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Hostas are cultivated for their foliage and for the flowers they produce. Feeding these plants by providing compost from time to time is as important for hostas as for other garden plants. Does mushroom compost offer the correct nutrients and growing environment to be a suitable compost for hostas?
Hostas like mushroom compost because it can provide a more alkaline growing environment for the hostas, which prefers a pH of between 6.5 and 7.5. The mushroom compost provides Nitrogen via organic matter and improves the structure of the soil providing good drainage.
If you’re looking to add some hostas to your garden, you might be looking for a good compost that will provide an ideal addition to the growing medium. While gardeners have various opinions on mushroom compost, you can’t go wrong with mushroom compost for hostas if you do not overdo the ratios.
Is Mushroom Compost Good For Hostas?
Hostas are shade-loving plants cultivated in many gardens for their showy leaves and because they will grow in shaded locations where other plants may not thrive.
The foliage is the main focal point of these plants, and the leaves can be fairly large and vary in shape from lanceolate to ovate leaves, depending on the variety.
The plants are sometimes called plantain lilies because the leaves resemble that of some plantain species. The flowers produced by hostas are beautiful and bring color contrast to the foliage during the flowering season.
The hosta flowers are not particularly pungent or fragrant but provide a lovely display in shady parts of the garden.
The foliage growth on hostas requires a relatively high nitrogen component in any compost used with these plants. The higher nitrogen levels produce strong, healthy leaf growth, which is often why gardeners choose this plant.
Higher levels of calcium increase the sturdiness of the leaf structures, which improves the sturdiness of the foliage. Gardeners grow hostas for their foliage, so a compost that increases the sturdiness of the leaves is beneficial.
Mushroom compost contains between 1.5% and 3% Nitrogen, much of which is in organic form, which provides a slow release of Nitrogen. This slow release provides a longer source of Nitrogen in the soil for the plants.
Besides Nitrogen, mushroom compost has between 0.5 and 2% phosphorous, 1% and 3% potassium, and 3% and 6% calcium. This calcium content is higher than most other conventional composts.
Calcium is important for building strong, sturdy leaf structures, making mushroom compost good for the large foliage of the hosta plants.
Is The Alkalinity Of Mushroom Compost Good For Hostas?
One of the characteristics of mushroom compost is its relative alkalinity, which makes it a good soil amendment medium for soils that are too acidic.
Mushroom compost generally has a pH value of 6.6 or 6.7, making it ideal for raising the pH levels of acidic soils to make them more suitable for plants that prefer slightly more alkaline soil.
Fortunately, hostas prefer a more alkaline environment to most other plants. Plants generally thrive in soils with a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5. Hostas prefer soil with a pH of between 6.5 and 7.5.
A 6.5 pH is very slightly acidic, while a pH of 7.5 is slightly alkaline. The alkaline side of the pH scale above pH 7 is not tolerable to many plants, but hostas will grow happily in slightly alkaline soil.
This makes the alkalinity of mushroom compost a good way to raise the pH of garden soil to a range that encourages the hostas to thrive.
Can Hostas Tolerate The Salt Content In Mushroom Compost?
Mushroom compost is often very high in salt content, which can be detrimental to plant growth. However, some plants, like hostas, are more tolerant of salt than others.
Hostas are typically moderately salt tolerant, which allows them to withstand the higher salt content in the mushroom compost.
However, if the mushroom compost ratio is too high, the salt content could be detrimental to the hostas. This requires that mushroom compost is used in the right ratio to prevent the high salt content from becoming too much for the hostas.
The high salt content in mushroom compost can burn plants that are not tolerant to this environment. The moderate salt tolerance of hostas means that the right ratio of mushroom compost must be used to prevent problems.
Mushroom compost works best for hostas in a 25% ratio to 75% soil. This will offer slow-release compost to the soil with additional benefits, which is ideal for the hosts to thrive.
Benefits Of Mushroom Compost For Hostas
Mushroom compost offers other benefits to the soil, which help promote an ideal growing environment for hostas.
Hostas prefer well-drained soil rich in organic matter. This soil provides the right amount of moisture retention and aeration that is ideal for hostas.
Mushroom compost improves the soil structure by introducing organic material and providing good aeration to give the hostas what they need to thrive.
Another way that mushroom compost can benefit hostas is when it is used as mulch. When applied in a 3-inch or 7.6cm thick mulch layer, mushroom compost acts as a means to suppress weed growth around the hosta plants while they become established.
The mushroom compost mulch also provides a slow release of nutrients from the top down to feed the hostas as they grow.
Mushroom compost is sterile, which means that it will not introduce fungal spores to the soil or bacteria. This means that no potential diseases will be introduced to the soil when using mushroom compost.
Check out: Coffee Grounds for Hostas
Conclusion
Hostas like mushroom compost when the mushroom compost is used in the correct ratio in the soil. The alkalinity of the mushroom compost is beneficial for adjusting the pH to the optimal range for hostas. The aeration and improvement of the soil structure help produce an ideal hosta plant growing environment.
Mushroom compost is a good option for compost to provide a slow release of Nitrogen and an effective weed suppressor when used as mulch.
References
- https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/Hosta.asp
- https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/hosta/
- https://extension.umn.edu/flowers/hostas
- https://hortintl.cals.ncsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2018spet17effectofdifferentchemicalnutrientsnpkongrowthandyieldofoystermushroompleurotusostreatus.pdf
- https://extension.umd.edu/resource/organic-matter-and-soil-amendments