Often sold at landscape supply houses, mushroom compost can help amend garden soil, but should be used with caution, according to John Hart, soil scientist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/mushroom-compost-use-carefully
Soil is already 'done' and cannot be composted. If someone offers you composted soil, ask if they meant to say compost or topsoil. Humus*: Latin for 'soil', this generally refers to components of soil that are rich in organic matter, whether from added compost or the natural decomposition of plant material. The top layers of forest soils are rich in humus.
http://www.gardensalive.com/product/what-do-compost-topsoil-humus-composted-soil-and-other-dirty-words-really-mean/you_bet_your_garden
Compost is a remarkable substance resulting from the decay of organic material such as kitchen scraps, weeds, shredded paper, leaves, and other things we otherwise would just throw away. Provides low, steady, balanced nutrition to plants. It holds nutrients in the root zone keeping them available for plants to use.
http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/
As processed organic material, manure is a natural choice as a garden soil enhancement. Farm animals are routinely fed the byproducts of plants either in the form of dried grain and meal or through the open grazing of live vegetation.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/manure-soil-70424.html
Used with care, mushroom compost also can be used as a mulch around perennials, trees and shrubs, said Hart. For flower beds and vegetable gardens, till about 3 inches of the compost into the top six inches of fairly dry garden soil. For containerized plants, fresh mushroom compost should only make up about one-quarter of the volume of soil in the container.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/mushroom-compost-use-carefully
The compost ingredients are weighed out, then mixed in.. At the PictSweet mushroom farm, huge piles of mushroom compost sit for about 30 days and do what compost does - heat up. The straw provides the structure and some food for bacteria, and the urea, cottonseed meal and chicken manure provide most of the nutrients.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/mushroom-compost-use-carefully
What Does Manure Do to Soil? Composted manure is further broken down and is easily incorporated into the soil. As the fully digested remains of whatever grain or vegetation farm animals consume, manure is a rich organic product that passes many of it benefits on to the soil it is mixed into.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/manure-soil-70424.html
Types of Manure. Livestock such as cows, pigs, horses, goats and sheep are herbivores, while chickens and ducks do consume the occasional insect or two. In a very real sense, farm animals are natural recyclers, as their waste is completely reusable as a valuable soil amendment.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/manure-soil-70424.html
The Compost Gardener. Compost - it's the cornerstone of an organic garden and even chemically inclined gardeners will find it a great ally. The more you know about it and the ecosystem it is, and provides, the more profoundly you'll appreciate it. For me Ellie Schoenfeld's poem, Patriotism, is the perfect tribute to both soil and compost and captures my own feelings about this remarkable and humble servant to the garden.
http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/
Applying compost to the soil starts a biological process that decomposes organic matter and builds soil. In fact, the humus in compost actually feeds the micro-organisms that are essential in keeping the process going. Ultimately compost helps loosen clay soils by creating open spaces that allow air and water to circulate through the soil instead of merely running off the surface. Conversely, compost helps unite the coarse particles in sandy soils so they can retain water and nutrients longer.
http://smitscompost.com/what.htm
what does compost do for soil
Ultimately compost helps loosen clay soils by creating open spaces that allow air and water to circulate through the soil instead of merely running off the surface. Conversely, compost helps unite the coarse particles in sandy soils so they can retain water and nutrients longer. Decomposes organic matter and builds soil. Ultimately compost helps loosen clay soils by creating open spaces that allow air and water to circulate through the soil instead of merely running off the surface. Conversely, compost helps unite the coarse particles in sandy soils so they can retain water and nutrients longer.