Mushrooms are fungi

A mushroom is a fruiting body of a fungus. And did you know that they contribute to the decomposition of organic residues? With their fungal threads they clean up organic material. For every type of waste, there is a mushroom. They are very picky, so there are mushrooms that only grow on a specific tree species but also mushrooms that grow on the manure heap.

But why mushrooms on the manure pile?

In the forest, you often come across mushrooms on moist, warm ground. On the decaying leaves and stumps. Just like you have on a manure heap: moist, warm, and decaying material. In addition, a manure heap is full of fungal spores, making it easy for mushrooms to grow. This is because horse poop often contains a significant amount of undigested food residues in the form of sugars and cellulose. This is an ideal food source for fungi and thus mushrooms. Different types of dung mushrooms grow on each type of manure. For example, there are many more types of fungi on mouse droppings than on horse manure.

The microbiotic profile of a manure heap

Horse manure: a source of fibers, nutrients, and organisms. A huge food source for plants, which is why horse manure is often spread over the land. But preferably not fresh manure, but rather the fermented manure from the manure heap. Fermented manure has gone through a whole process where fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms have been hard at work. The end product (after about 6 months) is a fertilizer that is very well absorbable for plants. But there are three ways in which a manure heap is converted, which have an influence on the final state.

Rotting, composting, or fermentation?

The manure heap can be broken down in 3 ways:

• Rotting: due to the moisture in the manure heap, plant residues in the manure rot. This makes the manure heap sloppy, causing a lot of odor.

• Composting: plant residues in the manure are broken down by heat, causing the manure heap to shrink. This causes the manure heap to lose CO2, nitrogen, and methane gas. Manure heaps can reach temperatures of 60-80 degrees Celsius inside, for proper composting, the manure heap should be turned regularly so that air can enter. Worm eggs and other parasites remain active in this pile and can therefore cause recontamination in the land. Also, a compost heap causes a lot of problems with flies and odor.

• Fermentation: This form of conversion can be compared to making sauerkraut. Bacteria control the digestion of the manure and plant material in an acidic environment, this happens at a lower temperature (about 30-40 degrees) so that nutrients are not lost. Effective microorganisms (happy bacteria) are needed for this process, resulting in easily absorbable fertilizers for the land. And an additional advantage: fewer problems with flies and worm eggs do not survive the low pH of the fermented manure heap. In fermentation, you do not need to turn the manure heap, just add effective microorganisms regularly.

Less problem with flies around your manure heap?

By supporting the fermentation of your horse's manure heap, you ensure that less ammonia is emitted. You can do this with Effective Microorganisms. The best way is to spray them weekly over the manure heap, possibly combined with crushed seashells and clay minerals.

Conclusion: mushrooms help in the conversion

A mushroom is a fungus that grows from the undigested food residues in the manure. This is not a problem at all because they help clean up the residual products in the manure. And mushroom growers are not for no reason so fond of horse manure (with straw), mushrooms grow extremely well there. It is therefore very logical that mushrooms like to grow on the manure heap. Mushrooms thrive on slightly acidic soil, so you can also come across them on a fermented manure heap.