Re: Roses and Soils and Composts

Joe et al,
 
We got our mushroom compost from a company called Bossi Mushroom Farm in Colfax and I believe they told us their compost was organic (not made from animal products)  I did a search on the internet and didn't find them listed any longer.  As I said that was back in 1989 to 1994 when I was doing landscaping in that area.  Our subsequent supply of turkey compost came from the Lincoln area.  The gentleman who blended the compost said he mixed his own "special blend" and that he utilized other materials besides the turkey droppings.  I suspect he used coop bedding material as well as composted wood byproducts.  I know all of the soil blends and compost products we utilized at that time were aged.  We didn't want to use fresh compost because using "hot" manure or compost can definitely burn the leaf margins and sometimes the whole plant will be affected.  We utilized both of these composts mixed directly with the native red clay soil of the area for bedding plants, raised beds, landscape plants and new sod and hydroseeded lawns and they all did fine.  I believe the hydroseeded lawns would have failed if the compost had not been aged or had been "hot".  We inspected several of the landscapes and lawns ten years after installation and they were all doing very well.
 
I dug out the analysis of the green waste compost we are using now and it has an analysis of C/N ratio 10.3 and ph (1:2) 7.8 - dry matter basis would increase % and ppm below by about 7.5%. 
total nitrogen %     1.17
ammonia %           0.009
nitrate %                0.028
phosphorus %      0.52
potassium %        0.87
calcium %            1.28
carbon %            12.0
chloride %            0.41
magnesium %     0.17
sodium %            0.11
sulfur %                0.16
boron ppm          23.7
moisture              24.2
organic matter    20.6
ash %                  52.2
conductivity           4.9
 
I have just applied this compost as a top dressing on the roses which were already planted here and as a soil additive to the raised beds where I have planted some new roses.  I will keep you all posted as to how my roses do with this compost.  I am planning on using this compost mixed with native soil for other plantings and as a top dressing on all my other trees and shrubs that are already planted.
 
Linda Starr
Springville Gardens
 
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