Talkback: Mulching with compost

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  You say you have used mushroom compost, have you ever used spent mushroom compost, is there any disadvantages or words of caution i should know before taking delivery of a fresh load many thanks for any help :-d

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  When should you apply mulch??

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  I use compost mulch, and this year have tried laying down the cut stems of bolted spinach on a strip of empty ground, to try to keep weed seedlings down. Have also tried (SSH!) tap-rooted perennial weeds that haven't set seed. Is this likely to do any harm? Thought it worth a try.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  Spent mushroom compost is lovely stuff, but during the composting process lime is added, so never use it around acid-loving (ericaceous) plants.

  Tracy, for mulching acid-loving plants I'd probably choose a composted bark product rather than a normal peat-free potting compost. I believe this will help lower the soil pH and make it slightly more acid .... perfect for camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris, magnolias, heathers, gaultheria, and many others.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  Tracy, I believe ericaceous compost is good for acid loving plants, but have no idea how you make it.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  I have had a compost bin at the bottom of my garden for years i keep adding stuff to it and have only recently starting to see it all rot down but their seems to be more water in it than anything what am i doing wrong its an old black plastic bin with a lid on help me please some one

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  Home composting is so easy and costs nothing. I leave mine to 'slow burn' that is i dont add any accelerators to speed up the process. I rarely turn the mix and yet still get good quality compost for mulching. I use two bins and a general 'pile' in the corner. fresh clippings go on the pile for a few months before transfering to one of the bins. Thats it..give it a go

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  I have moved house with an established garden (about 14yrs old. I'd love not to dig, but have discovered that there are no worms in the garden (plenty of slugs and snails though. How can I introduce them?

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2008

  I am looking for different ways to discourage cats from raking up my circular rose garden; my latest idea of thick wood chips hasn't worked so would like to know if a thickish layer of large pebbles or slate would be suitable to surround the roses leaving a small area surrounding the rose to feed and water. Would the roses appreciate this?

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  July 2008

  Hiya,My front garden is all covered with purply-grey slate chippings, and I certainly don't get any cats digging this up. When I was unable to get a matching colour for an adjacent bed, I bought from B&Q some chopped up old tyres. These are the same colour, look like slate chips, but are of course much lighter weight. It stated on the bag that it repels cats. This isn't exactly true, as our neighbours'one likes to sleep under my conifers in the shade ontop of these chippings. However, there is no digging or pooing going on, so maybe they work after all!
  I posted a message to another gardener who has trouble with foxes and said that you can buy lion poo on the internet from the zoo. This is a natural deterrant and might be worth a try.
  Lastly, my mum always used to say that my Grandma swore by using dried holly leaves as an anti-cat mulch, as of course they would be uncomfortable to the moggies. As a girl-guide I remember that all holly trees keep a huge supply of old leaves underneath them, very useful for starting camp fires!

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