster County, Pa
Grass Type: tall fescue
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by starpartyguy » August 5th, 2021, 10:02 am

There are obvious areas of my yard that have lower levels of OM than others. Those areas are thinning, while other areas are rich and beautiful. I've treated for grubs 2x this year and we're in an area where Cicadae killer wasps will dig if the soil is bare. Not the sort of aeration I would prefer, LOL. At $20 for a scoop of 1.5 cu yards, I think I'll get 6 scoops and throw it down thinly. Might buy a leveling rake to help or drag around a 2x4 with my tractor to spread it. Going to start in September after the heat dies off. Maybe throw down some TTTF from Hancock Seed Company.

Not looking forward to the work but I need the exercise.

starpartyguy
Posts: 89
Joined: September 11th, 2019, 5:40 pm
Location: Lancaster County, Pa
Grass Type: tall fescue
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by starpartyguy » August 11th, 2021, 11:38 am

Because rain is not coming as quickly as I would like in Lancaster, Pa. I decided to hold off on topdressing till the spring. Watering is expensive here, with water bills for 1 person in the $50/month range. I'm sure if I tried to water the entire lawn at 1 hour per day I would see a $200 bill. And I know that topdressing requires a fair amount of watering in.

In the meantime I ordered the Bio-Stimulant pack (4 gallons) from NEXT. This has Humic 12, Air 8, RGS, and Microgreen. Figure to try to improve the soil using their products, mainly Humic Acid and the other bio-stimulants. My clay soil is white when dry. And it can get very hard in places. Some areas are doing great but others are struggling. I'd say better than 80% of my lawn is in excellent shape. And to get the compost into the soil where the grass is doing well would require me to use a scarifier or aerator and cut into the nice grass.

Going to the NEXT products first, maybe 2 applications in the next 2 months. I emailed Green County to see if they suggest any different application rates for the products, considering what my lawn conditions are. But I'm going to stick with Lesco granular fertilizers for now because it's easy to spread with my Chapin tow behind.

I'm also going to get another soil test, mainly to see if my ph changed much over the past 4 months and to see if I need lime for maintenance.

edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by edslawn » August 11th, 2021, 6:30 pm

Funny, I'm right down the road from you and a local landscaper also recommended "mushroom soil". Good company, but I think the price was a bit higher. I'm looking at doing some leveling, soil enrichment and also seeding/overseeding. They suggested using the mushroom soil instead of peat but not sure if that is a great idea. I'm going to get 6 yards and start playing around the end of August.

I bought a drag mat and a leveling tool. My bucket is ready and I'm excited to spread it!


User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by MorpheusPA » August 12th, 2021, 12:46 am

For leveling, don't use peat or mushroom soil/compost. Use standard topsoil, the lower the organic matter the better--it'll settle less.

Mushroom soil has tons of organic matter, which will rot away to nothing pretty quickly. Areas leveled using it will quickly become bumpy again.

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Mushroom soil or leaf compost?

Post by andy10917 » August 13th, 2021, 8:25 am

Be careful about using mushroom compost near young/immature plants (including grass) - it is often "hot" (not fully composted) and can burn plants. Keep single applications on the light side.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: R2k and 18 guests