Is Mushroom Compost Good for Roses?

Are you looking to grow beautiful, strong roses and are wondering whether mushroom compost will help to enhance the growth? Mushroom compost is a great tool to use for roses and provides them with all the necessary nutrients they need to develop into such wonderful flowers, due to the amount of organic material within mushroom compost. 

Even though roses can benefit greatly from mushroom compost they still need to be grown in the right conditions to encourage them to bloom. In this gardeners guide, we outline the benefits of using mushroom compost and how it can significantly impact the growth of your roses.

The Benefits of Mushroom Compost

So what is mushroom compost and what are the benefits of using it? Mushroom compost is an organic fertiliser made from materials such as straw and hay. Mushroom compost is so unique due to the high amount of organic materials it contains providing garden plants with plenty of nutrients. 

Mushroom compost is slow to release, meaning this type of compost can help to enhance plant growth over a long period of time. Other benefits of mushroom compost include: 

1. High in Nutrients
2. Breaks Up Heavy Soils
3. Suitable for Various Types of Plants
4. Inexpensive 
5. High Water Holding Capacity
6. Enhances Root Development
7. Improves Soil Structure

Is Mushroom Compost Good for Roses?

What exactly makes mushroom compost so good for roses? Roses are known to thrive in soils such as mushroom compost due to them being significantly high in organic matter. The high organic material helps to provide plants with all the necessary nutrients they need to bloom over a long period of time. 

Mushroom compost also has the correct amount of pH levels suitable for roses without being too high. The required amount of pH level for roses to grow effectively is between 6 and 6.5. Yet they do have the ability to handle low or high levels of pH on each side, so anything slightly above 6.5 would not affect its growth. 

Another reason to consider mushroom compost for your roses is due to the compost’s ability to breaks down heavy clay soils which may have an effect on its growth. In order for roses to survive and grow the soil needs to be well-drained to absorb its nutrients, protecting roses from extreme heat temperatures.

What’s the Best Compost for Roses? 

Although mushroom compost is great for roses, there are plenty of other alternatives to use as well. Roses bloom best in a loamy soil texture that doesn’t retain too much water or dry out quickly. Many garden composts can either dry out quickly or the roots can be too wet which can drastically affect the growth of roses.

Which is Better, Mushroom Compost or Manure? 

Mushroom compost and manure are two different types of soil supplements and are suitable for many different applications and plants including rose garden beds. Mushroom compost is the remains of what’s used to grow mushrooms and cow manure is cow droppings. 

The difference between mushroom compost and manure, is that mushroom compost works best with certain types of plants such as roses, yet cow manure needs to be matured before being used. They both have completely different methods, pH levels and ingredients so establish first what you’ll be doing with it before choosing one over the other to achieve the most out of your plant growth. 

When to use Mushroom Compost 

Mushroom compost is highly efficient and a great choice for plenty of reasons, whether that be for your vegetable garden, flower beds or mushroom compost. Mushroom compost can help to improve the quality of the soil, break down thick soil and enrich existing soil, a few other ways to use mushroom compost are: 

1. To Replace Mulch
2. Soil Amendment
3. Enhance Plant & Vegetable Growth 
4. Break Down Dense Soil

Where can I buy Mushroom Compost? 

We at Alsoils have been servicing domestic and trade customers for over 35 years and offer the highest quality mushroom compost. Our mushroom compost is designed to improve the structure of heavy clay soils, add humus, improve drainage and supply nutrients to thin sandy soils to those within Hampshire and surrounding areas. Read our blog on if mushroom compost is good grass too!

Our mushroom compost is suitable for all purposes and the ideal solution for improving soil conditions, structure and water retention as well as general mulching, for all gardening needs. Get in touch to find out more information about our mushroom compost today.