Best for mushrooms
For the cultivation of the popular button mushrooms, many different types of composts have been used. However, experiments with six types in a completely randomised design at the Horticultural Research Station, Ooty during 1997-1998 have come up with surprising results. The different composts were prepared using the following base materials: i) Paddy straw, ii) Wheat straw, iii) Sugarcane trash, iv) Wheat straw plus sugarcane trash (3:1 w/w), v) Paddy straw plus sugarcane trash, and f) Paddy straw plus wheat straw. Along with other base materials the compost was processed for a number of days. The compost was then filled in polythene bags and spawned with button mushroom. When the mushrooms appeared 2-3 weeks later, the highest yield of 1.68 kg/10 kg of compost was recorded by wheat straw plus sugarcane trash compost with an average fruit weight of 9.2 gm. Besides, the quality of the compost is good without greasiness and stickiness.